Movie Review // Far Haven (2023)

Official summary: "In 1887, Hunter Braddock moves back to Far Haven, Arizona to start over with his two young children, but when his father-in-law is brutally attacked, he must take on the corrupt forces strangling the town in order to protect what he loves most."

(Note, the opening shot in the film actually says 1880.)

~

So for LOWCW, I typically like to do a mix of classics and newer titles. Along those lines, I've had a newer one picked out to watch for weeks. And it looks like it will be really great. I'm sure it'll be really great. But I just wasn't feeling it. 

Then, lo and behold, last night I ran across this one... And it has Branch in it. Or, I mean, the actor who played Branch. And he's alive and well. And you all know I'm not not seeing that. So here we are.

Again, this all happened last night. I don't think I've ever watched and reviewed something so swiftly so I'm rather shaking in my boots at my own rapidity. xD

(Full disclosure: where I found it and initially watched it I wasn't able to see the credits, but I've promptly ordered the DVD and if there's anything objectionable in the little bit I missed, I'll come back and update this review.)

I also had this entire thing almost written out and apparently didn't save my first draft. (Trust me, it's been a rollercoaster of a day.) Anyway! We're persevering, but that's why this review may be in a slightly different format.

The acting etc.

Bailey Chase, A. Martinez, and Chris Mulkey all do a great job and the rest of the supporting cast keep up quite decently. Initially, I wasn't sure about the child actors, but they won me over.

The fashions aren't historically accurate, but in this context we won't bother about that.

The plot

Any quibbles I have are over some possible plot holes, but (thinking it over) some of them were actually resolved / nonexistent, so I'll have to watch a second time to make a final determination.

In short, is it hackneyed in places? Yes. Do people kinda have a miraculously speedy path to recovery from gunshot wounds between one day and the next? Yes. Do they sometimes act irrationally? Yes. (Irrationally as in, why pause to string up the Indian in prison when there's an active stage robbery going on rather than waiting till later?) But then again, the more I see of the world, the more I'm convinced that people just tend to go off their rockers in moments of stress. So yeah. Maybe I'm going soft on plot continuity writers in my old age. Because in spite of all of that, did I end up heartily enjoying it? Yes. 

Additionally, when it comes to family drama, there doesn't always have to be a big showdown for misunderstandings and rifts to happen. Sometimes it's just because one party refuses to explain themselves and say the darn thing. And that can be enough for confidence and trust to be broken. So I actually don't consider that aspect of the plot too far of a reach.

The ending provides satisfying resolution but is also a bit open-ended. And I rather liked that actually.  It highlights how life goes on. There will be future problems for our protagonist to work through, but his mettle has been shown -- and that's not changing. He's proven himself to be a true man. 

(I also saw a review on Amazon saying it feels like they were setting things up for a sequel, so there's that idea. We shall see!)

Themes

The faith themes (might) be more than a bit on the nose, but honestly, they're kind of what I needed right now. Additionally, the more conversations I have as a parent, the more I've realized how cheesy I sound sometimes, but that doesn't matter. Sometimes life is full of on the nose cheese.

I really really loved the emphasis on fatherhood. Further than that, on family. 

There is a strong matriarchal grandmother figure and also hints of what might be in the future with the local schoolteacher / love interest. I really liked how the women were portrayed. They absolutely come alongside their man, they have his back -- but they're women in their own right and when they're coming alongside, with wit and intelligence, they help their man forward to be a yet better man. 

And all of them are there to love on the children.

Theme #2 (or 3?): as aforementioned, there are some forced plot points and it is a tad rough in places, but -- with our protagonist an ex-soldier of the division dealing with Indian affairs -- I very much liked their take on the Indian Wars. Or at least, the train of thought they open up. They don't give a picture of all good guys and all bad guys either way, but by zoning in on one example of a conscientious objector who then paid a heavy price for his stand, they highlight the true nature of what military power should be all about, i.e. at the very least, protection of the helpless. Along these lines, we see the heart of true honor. 

Surprisingly (though it makes total sense, but still, I was surprised), part way through, I was starkly reminded of To Kill a Mockingbird.

And the analogy isn't exact, but, almost in the tradition of High Noon and other classics, we have our lone hero who, if not quite an outcast, at least sits ill at ease among his fellows, and yet still puts his life on the line for what's right. Fair warning, it's late and I'm going down fascinating rabbit trails xD, but here's the thing. We know the conflicted story surrounding the production and reception of High Noon, which does draw a very stark dividing line (accordingly creating a story of epic proportions), esp. regarding *spoilers* its lonely protagonist who is later saved by his wife *end spoilers*. In here they achieve a similar lone hero effect, but (and I liked this) he does ultimately gain a small band of trusted friends (while still having to win the rest of the town to his side). And the love interest can unexpectedly handle a firearm very well in a pinch. (So much so that I'm wondering if that's an homage to HN... Such things do happen in lots of other films as well, but... just maybe?)

The whole thing was refreshing. And -- I don't care if this is cliche -- it reminded and encouraged me once again that it's always worth standing for the truth. Always. 

And I'm grateful for that.

Final summary

All in all, it's clean and (apart from the shoot out scenes) absolutely family friendly, and I already have plans to happily rewatch it again in the near future! 

I'd love to hear if this is a new one to you too!