A Texas Ranger investigates a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena.A Texas Ranger investigates a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena.A Texas Ranger investigates a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena.
- Awards
- 2 wins
Christopher James Baker
- Monte
- (as Chris Baker)
Christopher Berry
- Dale
- (as Chris Berry)
Lawrence Turner
- Silas
- (as Lawrence P. Turner)
Kimberly Daugherty
- Maria Calderon
- (as Kim Hidalgo)
John McConnell
- Saul
- (as John 'Spud' McConnell)
José Zúñiga
- General Calderon
- (as Jose Zuniga)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWoody Harrelson scrimmaged with a local high school girls' soccer team on two Saturday mornings and one Sunday afternoon while staying in Greenwood during filming.
- GoofsThis is described as taking place in 1866 - two years after the War Between the States. The weapons used are anachronistic. The first Winchesters were made in 1866 and certainly not enough to have populated the 'West' so rapidly as to be the dominate arm in the movie. And the Springfield trapdoor shown in the movies wasn't around until 1873.
However, only the opening scene is set in 1866. The rest of the movie is set 22 years later in 1888. By then these weapons would have been available and commonplace.
- Quotes
Abraham: [in a foreign language] You were sent here for me. I will not let you go.
David Kingston: What does that mean?
Abraham: "I'll embrace your company while I have it."
- SoundtracksMiserere Mei Deus
Written by Gregorio Allegri
Featured review
Regrettably, the great genre of film that is the Western struggles mightily in our present time. Most Westerns are now low-budget, like The Duel, but that does not mean that it should be written off (I was pleasantly surprised that the recent release Forsaken was a decent Western). There are some positives in this film, yet negatives are rampant and I will note the primary ones.
This film features a decent cast and an interesting story which involves an investigation surrounding missing people and an occult leader that has come to control the hearts and minds of the people of a small Texas town. However, besides a respectable performance by Liam Hemsworth, the cast is mediocre and forgettable with Woody Harrleson topping the list as being a cliché villain with forgettable, pretentious faux-intellectual dialogue.
The action is average at best, and above all else there is a feeling that the writers or producers wanted to inject their opinion regarding the current treatment of Mexicans (something a reviewer on Roger Ebert's website noted) into a script already bogged down with murder, missing persons, revenge, a husband-wife relationship, a mysterious town, and a religious occult leader. It is subtle. However, it seemed out of place and unnecessary but that does not stop Hollywood from forcing a narrative or agenda into a movie, does it?
Overall, this is a movie that had promise, but sub-par acting and a feeling that it did not know which plot point should receive the most attention weakened the film as a whole. If you like Westerns, you may find it more alluring because of the genre. Nevertheless, it is a one time watch that struggles and does not contribute anything of great worth.
This film features a decent cast and an interesting story which involves an investigation surrounding missing people and an occult leader that has come to control the hearts and minds of the people of a small Texas town. However, besides a respectable performance by Liam Hemsworth, the cast is mediocre and forgettable with Woody Harrleson topping the list as being a cliché villain with forgettable, pretentious faux-intellectual dialogue.
The action is average at best, and above all else there is a feeling that the writers or producers wanted to inject their opinion regarding the current treatment of Mexicans (something a reviewer on Roger Ebert's website noted) into a script already bogged down with murder, missing persons, revenge, a husband-wife relationship, a mysterious town, and a religious occult leader. It is subtle. However, it seemed out of place and unnecessary but that does not stop Hollywood from forcing a narrative or agenda into a movie, does it?
Overall, this is a movie that had promise, but sub-par acting and a feeling that it did not know which plot point should receive the most attention weakened the film as a whole. If you like Westerns, you may find it more alluring because of the genre. Nevertheless, it is a one time watch that struggles and does not contribute anything of great worth.
- How long is The Duel?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- By Way of Helena
- Filming locations
- Greenwood, Mississippi, USA(end titles)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $20,672
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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