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This week, we feature a throwback Western in which an outlaw seeks a new life and a fantasy drama about a cynical man who meets his innocent boyhood self.
New Release
‘Angel and the Badman’
After years spent living by the gun, Quirt Evans (Zachary Levi) ends up in the care of a kind ranching family, including their daughter Penny (Meg Fraser). Their influence gives him reason to reconsider his path just as old enemies begin closing in.
Angel Studios does it again. This remake of the 1947 John Wayne film returns to the sort of Western redemption story Hollywood used to tell. Zachary Levi handles Quirt’s rough edges well, and the movie’s belief in mercy, faith, and second chances gives all the action somewhere worthwhile to go.
Adventure | Romance | Western
Release Date: Oct. 9, 2026
Director: Julio Quintana
Starring: Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, Tommy Lee Jones
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Where to Watch: Theaters
Rated: 4 stars out of 5
Family Pick
‘The Kid’
Image consultant Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) is nearing 40 when an unexpected visitor turns his carefully managed life upside down. Rusty (Spencer Breslin) is Russ at 8 years old, and his arrival forces the older man to confront the boy he once was and the future he once imagined.
Willis handles the comedy well and his scenes with Breslin give the movie more personality than the premise suggests. Older kids and their families should find an engaging story that asks what happens when adulthood drifts far from expectations.
Comedy | Family | Fantasy
Release Date: July 7, 2000
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer
Running Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Where to Watch: Amazon, Disney Plus, Apple TV
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
A Chance Intervention Sparks a Vendetta
‘Patriot Games’
Former CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) interrupts a terrorist attack while visiting London. Sean Miller (Sean Bean), tied to the group behind it, soon targets Ryan, pulling wife Cathy (Anne Archer) and daughter Sally (Thora Birch) into the danger.
Ford gives Ryan a convincing mix of intelligence and anger, while Bean keeps Miller threatening without overdoing it. The film also balances espionage and family peril well, with Ryan’s refusal to fold under pressure adding a strong thread of resilience.
Action | Thriller
Release Date: June 5, 1992
Director: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer
Running Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Where to Watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Paramount Plus
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Wild Bill Hunts Profiteers Across a Mythic West
‘The Plainsman’
Wild Bill Hickok (Gary Cooper) sets out after gun dealer John Lattimer (Charles Bickford), whose rifles helped to ignite a conflict involving the Cheyenne, Buffalo Bill Cody (James Ellison), and Calamity Jane (Jean Arthur).
DeMille treats Western history like a sandbox, tossing in early career appearances by Anthony Quinn and Gabby Hayes, along with Cooper’s magnetic swagger.
Drama | Western
Release Date: Nov. 16, 1936
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, James Ellison
Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Not Rated
Where to Watch: Amazon, Apple TV, YouTube
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
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