The Virginian (2014 Video) User Reviews (14)

Talky, sparse, lethargic reimagining of the classic tale with Trace Adkins

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 18 September 2018]

Trace Adkins plays the title character who prefers the name 'South.' He was raised by an authoritative cattle baron (Ron Perlman) in Wyoming where he works as a ranch enforcer. When a writer from the Big City (Brendan Penny) questions the inhumane treatment of rustlers, South defends the fierce realities of the "Code of the West." South's code is further probed by a newly arrived schoolmarm from Vermont (Victoria Pratt) and he begins to wonder about his upbringing and the Judge's motives.

Adkins makes for an iconic Westerner, as witnessed in "Traded" (2016) and "Hickok" (2017), where he played side characters. In "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" (2016) he plays the main protagonist, but that movie's noticeably inferior in overall filmmaking, even though it cost approximately the same amount to make. In other words, as low-budget as "Traded" and "Hickok" are, they worked quite well as made-for-TV/direct-to-video Westerns, all things considered. "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" is almost amateurish by comparison. Yet it still has some points of interest for those who don't mind slipshod productions.

The production of this loose re-telling of "The Virginian" (2014) is similar to that of "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story," but noticeably better. Like that movie, the landscapes are limited to coniferous backdrops, fenced cattle fields, a small town and a shack here or there. You never see wide-spanning cinematography (obviously to save money). In a couple of scenes there are looming magnificent mountains. The overall vibe is very sparse and desolate, but it looks more like British Columbia than Wyoming.

Like Bill Pullman's version of the tale (2000), the movie's talky with mumbling dialogue, not to mention this isn't a rollicking shoot-'em-up Western; it's more of a realistic drama in the Old West with flashes of Western staples, like the hanging of rustlers, saloon confrontations and a brief Indian sequence. Victoria Pratt sure is beautiful though, even in one of those unappealing Western dresses. Adkins is a quintessential Westerner, but I think Pullman's version is the better flick; its second half is more compelling. This one's kind of meh. If you're a fan of Adkins, check out "Traded" and "Hickok" first.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes and was probably shot in British Columbia, like "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" (I'm guessing because I can't find any info on the shooting locations and the landscapes look similar).

GRADE: C

Better Than Expected

[Warren-Watched-A-Movie · 5/10 · 22 January 2021]

This movie is one of us numerous adaptions of the book of the same name. There have been multiple film adaptions as well as a long running TV show and even a stage show. The book is considered by many (with some debate) to be the first true Western novel outside of the dime store tradition.

I did a little reading after learning by accident that this film was not just a take a take on the 1962 to 1971 series or even some variation of one of the preceding film adaptions. One thing that jumped out at me here was that this film incorporated the bulk of the book's major characters and at the minimum aimed to get the characterizations close to those of the book from what I can see. I will not comment on specific differences between the source and the film since I had never heard of the book until now.

This version of The Virginian is pretty good. In structure and tone it is very old-school in its approach to the Western genre. This is no revisionist Western film. They do not try to undo the mythology of the Old West or just make everyone involved some shade of terrible. Our hero is an honorable man and those he keeps close are the same even if they fall short of being good people. They, like him, have a code by which they live.

These are good people in a rough setting during difficult times just trying to live. Too often in these days the characters are ridiculously flawed and those flaws contribute to the problem. The hero, flawed themselves, comes along and disrupts the plans of the significantly more flawed baddie. While the Virginian in this film is not a saint, he is not a ridiculous sinner either. And that is a good thing.

Trace Adkins is surprisingly good as the titular character usually referred to in the story as South or the Virginian (and once referred to as "Jeff" by his friend Steve who is played by Canadian actor John Novak). Adkins is a very good Western tough guy and if they were turning out this genre in the manner they once did with the quality that they once did I think he could own the genre. Alas those days are long gone, and everybody wants big budget science fiction and superhero stuff. Adkins is tall and silent and imposing in the film with moments of actual character toughness sprinkled sparingly throughout.

The Virginian's central nemesis (at least that he believes) during the course of the film is a man referred to only as Trampas (Steve Bacic). I first remember encountering Bacic in Andromeda and Stargate SG1 though his performance in SG1 as a fallen Goa'uld System Lord left much more of an impression. He channels the same smarmy jerk vibe here as he did then.

The Virginian begins when a young writer arrives in town. He is a guest of local cattleman Judge Henry (Ron Perlman). The character's name is Owen Walton (Brendan Penny) and that sounds very similar to Owen Wister who is the author of the book upon which this is based. Perhaps an homage to the gentleman? Possibly. Prior to writing the book, the author Owen Wister did head out West to work as a ranch hand to gain firsthand knowledge in much the same way as the Owen Walton character did.

The Owen Walton character is a bit stiff. The delivery of lines by Brendan Penny are a bit flat and monotone. I am not sure if that was the direction he was given or that it is completely because of the actor. The character of Owen Walton is there to be an outside observer and to react so this does not too negatively affect things. He is important to the story but not necessarily front and center.

The character of Judge Henry is no actual judge. He is just a powerful local individual that is able to apply his will to those in the area and often passes judgement on local criminals regardless of what the law says. He is the real power in the region. Judge Henry took in the Virginian when he was young after the death of his father. As the story progresses the Virginian's view of Judge Henry begins to change.

The set up with the romance with the schoolteacher Molly West (Victoria Pratt) is a little awkward. You can almost see the lead up to her arrival as South trying to get a schoolteacher in the town so he has somebody to date. But once you get past that part in the film how it is handled very old school in comparison to newer westerns or just films in general. I had forgotten that Pratt and Adkins are married in real life. That chemistry translates very nicely to their characters.

The Virginian starts out as a simple enough story involving cattle rustlers but becomes a bit of a mystery when South discovers a journal written in a cypher and decides he must figure it out. Along the way he must also confront the code by which he lives and quite possibly need to change all the while romancing the local teacher whom he is drawn to but feels he is not worthy of.

The film is on the lower budget side but still looks pretty good though. The only issue I draw is at the very end when South is confronting Trampas who he has been after for so long and Sheriff Broyles (George Canyon) is shot and falls to the ground. You see tan/yellow surrounded by black on the soles of his shoes. Those are obviously very modern pieces of footwear. And that moment took me out of the narrative. I had to watch the rest of that scene looking for those shoes to pop up again. Other than that not bad.

The Virginian is a good and entertaining film. It is not the greatest Western ever, but it is an entertaining one. Watch it!

Choppy Plot

[Lost_13 · 5/10 · 19 February 2022]

I have heard more than a few comments on the quality of Trace Adkin's acting; I'm not sure what folks are expecting from a shoot 'em up western. I thought Trace fit the expected archetype of the western hero. It's for sure not Oscar worthy but it is on par with most action westerns.

I have never read the source material for this movie. I expect the movie took some liberty with the story. The plot does not flow very smoothly and left me with a lot of questions. It's not very clear what Trace's and the writer's job is or why he is constantly riding around the country. They mention off-handedly about doing some ranch work but generally, it seems they just like to ride around and camp.

It feels like a chunk of the story is missing. It never builds any motivation or emotion for the characters. Backstory is never really established.

I recommend this movie if your a Trace fan or a little bored and want something you don't have to pay much attention to.

In name and a few lines only

[wingthwong · 1/10 · 14 December 2018]

As Trace Adkins was first billed, I should have known to steer clear. With Ron Perlman listed, I figured it would get a chance. This is a Virginian clone on the level of what SyFy's Asylum studios rips off of blockbuster hits. Western movies are dead in a sense as they aren't the popular choice thet once were back from the beginning of cinema to the 70s. Because of their less popular status, big name actors (those that can act) and big name production companies avoid them like the plague. Every now and again, a decent remake will come out, but never any new content. For this remake, this was in no way the case. It seemed more on the lines of a CMT production with a has been country musician as the title character. All lines from Trace Adkins felt as if he was reading everything from a cue card. Ron Perlman's lines seemed read and shallow as well. The smallest parts in this movie were better acted by truly unheard of bit part players. The only things that were reminiscent of the original were the names of some characters and a few catchphrase lines from the book. I wouldn't even classify this as a western other than the props and setting. Star Wars could have made a more true western if put on that set with those props. It felt like a bunch of trailer trash lottery winners wanted to spend their winnings on making a childhood fantasy movie based off of watching The Virginian reruns. It was lazy, wordy, unpleasant, and bloated. Even the props and clothing was far from authentic. In one scene, you can even see the yellow rubber traction soles on the bottom of one of the character's boots after he is shot down, like a modern workboot sole. This movie is so awful, it is the kind of movie one plays when he or she is bed ridden for four months, have watched all the rest of the streaming videos and tried to stay away from this one, but it just kept popping up in the feed and just because there was nothing else to watch, out of sheer curiosity, one might break down and give it a chance, only to realize that lying on your back and counting the ceiling popcorn was a better option. And if you are a Trace Adkins music fan, you should know that he is a horrible actor and stayed away in the first place. What was Ron Perlman thinking for signing on to this?

As a fan of The Virginian series...

[samuelmakela · 1/10 · 11 May 2014]

I guess I had my hopes and expectations up real high, but to me this was really disappointing thing to see.

Some scenes and acting feel really awkward at some points. Steve's whiskey burned voice saves some, but does not make this a great western.

I think that I love The Virginian series as much as I hate this.

This movie:

As just a western - below OK.

As a Virginian - awful.

Don't expect too much with this if you like westerns / The Virginian series.

They tried. I guess...

[nkpdblue · 3/10 · 15 June 2019]

With a typical b movie cast and by following the story line from the old movie (not the series) it was predictably ho hum. I just didn't care for it.

All 4 of us liked it!

[abshire-987-835567 · 7/10 · 28 April 2014]

It had been awhile since we watched a good old-fashioned Western flick. Intrigued by this release, my husband and I snuggled in and watched this movie one night and really enjoyed it! We immediately loaned it to my parents who recalled the original and they enjoyed it too.

We all thought that Trace Adkins did an excellent job. The other actors too. What an imposing figure he makes in this movie! We also thought that the acting roles done by Ron Perlman and Victoria Pratt were well done. The editing made the story line jump a couple times but only one really bothered us. Not enough to ruin the movie by any means. Some of the scenery was really beautiful.

The Virginian by Lifetime

[bowhand-43414 · 1/10 · 17 February 2020]

Crap!, I was halfway through this movie before I realized it was a Lifetime Movie

A rather convincing old style western.

[headhunter46 · 7/10 · 28 January 2015]

The acting was convincing, and the scenery was quite breathtaking. It offered a clear image of wilderness and wide open spaces. This was a realistic portrayal of what life was probably like in this time period of the old west. It was a bit gritty at times, but I am certain the old west was not as "romantic" as some movies and books try to portray it. The rugged old log buildings certainly looked authentic. There was a surprise ending I did not see coming. I use to have a good time predicting sub plots but this one fooled me completely. I can't give too much info here or it will ruin the story for others. Just trust that most fans of western style movies will enjoy this.

How not to make a western...

[phil-932-237806 · 2/10 · 17 May 2020]

Absolutely nothing like a classical western. This is spoiled by wobbly shaky cam shots and narrow lens etc with loads of stuff shaking around all over the place and out of focus. Completely rubbish...

Simple and realistic like

[casper639 · 8/10 · 19 May 2014]

If you rent this expecting to see the old Virginian forget it. This a realistic like simple movie of what it may have been like in some areas. The act was very good. As for Adkins I have heard of him, never heard him sing (no singing here) but he was convincing. All acting was quite good. Ron Pearlman gave his typically excellent performance.

The woman playing the teacher was adequate although her part was limited and the man that played the writer was excellent.

Eight may be a bit high but I don't usually like westerns. It's a simple movie with a simple style. I still don't like country/western music.

A solid Western with credibility and realism.

[RatedVforVinny · 7/10 · 1 February 2020]

Can't understand thew the 1/10 reviews on IMDb. Okay it has nothing to do with the old T.V series and should really not have a cash-in title. On it's own it's a worthy production and seems very authentic to those simplistic, rugged times. I'm a massive fan of the genre and can safely say, this is certainly worth a view (to judge for yourself). The performances all round were excellent to.

Hang the writer out to dry western

[ulmerleedoug · 4/10 · 20 February 2022]

I would have rated the movie higher, but there was NO emotion in the love scene.... cowboy, you been singing about "that kiss" all your life, but it just wasn't there on screen..."that kiss" would have made the movie. Instead, we get some tortured orphan (the Virginian) that is ambivalent about hanging his PTSD alcoholic cattle rustler friend...oh my! So our hero (I think) decides to hit the sack to get up early to hang his army buddy??? Although this is a western with guns, horses, cattle, and a ton of greasy men, there is no continuity to either the story or characters. We do not see a teacher actually teaching, we do not know what the writer writes about...but wait, there is a revelation. The good guys are actually the bad guys...keep tuned for the end.

The Seventh Version of "The Virginian"

[zardoz-13 · 8/10 · 19 April 2015]

If you're counting, director Thomas Makowski's straight-to-video western "The Virginian" is the seventh version of Owen Wister's frontier tale that he wrote back in 1902. If you count the NBC-TV show, then it is the seventh. Anyway, this oater is a little different from most of the previous adaptations. In a sense, Makowski's yarn boasts greater realism. Country music superstar Trace Atkins is nothing like Gary Cooper, Joel McCrea, and Bill Pullman who rode the range in earlier horse operas. For example, Atkins wears his hair down and he hates to be called 'Virginian.' Instead, he prefers to be addressed as 'South.' As in the prior versions, the Virginian works the Sunk Creek Ranch owned by the Judge. Other than Trace Atkins, Ron Pearlman is the only seasoned actor in this western. "Lonesome Dove Church" scenarist Bob Thielke has made several alternations to this classic tale. First, the Virginian hates Trampas and constantly tries to convince the Judge to fire him as well convince himself to kill Trampas. Indeed, the most famous line from the novel remains intact. When Trampas tries to call the Virginian a vile name, the eponymous hero says, ""When you call me that, smile!" Second, Judge Henry has changed considerably. Suffice it to say that he has become a villain. Third, the tenderfoot writer who signs on to work as a ranch hand while writing a book about the frontier proves himself a proficient shot with a revolver. Later, he saves the Virginian's life. Some of the dialogue is memorable. Contemporary westerns aren't very good, but "The Virginian" qualifies as an exception to the rule.