DEAD IN TOMBSTONE

US, 2012, 100 minutes, Colour.
Danny Trejo, Mickey Rourke, Anthony Michael Hall, Dina Meyer, Richard Dillane, Daniel Lapaine.
Directed by Roel Reine.

Dead in Tombstone is something of a cult western, straight to DVD, for the fans only.

Danny Trejo achieved some fame and notoriety by appearing in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete films. He also had his interesting personal style vehicle, Bad-Ass?. Capitalising on this fame, he is the star of this offbeat, somewhat demented, Western.

The film opens with a hanging. Red (Anthony Michael) is saved but turns his gang against his brother, Trejo, here called Guerrero, Warrior. Guerrero is killed and Red and the gang take over the mining town – full of mayhem, more than a touch bloodthirsty.

But, the interesting thing is that Guerrero goes to hell – and meets the devil, but Mickey Rourke is credited in the film as The Blacksmith. In a variation of a Faustian pact, Satan allows Guerrero back into the world ordering him to kill a half a dozen of his assailants within a specific time, and then he would be free.

Needless to say, people are surprised to see Guerrero back on earth. But, faithful to his pact, he then proceeds to do the Western thing, vengeance-wise, tracking down the gang, including his brother, and disposing of them in spectacular stunt style with special effects.

Of course, the question is, whether Satan is to be trusted. Guerrero and Satan have some conversations – and back Guerrero goes back to hell for Satan to fulfil his promise. If he will.

This is a film not designed for mainstream audiences but, rather, for the fans of Danny Trejo, even of Mickey Rourke, and those who relish imaginative screenplays and extraordinary manufactured situations. It also relies on the evocative terms of the title and Tombstone.