User reviews

Outlaws heading for Mexico stumble across a small town called Refuge, where no one carries a weapon and everyone welcomes strangers with open arms. Problem is, these outlaws aren't having any of it, and decide to burn down the place. Refuge, as we quickly discover, is actually the Purgatory of the Bible, and is populated by such western stalwarts as Wild Bill Hicock and Doc Holliday. For these familiar figures, there is a vexsome problem: if they take to violence, they will get shipped off to Hell post-haste. What's a man to do? A wonderful TV western, fanciful and dramatic at the same time. Several familiar actors including Sam Shepherd (erroneously listed as Sam Elliott on some electronic TV guides), Eric Roberts and Randy Quaid keeps things hopping.

Purgatory plays like a ninety-four episode of "The Twilight Zone", that despite a few predictable twists, is still a lot of fun to watch and a cut above the usual made-for-television western of the last twenty years or so.

Production values are good and so is the familiar cast of character actors, led by baddies Eric Roberts and Peter Stormare, with Sam Shepherd, Randy Quaid, Donnie Walberg, and R.G. Armstrong in his last western appearance so far. They all do a great job, with Roberts and Stormare playing it nice and rowdy.

Interestingly enough, co-stars R.G.Armstrong and John Dennis Johnston appeared together eighteen years earlier in the southern-fried horror flick The Beast Within.

This is pretty much a pleasant - albeit unspectacular - film. It is very watchable with a predictable fantasy theme running through it.

The theme of people realising that they are at some sort of halfway house between Heaven and Hell, awaiting divine judgement, is not new and has been well portrayed in earlier films. This film however, reworks the formula in a western setting. It is certainly watchable and is quite well made for a TV movie.

After committing a bank robbery, a large group of outlaws led by Blackjack Britton are on the run. So Britton leads his men across the desert, which they come across a quiet little town called Purgatory, where the strange locals don't carry guns, or even curse, but they really make them welcome. This very helpful gesture spurs Britton to stir up a racket and take over the town, but one of his men, a young wannabe, Sonny, doesn't share Britton's idea and he finds himself picking up some unusual hints of something otherworldly about the town and its inhabitants.

What a nice surprise the cable TV movie, "Purgatory", actually turned out to be. It's far from your conventional western. Well, there's some formulaic western stakes within it, but it does have a weird novelty behind it that wouldn't feel out-of-place in a "Twilight Zone" episode. This unique sprinkle and along with a appealing cast made it a very engrossing and delightful viewing, despite that it's pretty much a sleeper when building up the story and the mysterious twist engulfing the presentation forces itself on us too suddenly and rather obviously. I could go on about the whole twist and the story has a few layers to peel off, but its better to just know that it involves a group of outlaws who have made names for themselves. Like Bill Hicock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Doc Holliday. Now that's a great line-up! The story kind a follows a redemption angle, where it's all about choice and a chance to make good, but despite this option there are temptations you must face, before accepting your fate. Gladly none of it becomes too overwrought. There are some creative juices flowing here amongst a very solid looking production. The film opens and closes with thrilling and well-staged gunfights. Dynamic wise, the fruitful cast gel impeccably well, involving the likes of Eric Roberts killing it, as Blackjack Britton and then you got Brad Rowe as the naïve Sonny. Peter Stonmore gives a stand-out performance as the crackpot sidekick of Britton, Cavin. Some of the town's folk you see kicking back are played by Randy Quaid, Sam Elliott, Donnie Wahlberg, J.D. Souther and the stunning Amelia Heinle. What got me more than anything, was the production was very well mounted with smoothly displayed photography that captured the vastness and close details that sprawled along the screen and a sulky, fine-tuned score that created an eerie howl, really does lift it out of the very stuffy mould of TV features.

A very curious piece that just doesn't go anywhere big with its fascinating concept, but still it's surely entertaining.

There quite often comes a time when a film fan who is so enamoured with a specific genre or style of film making, comes across a picture that one knows is far from perfect if deconstructed frame by frame, but still loves it with every breath they take. Purgatory is one such film for myself.

Purgatory, a TNT TV production, is that rare old beast of the Western fused with fantastical or supernatural elements. More often than not this is a blend that proved to be disastrous, hence why there are so few films of this type put into production here in the modern era. Yet director Uli Edel and producer Daniel Schneider pulled it off back in 1999, my only regret is that it took me so long to let it into my cinematic life.

The title is something of a give away, thus rendering the supposed twist as being hardly surprising. However, it was not the intention of the film makers to hoist a Sixth Sense surprise on us, really it wasn't. We are asked to put ourselves into the young Greenhorn shoes of Leon "Sonny" Miller (Brad Rowe) and experience his own coming of age awakening. From dime novels and hero worship to first kills and first loves, Sonny is our conduit and the key holder to the gates of redemption for many of the Wild West's legendary characters.

The cast is a veritable feast of splendid character actors playing a veritable feast of iconic real life people. Sam Shepard, Eric Roberts, Randy Quaid, Peter Stormare, Donnie Wahlberg and J.D. Souther. While Brad Fiedel provides a musical score of some magnificent beauty, a piece that revels in heroic swirls and escalating emotions, it darts around the town of "Refuge" like a novelist writing a dime novel soon to go down in folklore legend.

Budget restrictions are hidden very well, Edel and his cinematographer William Wages prove adept at lighting techniques and scene staging. Be it keeping things in the shade or cloaking a sequence with believable dust clouds, there's a professional touch here that puts the pic into the upper echelons of TV movies.

Then there's the action, a key component for so many Western fans, and thankfully Purgatory is book-ended by superb action sequences, with the finale a skilled lesson in shoot-out choreography and machismo pulse beats. And then there's the emotional kickers, ready to be embraced by those who still yearn to have the spirit lifted and the heart gladdened.

I could write a whole weighty paragraph on Purgatory's flaws, maybe even point out thematically what I think will annoy others, because for sure not everything works. But as a Western movie lover I found myself cheering at the film's end, even wiping away a damn fly from my eye. That's job done for me, a Western that tickled and teased my every emotion, wonderful. 10/10

This film starts out with a band of desperadoes led by "Blackjack Britton" (Eric Roberts) who decide to rob the bank in a town called "Sweetwater". What they don't anticipate is that while they are robbing the bank the U.S. Cavalry happens to also ride into town. A gunfight ensues and the bandits hightail it out of town as fast as they can with a large posse chasing after them. The further they ride the more desperate they become and eventually lose all of the money they had stolen. Then they encounter a dust storm and when they finally ride through it they come upon a town called "Refuge" which is well off the beaten path. At first they decide to keep a low profile but then they notice that nobody in the town is armed. Not content with simply accepting the town's hospitality they soon decide to force themselves upon it. But what they don't realize is that this is no ordinary town. And the townsfolk are not run-of-the-mill people either. Anyway, rather than disclosing the mystery of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is not an ordinary western. The acting is decent and Amelia Heinie (as "Rose") certainly lent some nice scenery. But what made this film so unusual was the unique storyline which was quite intriguing. All things considered then, although the end was somewhat predictable the movie managed to keep my attention for the most part and I rate it as slightly better than average.

Purgatory is a conscience western you can compare to 'Unforgiven', or more likely 'Pale Rider.' It seems adapted from a scifi short story, meaning it is not dominated by its wild west setting.

Someone at TNT Originals has a great skill for making movies for the small screen. They can port a plot from the big screen and scale it down to the small screen. They reduce it from "larger than life" size to "life" size. That's what you get with this movie 'Purgatory.' It's a TV movie with characters that are serious but not ridiculous, a pace that's neither too fast nor too slow, a soundtrack that unique but not overbearing, and is a story that is epic but understated. This movie is a rare gem in TV viewing: something that makes you feel good about watching TV.

'Purgatory' was, oddly on The Horror Channel, mid morning at that! Whilst it had lots of good, boisterous action, especially at the beginning and end, for me, it was too much neither western, nor fantasy.

As a western, it worked fine with Sam Shepard doing sterling work as the sheriff (Wild Bill Hickock) but I'm afraid the romantic story between Sonny (Brad Rowe) and (can't find her name in any cast lists) confused and annoyed me.

Idols from western folklore presumably mean less to me than it does to many and so it wasn't such a big thrill to have all these re-incarnated in one place and in one movie and whilst I could see how this 'car-park' for the living dead made the story, this was rather lost on me. The film was well made and maybe, if I was in-tune with this element, then it might have made more sense to me.

I did like the fantasy ending with the Old Indian, very surprising and quite well done.

Purgatory is good for a TV movie, which was nominated for a prime-time Emmy, with a good cast and some good action, but that's as good as it got for me.

A classic western with good "good guys" and very bad "bad guys". Cool twist with fantasy and big name outlaws mixed together with an almost "twilight zone" storyline. Excellent shootouts, good music, nice special effects, great cast. I really liked Sam Shepard; this part was perfect for him.

Purgatory is not the type of western movie that you see every day. It is mixed with fantasy. Story on its own had a great potential, but for me it was poorly executed. The title of the movie is reviling the most and interesting important part of the story. Moral of the story is little bit shallow. Sam Shepard for me is the only one with good acting. Movie overall has a lot of flaws, but it still doesn't stops you to enjoy in it. It was targeted for real western lovers, and for them movie even with all the flaws its perfect.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1999 and directed by Uli Edel, "Purgatory" chronicles events circa 1888 when a gang of outlaws led by Blackjack Britton (Eric Roberts) holds up in a mysterious hidden town called Refuge where the inhabitants seem overly gracious and pacifistic. Respectful greenhorn Sonny (Brad Rowe) increasingly suspects something strange is happening. Sam Shepard plays the Sheriff, Donnie Wahlberg his deputy, Randy Quaid the doctor and JD Souther a shop-owner. Amelia Heinle and Shannon Kenny are on hand in the feminine department.

Other than the action-packed opening, this is a town-bound Western. While you can pick-up the made-for-TV quality right away, the movie scores well in its intriguing premise and quality writing. There are fantastical elements akin to "Pale Rider" (1985) and "High Plains Drifter" (1973). The movie's pretty much on par with the former and superior to the latter IMHO due to the more engaging story and weighty subtext.

THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 34 minutes and was shot in Barstow and Burbank Studios, California. WRITER: Gordon T. Dawson.

GRADE: B

ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read unless you've watched the movie).

Some viewers misunderstood the premise of the movie. The town of Refuge isn't just for outlaws; it's the "last chance" for the "marginally good," as phrased in the movie; it evens says something like the inhabitants were plucked from the incorrigibly wicked. As such, the citizens (not visitors) have different identities and occupations than in their former lives. For instance, Billy the Kid is now Deputy Glen, not a gunfighter; and Dolly Sloan is now Ivy, not a prostitute or suffragette. Holliday was now Doc Woods, an M.D. and not a dentist, who wasn't skinny because he no longer has tuberculosis.

Just the same, Jesses James was now a shop owner named Brooks and was no longer robbing trains. Some contend that James deserved immediate damnation because he was a notorious bank/train robber, but the movie implies that he was corrupted by the Civil War during his developing years which involved the bloody guerrilla warfare in Missouri/Kansas and therefore he is given a "last chance" in Refuge .

As for the dubious chronology, Holliday might have been a relatively recent arrival and therefore the reference to "10 years" in regards to Hickok's death actually meant "about 10 years." So the events could be taking place in 1888 or even 1889.

The movie suggests that Sonny was read-up on famous Western figures and so recognized clues to their real identities. He only suspected who they really were. And this was eventually verified as he increasingly discovers the supernatural nature of Refuge. In other words, it wasn't like he instantly recognized these individuals and was 100% sure of their semi-infamous identities based on dime-store novels.

Lastly, some complain that the movie supports the questionable idea that shooting people makes you a candidate for eternal life. Actually, it advocates selfless bravery and commitment to justice: Blackjack & his gang proved that they were chronic thugs and a serious threat to others; taking a violent-if-necessary stand against them was the only answer since they were incurable. The best way to stop a bad person with a gun is via a good person with a gun.

When I was going to see this film, I feared a little bit that this would have too much of a western atmosphere. I decided to watch this because the story seemed very interesting. Director Uli Edel did a very good job directing this. Although this is a TV-movie, and I assume the budget wasn't that big, Uli Edel made a very impressive film. I enjoyed this film a lot. Also the acting was very good. The music is excellent. I recommend this film to everyone. Also to people who generally don't like westerns. This is an amazing film, with excellent acting, beautiful cinematography, beautiful music and a great, touching story! Don't miss this film, it's beautiful!

This one caught my attention because horror and western are my two favorite film genres, and it's not every day you encounter a movie that falls into both categories. Granted, "Purgatory" is primarily a western that merely just hints at supernatural horror themes, but still it's an admirably effort to blend two very versatile genres. It's also a pretty decent film, especially considering it's made for cable and starring a long list of nearly washed up B-move actors. Imagine what a wedding between "Bonanza" and "The Twilight Zone" would look like and you suddenly got a good idea what to expect of "Purgatory". Following a bank robbery gone wrong and a severe sandstorm, the notorious outlaw Blackjack Britton and his large group of rovers arrive in a remote little town called Refuge. The inhabitants of this unworldly village are all exaggeratedly friendly and obliging, yet they strangely look like legendary gunslingers that are all supposed to be rotting in hell already. Could this secluded place be their last chance for redemption? And will they be able to resist picking up their guns again when their peaceful community is threatened by these fugitive criminals? It's really a worthwhile effort, with a reasonable portion of action sequences and a fairly intelligent script. The B-cast does a splendid job and it's pretty damn difficult to select a favorite performer. Eric Roberts hasn't played such a good role since the early 1990's and it's always a joy to look at Peter Stormare, Randy Quaid and John Dennis Johnston. The most surprisingly pleasing performances come from Sam Shepard and Donnie Wahlberg (as Billy the Kid). I was hoping for director Uli Edel to emphasize a little more on the potentially great horror aspects in the story, but we still ended up seeing a competent western, so no complaints here.

The idea of making the religious realm of Purgatory into an old Western town sounds fairly bizarre, but it makes for a very fun and entertaining movie. The plot mainly involves a gang of outlaws led by Blackjack (Eric Roberts) on the run who end up in a town that is none other than the realm of judgment itself. The town is populuated by the worst outlaws of the old west (Billy the Kid, Jesse James, etc.) who have been given a second chance at salvation- if they can survive an indeterminate period of time without giving in to temptations to sin, they will be saved. When the outlaws decide to pillage the town, it's occupants are faced with a crisis of conscience. There's a lot to enjoy about this movie: Sam Shepard and Randy Quaid fun to watch as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, and Eric Roberts, overacting as always, actually makes for a very convincing outlaw. And the climactic gunfight is a simply spectacular piece of action filmmaking. If you missed this when it appeared on TV, I would suggest renting it when it comes out on video- I doubt you'll be disappointed.

TV western that is surprisingly good. The redemption story works here and it was great to see so many character actors in this film. I even enjoyed the music.🎼

An outlaw band flees a posse and rides into small town Refuge, the gang is led by the bloodthirsty Blackjack Britton: Eric Roberts. The weird town seems to be between hell and heaven and where no one carries a gun, drinks, or swears. The Purgatory villagers' assume names are nature-based: Forest, Glen, Ivy, Rose, Woods, Lamb. Then in Refuge will appeal mythical legends of the West: Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickock, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid and several others. For a band of outlaws, the only thing worse than being bad is spending eternity being good !.

A peculiar Western with fantastic touches containing noisy action, go riding, violence and impressive final duel. The movie is well set in a sleepy little town called Refuge, where the people welcome them and invite them to take anything they want, absolutely free, resuting in fantastic and bloody happenings. Here the main question is whether our mythological heroes are capable redeem themselves before gaining admittance to Heaven or screw up and go to Hell. The film is plenty of Western mythic characters and familiar faces giving acceptable interpretations, among them : Sam Shepard, Randy Quaid, Donnie Wahlberg, Eric Roberts, Peter Stormare, Brad Rowe, Shannon Kenny, John Diehl, John Dennis Johnston and Western veteran R. G. Armstrong in his final Western.

It contains evocative and colorful cinematography by William Wages. As well as thrilling musical score by Brad Fievel who previously composed Terminator soundtrack. The motion picture was well directed by Uli Edel. This German director is a good filmmaker who has worked as cinema as TV and even collaborated with Douglas Sirk in the 1980s. He has a long career with hits and flops , working as in USA as Germany. His film debut was the successful and thorny film: Christiane F (1981) about the world of teenage drug addicts . Following various movies in all kinds of genres , such as : Last exit to Brooklyn, RAF, Nibelungs, Houdini, Palace, Rasputin, The Mists of Avalon, Pay the Ghost , among others. Rating: 6.5/10. The picture will appeal to Western fans .

The only reason I sat down to watch this movie was because there was nothing else to do, nothing else on TV and I decided it had been ages since I'd watched a western.

Surprise...I enjoyed this movie from start to finish. The acting was great and the actors fit their roles. I loved the plot. If you get a chance, see this movie.

A large and capable cast is thrown into a spiritualistic western, with very little character development being it's most obvious flaw. You can tell the bad guys from the good guys, but care very little about the outcome. There is nothing wrong with attempting to mix genres, however after a bang-bang beginning, "Purgatory" grinds to a slow crawl for the middle thirty minutes. The ultimate confrontation is nothing more than a prolonged, tedious gun battle that you have seen many times before (pick any western). More dialog between the combatants would have benefited the movie, especially the Eric Roberts and Sam Shepard characters. Somewhat unique, but still nothing more than a marginal missed opportunity. - MERK

To me a movie with Eric Roberts is rarely a guarantee for success, most of the time those movies are just mediocre, but in this case even though it's a tv-movie it's watchable. Purgatory looks and feels like a tv-movie but it's an entertaining one, with plenty of action and decent cinematography. The story is totally different from the westerns we're used to. It's surprising but not bad. The acting wasn't bad either for a tv-movie, even from Eric Roberts which you already guessed is not one of my favorite actors. I'm not going to say nothing is lame about Purgatory, it has its flaws, but it could have been worse, much worse.

This was a really satisfying story with great performances from the actors, even Eric Roberts who usually annoys me.

The basic story is that a band of outlaws heading for Mexico get waylaid in a town called refuge where no pone carries a gun and everyone welcomes them with open arms. But like the rattlesnakes they are, instead of accepting and appreciating this hospitality the outlaws decide to take the town for all it's worth not realising exactly what kind of place they have ridden into.

This film is exactly the type of thing you get when an interesting premise is properly executed. A real treat that I only found by accident on late night TV!