Purgatory (film)
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| Purgatory | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Uli Edel |
| Produced by | Dan Schneider |
| Written by | Gordon T. Dawson |
| Starring | Sam Shepard Eric Roberts Donnie Wahlberg Peter Stormare |
| Music by | Brad Fiedel |
| Distributed by | TNT |
| Running time | 94 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Purgatory is a 1999 western fantasy film directed by Uli Edel.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
An outlaw band led by Blackjack Britton (Eric Roberts) and second man Gavin Guthrie (Peter Stormare) robs a bank. A woman is shot and dies in the arms of Sonny, a young member of the gang who is the lookout and appears to still have a conscience. The gang flees and is pursued by a posse. After passing through a dust storm they see and enter a tunnel, emerging at the other end into verdant pastures around the town of Refuge. In this town no one carries a gun, drinks, or swears.
Sonny seems to think he has seen some of the residents before but is unable to remember where. He becomes very puzzled when the stagecoach arrives with a woman who is identical to the one who died in his arms when they robbed the bank. Meanwhile the rest of the outlaw gang begin to cause mayhem and threaten the destruction of the town but the men of Refuge seem unwilling to resist them. At one point a young woman, who has become the object of Sonny's love, is threatened by the gang and he is seen by the men of Refuge as willing to lay down his life to save her.
Sonny finds out that the town of Refuge is actually a kind of purgatory and the faces that he thought he recognised were in fact well known people such as Doc Holliday, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James and Billy the Kid, all of whom had previously died but who must now spend ten years in purgatory before being admitted into heaven. During this time they must avoid all violence and resist the temptations they succumbed to in life. The penalty is hell if they fail. In fact, the movie shows a farmer being sent to hell for murdering one of Blackjack's henchmen when he tried to steal out of the garden. Wild Bill Hickok - the current sheriff - in particular has only 24 hours to go until his ten years are up and this explains why they had not resisted the gang.
Inspired by the example Sonny has set, the townspeople nonetheless decide to take up arms to save the town rather than see evil triumph, even though this apparently means they abandon all hope of heaven. The evil outlaws who had viewed the men of the town as cowards are now amazed to confront these famous names. Though outnumbered, the men of Refuge triumph after a classic shoot-out during which Sonny is mortally wounded and in turn becomes a resident of Refuge; Blackjack and his men are all thrown into hell.
The men of Refuge are now convinced they will also be condemned to hell. As they are led away by the gatekeeper, a stagecoach (R.G. Armstrong) arrives from heaven. He explains to them that whilst the Creator is tough he was not blind to what they had done in standing up to evil. Rather than being condemned to hell they are being taken to heaven. Sonny asks to remain in purgatory, as the new sheriff, in order to be with the woman he loves. The final scene is the stagecoach being bathed in light as it approaches heaven.
[edit] Cast
- Sam Shepard as Sheriff Forrest/Wild Bill Hickock
- Eric Roberts as Blackjack Britton
- Randy Quaid as Doc Woods/Doc Holliday
- Peter Stormare as Cavin Guthrie
- Brad Rowe as Leo 'Sonny' Dillard
- Donnie Wahlberg as Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid
- J.D. Souther as Brooks/Jesse James
- Amelia Heinle as Rose/Betty McCullough
- Shannon Kenny as Dolly Sloan/Ivy
- John Dennis Johnston as Lamb/'Lefty' Slade
[edit] Trivia
- At the lake where Sonny and Rose converse, an error/inconsistency can be seen with Rose's dress. Depending on the angle of the shot her dress is either brown or blue.
- All of the Purgatory residents' assumed names are nature-based: Forest, Glen, Ivy, Rose, Woods, Lamb.
- Randy Quaid's brother Dennis played Doc Holliday in the movie Wyatt Earp a few years earlier.
[edit] External links
- Purgatory at the Internet Movie Database
