Yellow Rock (2011)

One of the best films i have seen

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Expected more

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Black Feather, great-grandson of Angry Wolf and the last of his tribe, narrates at the beginning and the end as we see a group of Native Americans on horses. His message is simple. The white man has a disease that the Native Americans are immune to, and other things are more important than money; once all of those other things are gone, what good is money?Tom Hammen goes to the church where his eight-year-old son was buried and lights a candle. Dietrich asks where to find Tom, and is told to go to the church. Dietrich says his brother and son are missing and in order to find them, it will be necessary to cross territory belonging to local Native Americans. He needs Tom's help and gives him $20 in gold, with more to come when the job is completed. A bunch of roughnecks will go along with them; their names are Cobb, Farley, Billy and Roscoe.Sarah, a woman with long red hair, is giving medical treatment to the Native Americans. It's not clear at first whether she is actually a doctor but we later learn she is. When Tom and the others arrive, she helps the reluctant members of the tribe to understand Tom. A group of men go off by themselves to discuss the situation. Tom can be trusted, but what about the others? It is agreed that Broken Wing will go along, and the men are informed that sacred burial grounds are not to be entered.Sarah goes along with the group to translate. Broken Wing goes along too and though he warns the group not to go through sacred burial grounds, they do anyway. It is quite creepy with a lot of smoke and weird music. There may be a curse on those who violate this area. Wolves appear but they may have been there to protect the group. However, these appear more likely to attack. The goal is eventually reached, after more obstacles. It's not what you might think. Hint: what is the movie's title and what did I say Black Feather said ? This is a Western so of course there was shootin' and fightin'. Nothing too graphic but there was some blood. The sound went out several times and a character's mouth was covered by a rectangle. There is more emphasis on a strong woman, meaning the doctor, unlike some older Westerns. Sarah is played by Lenore Andriel, who was a writer and producer as well. Native American traditions are respected, even if the bad guys constantly disrespect the "Injuns". Since the actor playing Broken Wing is listed as "Native American consultant", I assume he is doing everything right. It's not an important or classic western, but it is okay.

YELLOW ROCK 2011Considering the cast involved here I was expecting an unseen little gem. It turns out to be more like cut glass. Michael Biehn, James Russo, Lenore Andriel, headline this low budget film. The Yellow Rock of the title of course refers to gold.Michael Biehn is a down on his luck cowboy hired by James Russo to look for his brother and son. The problem here is that the pair are most likely lost on Indian lands. The local tribe needs to be asked for permission to cross their land.Biehn approaches a woman doctor he knows about getting said permission. The doctor is played by Lenore Andriel. (What a looker) Miss Andriel introduces Biehn to the Indian chiefs for a talk. Permission is granted as long as the men take along one of the tribe, Michael Spears. The doc, Andriel, also joins the group in case there are any injured among the missing.Needless to say matters go south in a hurry as the Russo and his men, Christopher Backus, Clay Wilcox, Paul Sloan, Brian Gleason and Peter Sherayko just ride right through some burial grounds. Biehn begins to smell a large rat in the old cupboard.And right he is as Russo and company are really after a healthy supply of gold hidden in an old mine. Guns are drawn and the Indian guide, Spears, is soon shot full of holes and left for dead. The man though is only wounded and will soon return for a spot of vengeance.Of course the old western chestnut of the men turning on each other as gold fever takes hold is used. Bodies drop with finally only Biehn and Andriel surviving to ride out of the hills.I really wanted to like this one, but the shopworn story defeats the film. The look of the production is good, but it cannot cover the plot problems. I would give the actors full marks for effort. A bigger budget and a firmer hand on the direction would have helped.

First of all do not believe anybody that rated this movie as good because they are for sure all related in some kind of way to somebody that was involved in making this piece of crap. There is absolutely nothing good to say about this western. I do like a good western every now and then but this is probably one of the worst I've ever seen. The story is incredibly weak, the dialogs are so lame you wonder how the guy that wrote this makes a living out of what he does. The actors are below average with some practically reading their script I think. The music and sound effects played during some scenes are also very badly chosen. I regret watching this movie so much, that's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back. Avoid at all costs...

Westerns are a rare event in this day and age. We are obsessed with the future: cybernetics, machines, space, we end up forgetting about the original final frontier. A frontier that did not require a degree in science to achieve, but simply a spirit of adventure and a will to survive. Yellow Rock may not revolve around the idea of discovery, but rather the effects of discovery. Although practically a cliché at this point, the classic story of the white man abusing the kindness of Native Americans is a formula that works, especially for this movie's favor.Yellow Rock has several aspects supporting it that could only be achieved in a Western film. The atmosphere achieves a sense of tensity, but feels campy and fun at the same time. The two protagonists, an independent woman doctor and a man with a troubled past, are likable and competent. The antagonists are cartoon evil, and although the film attempts to hide the real villains, most people will catch on rather quickly. In truth, the "plot twist" may be the weakest part of the movie simply by how predictable it is. Regardless, Yellow Rock is a solid Western, and if you have an itch for anything new, you should give it a fair shot.