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Posted: 12/07/00
CROSSFIRE TRAIL (2000)
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 Louis L'Amour wrote more than 50 books in his lifetime, almost all of which were Westerns. He is considered the authority on the history of the American West, and his novels were rich in characters that embodied the best and worst of Americanisms. Crossfire Trail was published in 1954.
The original TNT, movie premiering in January of 2001, stars Tom Selleck as Rafael Covington, a character very much like all of L'Amour's other heroes for his honesty, steadfastness, and belief in the simple truths of life. Selleck has starred in several other L'Amour books made into films, including The Sacketts and The Shadow Riders (with Sam Elliott). Selleck makes for a good Western hero; he is quite believable in his portrayal of the laid-back cowboy who is certain in his beliefs.
Crossfire Trail is directed by Simon Wincer, who did so well with the superb Lonesome Dove and the enjoyable Quigley Down Under, which also starred Selleck. He also directed Free Willy, a boxoffice success. Crossfire Trail has all the best qualities of Winder's earlier Western films. There is a sparse quality to the production that suits the period and enhances the feel of the Old West. Wincer believes in character stories, equally benefitting a Western drama. The supporting cast are all very appropriate, including Virginia Madsen, who is generally considered workmanlike in her performances, but rises above that distinction in her portrayal of the newfound widow. She is given the difficult task of judging the truth as it is given her from a complete stranger versus the lies that come so easily from the silver-tongued Harmon.
A somewhat older Selleck, with more character and grit, suits the generally accepted idea of both Western hero and cowboy. In this type of film Selleck makes a good counterpart Crossfire Trail premiered on TNT in January, 2001. To learn more about TNT's film, click here. Del Harvey, the founder of FM, lives in Chicago. He is a veteran of The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm and The Directors Guild Of America. Got a problem? Email Del at filmmonthly@hotmail.com |
TNT's version of a classic tale of the Old West stars Tom Selleck and Mark Harmon.
Crossfire Trail is the story of one man's honor to another man. Covington (Selleck) meets and befriends another honorable man who is simply trying to do the best he can for his family. The friend is shanghaied and beaten to death, and on his deathbed asks Covington to take care of his wife (Virginia Madsen) and his ranch. Covington vows to do his best, and he travels to the friend's small Wyoming town with two friends in tow (David O'Hara and Christian Kane). Once there they discover the dead friend's ranch abandoned, his widow living in town where she teaches school. The town, they soon learn, is under the control of an ambitious saloon owner (Mark Harmon, at his best 
when playing villains). The old cowhand who worked the ranch is Wilford Brimley, who is glad to see honest, decent folks returning to town and sides with Selleck and his crew immediately. When it becomes obvious to Harmon that Selleck will not be easily deterred, he brings in a hired killer (Brad Johnson) to settle things once and for all. 
Harmon, as mentioned before, is often more palatable as a villain, and that truth is never more evident than in this film. He has tried his hand as a star in various films (The Presidio, Stealing Home), with little result. He has been more successful on the small screen, with recurring roles in the series Chicago Hope and St. Elsewhere. There is something about his portrayal of a slick, manipulating villain that is just so much more believeable. 
to the hard-edged type we know so well, such as those portrayed by Sam Elliott, who is probably the very model of the Western hero. Selleck's Covington lives up to L'Amour's writing and to our expectations. He is tough, laconic, likeable, and affable. In Crossfire Trail, he gives a performance that would have made Mr. L'Amour proud, and gives us an enjoyable film in the bargain.