The Unholy Trinity

People often ask me what my favorite genre of movie is, and to be honest, I have a few. At the top of the list are usually horror and dramas, but right up there is the western. There’s always something about those stories—and another plus is that they always seem to attract good actors. That’s how Richard Gray’s new film got on my radar: both Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson are in it. The question is, do those two make it worth your time, or does this movie need to be taken out back and buried with all the other forgettable ones?

Henry (Brandon Lessard) has just seen his father hanged for a crime he believes he didn’t commit. With his father’s ashes in hand, Henry heads to the town where he was born—Trinity—to scatter them. Along the way, he meets St. Christopher (Samuel L. Jackson), who buys Henry a drink and begins to tell him how he knew his father. It seems that Christopher and Henry’s father once robbed a shipment of gold from the South, and it’s never been found. Christopher claims it’s hidden in Trinity, but once they arrive in town, Henry goes off on his own to kill the sheriff responsible for setting up his dad. The problem is, that sheriff is already dead. The new one, Sheriff Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan), takes pity on Henry and gives him a place to stay at the local tavern on his tab. But things go south quickly, and Henry soon finds himself on the run with Christopher’s help. From there, things get complicated, as the ghosts of the past come back to haunt the town of Trinity in more ways than one.

Written by Lee Zachariah, The Unholy Trinity mostly works visually—it’s the story that gets in the way. Zachariah isn’t content with delivering a straightforward revenge tale; instead, he brings in a number of side characters that end up overcomplicating things. Speaking of characters, there are a lot in this one, and it feels like all of them are given a bit of story—which of course all leads to a big shootout. It just seems like everyone is trying to get revenge for something.

The Unholy Trinity gives off a competent vibe, but it’s also very ordinary. The film has a bumpy start, and while the final shootouts are a bit clunky in terms of choreography, they still deliver a payoff for both the characters and the audience. As for those characters, the real highlight—aside from the action—is Jackson and Brosnan, who have a tendency to elevate whatever they’re in, and that’s definitely the case here. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Lessard, who lacks the charisma for this kind of role and ultimately holds the film back with his performance.

In the end, what we get is something that, while flawed, is passable. And while “just okay” might be fine when naming a corral, for a western, I always want more.