Murder at Yellowstone City

“Murder at Yellowstone City” strands an excellent cast in a slow-paced story with a muted tone, too far removed from its pulpy inspirations.

There are many moments in Murder at Yellowstone City that will strike you with either affectionate familiarity or, more likely, eye-rolling embarrassment.

Director Richard Gray’s well-crafted and handsomely mounted indie is as much a solidly constructed mystery as it is it a conventionally satisfying oater, with much to recommend to fans of either genre who rarely get to sample such a mix.

Murder is neither here nor there; not a powerful morality tale, and not much of an exploitation picture.

Never catches fire.

Something in this film harkens back to the days of "High Noon" and "Stagecoach." It isn't a high quality product but it does have appeal.

Phlegmatic, which is unfortunate because in theory an Old West murder mystery has promise, and the cast is a strong one....What might have been an intriguing oddity winds up a dreary bore.

Despite the pieces adding up to an intriguing adventure at the center, the story fumbles when under pressure and regurgitates tired concepts.



Long and smacking of budgetary restrictions, this Western nevertheless moves at an unhurried pace, balancing its thoughtful ideas with vivid storytelling and strong characters.

Murder at Yellowstone City is worth a watch on a rainy Saturday afternoon, but the potential for something special continuously festers just under the surface, never quite breaking through.