Johnson County War

Welcome to Johnson County War, a Western miniseries that straddles a horse like Lonesome Dove, drawls like Lonesome Dove, and was even co-written by Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry, but, of course, isn't Lonesome Dove. In Wyoming, there's a war brewin' between the evil cattle barons and the kind-hearted, thick-skinned homesteaders who made America great. On one side you've got the Hammett brothers, played by Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, and someone named Adam Storke (no fair guessing which one is the sacrificial lamb). And on the other side there's the evil gunslinger (Burt Reynolds, who has become his own Madame Tussaud's wax replica). Over the film's clumsily edited three hours, familiar themes of masculinity, America's promise as the land of opportunity, and the dangers of vigilante justice are hashed out amidst stark open vistas, orange sunsets, and snow-peaked mountains that seem quintessentially American (even if the film was shot in Alberta, Canada). Directed by former stuntman David S. Cass, Johnson County War boasts beautiful landscapes, flawless attention to period detail, plenty of horses thundering through blizzards, quickly-drawn pistols, and big name actors who wisely underplay their parts in the hopes that nobody will notice that their once-promising careers have culminated in this by-the-numbers effort. It's almost enough to distract viewers from the realization that not a single second of this Hallmark Original feels, well, original. Optional. (D. Fienberg)