Cowboy Up (2001)
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Xavier Koller
Written by James Redford
Starring Marcus Thomas, Kiefer Sutherland, Daryl Hannah, Molly Ringwald, Melinda Dillon

Features:

• Trailers
  

Anamorphic: No.

My Advice: Eh...avoid it.

Meet the Braxton brothers: Ely (Thomas) and Hank (Sutherland). Hank is a bullfighter, or in layman's terms, a rodeo clown. Ely is an up-and-coming bullrider, or in layman's terms, one of those maniacs who actually thinks it's a good idea to hop on the back of a two-ton bundle of pure frothing rage topped with horns. When Ely gets the everloving crap knocked out of him by one of those aforementioned bundles, it looks like his career is over for good. Everybody's a little relieved, to be truthful, especially his mom (Dillon) and his girlfriend (Ringwald), since better injured and retired than deader than hell. He and Hank make plans to go into a different line of rodeo work, providing the bulls instead of getting out in front of them or on them--but the call of the ring may be too much for Ely to deny.

You know--it's a shame. For once, I thought I was going to have a Destination Films release that I actually enjoyed. I mean, let's face it: these are the people who brought you Bats and other such cinematic gems. And I'm not even a big fan of rodeo--could care less. But still...the film starts off exactly as you think it would: our hero gets Beaten Down by circumstance (or in this instance a really large quadrapedal pissed off circumstance) and has to overcome and be number one again. It seems like it's going to be rote. However, about thirty minutes in, the characters actually start to flesh out and it looks like the film is going to rise about its Rocky in a Rodeo formula--more testament to the ensemble than anything else, I suspect.

Thomas may not be anything to write home about, but let's face it--the hero in these stories doesn't really have to do much other than get kicked around and then transcend, right? More interesting, though, are the supporting characters. Hannah and Ringwald actually play moderately believeable people, which is nice. Pete Postlethwaite is slumming in a terrifying way as the Braxton boys' father...in a cowboy hat. Don't get me wrong, he's good--it's just really disturbed to see that casting. The real standout, though, is Sutherland. He's supposed to be the Level-Headed Brother, but he manages to take that archetype and make it a person worth caring about. Maybe now that 24 has given him heat again, we'll see more of the guy in some decent flicks.

Unfortunately, the teeth gnashing, garment rending, spotlight destroying and family fighting overpower what was being built up and it's too much to bear. Instead of letting things play out, the filmmakers bludgeon them to death and any degree of subtlety or finesse died with them. Which is a shame, because I found myself wanting to like the film. Ultimately, though, it's one of those films that won't offend you if you catch it on cable--but a DVD? Pass.

There's not really anything on the disc itself to help with this judgement, I fear. Which is a shame, since this would be the perfect chance to have a featurette: try to explain why somebody would want to take on bullriding as a career, for example. Or hell, ten ways to not get thrown. Something. But alas, nada.

Like I said, catch the film if you don't go out of your way. But the DVD's not even really a rental.