Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Assoc.
In the late 1800s - and early 1900s The River of humanity flowing west, was both wide and deep. Caught in the current of manifest destiny, were settlers, soldiers, business interests, and Outlaws. It was a perfect whirlwind of the Wild west.
G.C. Stevens
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The Capital Theater in Newton Iowa. Photo(s) by the Author.
ANGEL AND THE BAD 2026
This is where I have to put a on date myself, because it's important to how I viewed this movie. I am sixty-eight years old, and trust me, I've viewed a whole bunch of westerns. The very first important western movies that I the pleasure to watch were "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) which I saw on T.V. in 1965, which was a movie that set the tone for westerns that came after it, The Good The Bad and The Ugly" (1966) which I actually saw the theater when it came out. In between all of that, I was raised on a healthy dose of John Wayne movies, T'.V. westerns, "Gun Smoke", "Have Gun, will travel", "Bonanza" and "Davy Crocket" and a whole cavalcade of other westerns and frontier movies that came along. Add to that, the next level dramatic westerns like Sam Peckinpah's , "The Wild Bunch.", "True Grit", and 'The Long Riders." In the author's humble opinion, the last great western made was "Tombstone." But I must point out, that during the last fifty years of film making, a whole lot of things have changed in the way that films were shot and produced. Especially with the introduction of computer technology in film making. The technical aspects and cinemaphotography are considerably different than they were in 1960, but so is the mindset of our culture, this last fact is very important to take note of where Angel and the Badman is concerned.
But with all of that said, if you're looking for the Good The Bad and the Ugly or true Grit, you're not going to find it in Angel and the Bad Man, but if you go back and watch the original version of Angel and the Badman that was made in 1947, you'll find the actual model for the 2026 version, except that the 21st century version moves Angel and The Bad Man into a more mature vision that deals with immorality, violence, family and faith in God, which by the way, isn't any different than the original and just like the days of early film making, there are no emotional or dramatic movie musical scores, you'll only hear the typical music that supports each scene. In fact, the background music isn't very memorable at all. A big take away here is that Angel and the Badman relied on something ancient and obscure to both actors and movies goers, in that the movie relied on two basic things, that being cinemaphotography and real acting and dialog between people, just like the 1947 version employed. I enjoyed the simple rolling scenery of the desert and rolling plains, because I understand that most of the American west is rolling plains and scrub brush desert and it's not all monument Valley Utah. A warning to historians and thread counters, the wardrobe in Angel and the Badman is not exactly historically correct attire, and it seems that the wardrobe is used as a way to highlight the characters and scenes. I won't go into too many details of the movie, and you'll get no spoilers from me, because I think you should see the movie. If you do decide to see this movie for any reason, my advice is to see it as a witness to the shift in culture and to watch the western genre trying repeat its formula for success from the very beginning. On October 4th, 2026, I wrote a review of the original 1947 version of Angel and the Badman, you can read that here. The Angels Studios version used a lot of the original plot, but it made some significant artistic changes. The biggest part of the plot leaves western fans with one mystery and question, where did the Confederate gold come from? My mind went to Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle. But you'll have to figure it out on your own.
John Wayne (as Quirt Evans) and Gail Russell (as Penelope Worth)
Photo Public Domain
Angel and the Badman. a love story about God, family values, commitment,
the law and the useless pursuit of violence.
"Each human being has an integrity that can be hurt only by the act of that same human being and not by the act of another human being."
-Quirt Evans
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On October 09th, Angel Studios will be releasing a remake of the John Wayne's Classic Western "Angel and the Bad Man." It has been quite a few years since I first saw the original version on T.V. but the 1947 version was one of the westerns that created the pattern for many westerns that followed. The original version was filmed in noir, but I chose to watch a colorized version, which turned out to be a great choice because Angel and the Badman was filmed on location in Sedona Arizona, Flagstaff Arizona and Monument Valley Utah. The colorized version really brought out the grandeur of the deserts and rock outcroppings of the region. I look forward to reviewing Angels Studios Version of "Angel and the Badman." when it's released.
Quirt Evans with the Quaker, Mr. Worth Photo public domain
Quirt Evans exhausted, falls into the arms of Penelope (Penny) Worth
The Plot
The story centers around a former Lawman turned outlaw, Quirt Evens, who according to the story, was a deputy with Wyatt Earp in Tombstone Arizona, until he handed his badge in, tried to build a cattle ranch, and then turned to a life of mayhem. The movie opens with Quirt Evans, mounted on a fast horse with a bullet in his back. How the bullet got there is left to the imagination of the movie goer. His horse gallops up to a farm on the edge of a desert road and he falls out of his saddle in-site of the farm's residents. The occupants of the farm are a family of Quakers who migrated into the west with a Quaker sect called "the friends." These adherents were stanch pacificists and humanitarians. The Worth family, Mr. and Mrs. Worth, their son, and most importantly, their young and faithful daughter, Penelope (Penny) Worth, took mercy on the injured cowboy and immediately began to care for him. Quirt is young man in deep trouble in outlaw country, in the wild west, where cattle rustling and gun play was an all-too-common occurrence. After he demands to be taken to the telegraph office, Quirt collapses into the arms of Penny Worth and taken into the Quaker home and placed in bed, Quirt becomes delirious and restless, Mr. Worth realizes what's wrong with him and retrieves Quirts six gun, unloads it, and places it in his hand and Quirt immediately settles down and goes to sleep, the scene emphasizes Quirts addiction and need for the six gun for his personal safety. The family summons a local doctor to help Quirt, Dr. Mangram, the good doctor is a rather wise man, and he immediately sees the problematic situation for what's it worth, and he tells Penny:
"But of course if you're determined to watch over him, Penny, perhaps you'd better take a pencil and paper with you. His first conscious words should be recorded. They may be of great interest to history... or more possibly to the United States Marshal! Who knows what violence is involved with his battered frame and his bullet holes."
Dr. Mangram, tries to warn the whole family that they are courting trouble by looking out for Quirt, and in many ways, the good doctor is right, but Quirt is direct and almost predictable and he has his own ideas about freedom and justice, that only a one time frontier Lawman could understand and Quirt had an ace in his pocket, because he was a well-known and feared former Lawman with a reputation of the six gun. Quirt eventually heals up and as he gets to know the family, he can see their kindness and their struggles and Penny can see that Quirt has led a violent life that centers on his gun and overrides his faith in God, and Penny isn't shy about pointing this out, and Quirt is smart enough to hear her. Quirt also learns that the Worth family has another problem, as their water supply has been cut off by an old and cantankerous rancher and neighbor who has dammed up the nearest stream that supplied water to the Worth farm. Quirt then visits the old man and uses his well-known reputation to convince the rancher to allow the water to flow. When the water spills onto the Worth farm, Penny asks Quirt if he used his gun to convince the rancher, he reassures her that he did not. Like so many westerns, Quirt's problems come home to roost because of an ongoing range war between cattlemen. The trouble between he and another outlaw by the name of Laredo Stevens becomes the center of the story and it the reasons for Quirts most recent bullet wound come into focus. This is the west, where at this time, cattle and bad men roamed free.
Guardian Angel
Another character in the story enters into the picture, he is a soft-spoken Lawman, Marshal Wistful McClintock, (Played by Harry Carey) who seems to have a special interest in Quirt. Their first encounter in the movie shows that they have mutual respect, but McClintock has a fatherly view of Quirt and he knows about what happened in Tombstone. He tells Penny some things about Quirt, but though his demeanor is quiet, concerned and knowledgeable, he reminds Quirt of his authority as a Lawman and warns him that hangman's noose could be in his future. McClintock, then clearly states that he is a patient man. He would be keeping a close eye on Quirt. McClintock is true to that word, and he is always in the background like a guardian angel.
The movie progresses through many cliche aspects of westerns. Shootouts and barroom brawls. The story culminates with an ambush on both Quirt and Penny who are on the trail together in a wagon. They are ambushed by Laredo Stevens and his fellow outlaws. A chase ensues, and the wagon carrying Quirt and Penny is driven off of a cliff into a river below. Penny is seriously injured. Quirt recues her and takes her to the Worth farm where Dr. Mangram is called in to assist her. The doctor explains to Quirt that her condition is serious, and it seems she might not survive her injuries. Quirt, then heads to town to find and kill Laredo Stevens and his outlaw gang in revenge for Penny. When he arrives in town, ready to challenge their hand, the outlaw gang is in a local saloon, and the Laredo gang is given bad information telling them the Marshal had left town. They see this as an opportunity to finish Quirt off. It's at this time that the Mr. & Mrs. Worth arrive with Penny in a wagon and she is alive and well. Quirt has a change of heart, and hands her his six gun, signaling that he is ready to change his life. Quirt hears Laredo Stevens taunting him, he quickly turns around and Laredo and one of his men pull their guns to shoot, but another shot rings out from the distance as Quirts guardian angel, Marshal McClintock is seen holding his Winchester rifle to his shoulder. He had not left town after all. The story has a happy ending.
A lobby card showing Marshal McClintock in the background, Quirts guardian angel.
The reimagining of the John Wayne classic western is directed by Julio Quintana and stars Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones, Zachary Levi, and Neal McDonough.
Synopsis: When feared outlaw Quirt Evans staggers onto a rancher's land with a bullet in his back, he expects a quick death, not mercy. But Penny, the rancher's daughter, offers him a chance at something he’s never had: a life beyond violence. However, the past doesn’t forgive. With the marshal closing in and an outlaw gang ready to burn the ranch to the ground, Quirt must decide what kind of man he’ll be when the world demands blood.
Quotes: “I’ve always wanted to produce a Western, and I’m grateful to have assembled such an incredible cast and crew to reimagine this classic,” said Producer Jaime Hernandez. “With themes of redemption and personal growth, combined with action, humor, and a touch of romance, we believe this film has all the elements to connect with a broad audience.”
“One of the most enjoyable experiences my wife and partner Ruvé and I have ever had is helping create Angel and the Badman. To work with Zachary Levi and the legendary Tommy Lee Jones was such a highlight in my career,” said Neal McDonough. “But it was truly the direction of Julio Quintana and the production that was put together by Jaime Hernandez and his team alongside the incredible Angel Studios that makes this film unique. It is a beautiful film that the whole family can see in the amazing world of westerns.”
