A prequel to Lonesome Dove finds a younger Woodrow and Gus working under the leadership of Captain Inish Scull(Val Kilmer), trying to track down the great Comanche horse thief, Kicking Wolf.
The movie (three night mini-series) does many things well. It fills in the background on Gus, Woodrow, Jake, Newt and Deets. It also shows a younger Blue Duck developing in to the person he was to become. The movie also has a great cast of Native actors including Wes Studi, Adam Beach, Ron Rondeaux, and August Schellenberg. It also has the Comanches in Comanche with English subtitles. It also shows the historical Cynthia Parker being captured and brought back to "civilization". It also discusses her son Quannah and has Wes Studi as the historical Buffalo Hump.
But the movie also does a lot wrong. There really wasn't much of a plot. And Val Kilmer gives a bizarre performance as Inish Scull, somewhat reminiscent of Marlon Brando in The Missouri Breaks (although I liked that performance), and his wife is even wackier.
I also didn't like seeing Buffalo Hump and Kicking Wolf both deciding to end their lives because the Comanche way of life was coming to an end. We see the Rangers hunting the Comanches but in six hours I think we should get the Comanches point of view a little better.
Overall, just a fair movie that should have been much better.
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