Any Bullet Will Do (2018)

**_Brother against brother in wintry southwest Montana, 1876_**

Charles B. Pierce did a couple of indie Westerns in Montana in the mid-70s, “Winterhawk” and the superior “Grayeagle.” I bring that up because Justin Lee’s “Any Bullet Will Do” (2018) comes in that tradition mixed with the production quality and comic book spirit of Tarantino’s two Westerns, “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight.” Now, don’t get me wrong, this had a way lower budget by comparison, but somehow Lee was able to get the most bang for his buck on all fronts, including spectacular snowy locations and an excellent score/soundtrack.

By “comic book spirit,” I mean there’s a bit o’ hammy-ness and wink of black humor, which is probably why some viewers rate it so lowly. Yet there’s certainly enough gritty realness as well. The key characters are nicely brought to life, particularly the protagonists played by Kevin Makely and Jenny Curtis. Bruce Davison, Meg Foster and Todd A. Robinson are also on hand.

Someone complained about the American flag depicted in a 1864 battle in Arkansas, but he forgot that there were 35 states by that point (and another to be added before the year was over), which means the flag was supposed to feature 35 stars. The point is that the one they used in the movie looked about right, if not precisely accurate. Then there’s the complaint that the uniforms of the Blue & the Gray in the woods were too clean but, gee, I guess the Civil War reenactors hired for the shoot didn’t want to unnecessarily soil their prized uniforms, unless producers forked out more cash.

It runs 1h 50m and was shot mostly at Nevada City and nearby Virginia City in southwest Montana, which is located about 90 minutes northwest of Yellowstone National Park in the corner of Wyoming. Oregon is also cited as a location (probably the Civil War sequence or flashbacks).

GRADE: B+/A-