Film Review: Texas Rangers (2001)

12 days ago

(source: tmdb.org)

In the current era, the most powerful country in history has seemingly abandoned efforts to control its border. This is even more startling, considering that it had faced much more difficulties and apparently had better success in accomplishing that task in past. This is the impression you might get from Texas Rangers, 2001 western directed by Steve Miner.

The film is based on George Durham's book The Taming of Nueces Strip, describing the real events that took place in South Texas in 1875. Ten years after the Civil War, the lawlessness and violence caused by Mexican and other bandits operating from both sides of border with Mexico forced State of Texas to re-form Texas Rangers, its famed paramilitary police force. Protagonist, played by James Van Der Beek, is Lincoln Dunnison, young man from Philadelphia who has lost his entire family in massacre by committed by gang led by vicious cattle rustler John King Fisher (played by Alfred Molina). After barely surviving the massacre, he joins George Durham (played by Ashton Kutcher), another survivor, and both young men enlist in Rangers, which is commanded by Leander McNelly (played by Dylan McDermott), former preacher and Confederate war veteran. He uses all his knowledge and experience to forge mostly young recruits into efficient fighting force and begins relentless pursuit of Fisher and his gang. He races not only against Fisher, but against time, because he is mortally ill with tuberculosis and, as the campaign goes own, Lincoln begins to question some of his methods.

Texas Rangers was panned by critics upon release, not because of its quality but due to its failure to meet its potential. The film was initially conceived as a project for legendary western director Sam Peckinpah, with John Milius later hired to write and direct in the early 1990s. However, due to creative differences with producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Milius was replaced by Steve Miner as director and Ehren Kruger as screenwriter. Milius opted not to have his name credited in the film.

The Weinsteins' intervention in Milius' work resulted in historic character of Leander McNelly, who was supposed to be the main protagonist, being demoted by two fictional characters, played by young actors who were television stars and popular among teen audiences, James Van Der Beek and Ashton Kutcher. While attempting to appeal to the teen demographic in westerns isn't necessarily a bad idea, as seen in Young Guns, in this particular case, the characters became cliched and one-dimensional, lacking the complexity of McNelly.

Despite the film's large budget and impressive cast, Texas Rangers fails to look epic, primarily due to Weinsteins’ notorious tendency to chop films. Twenty minutes were deleted, reducing the plot to bare bones and obligatory action scenes, with little space for character development. This is most evident in the introduction of obligatory female characters, such as the rancher's daughter, played by Rachael Leigh Cook, as a potential love interest, and even worse, with Leonor Varela, who played abducted Mexican circus juggler, and whose apparent changes of allegiance are not properly explained.

The direction is mostly solid, and the action scenes work to a degree, but the cast seems wasted due to undeveloped characters. Dylan McDermott is the most impressive as the doomed leader of men, while James Van Der Beek does what he can with his cliched character, who tries to serve as some sort of moral conscience, despite being primarily motivated by vengeance. Ashton Kutcher, on the other hand, is annoying in his poorly written role of comic relief.

Texas Rangers is a watchable western, but this is hardly an achievement, given the many westerns made before and after it that were much better.

RATING: 4/10 (+)