Another day in Buenoseres

A Wild West bounty hunter is assigned to go after a dangerous criminal.

A man named Bishop (Riviere) has hired Iron Gus (Bailey), the fastest shooter around, to locate and eliminate Texas Red (McGillan), a loose cannon, murderous outlaw. Gus arrives at Buenoseres, where Red is believed to be, and enters a bar. After asking people for information and having a conversation with Widow (Shoniwa), a singer, Gus comes face-to-face with the wanted man and the fateful confrontation begins.

This intriguing short has various elements that are associated with the Western genre. To begin, the scenery resembles the one that often serves as the background of such films, dry, desert-like landscapes and much of the narrative takes place inside a bar, an obvious replacement for the typical saloon. The costumes include cowboy hats and similar clothing and the plot involves the hero, a loner and gunslinger, pursuing the bad guy. Science fiction is also present, with a spaceship being used for travelling instead of a horse and several characters have supernatural powers that prevent people from moving and cause vein-like lines to appear on their skin.

The mise-en-scene is a great aspect of the film and so are the characters. Iron Gus makes an interesting hero, a no-nonsense bounty hunter who does not fancy a conversation and Iron Gus is quite a character, the bad guy, a menacing, hatchet-wielding killer. Other supporting characters include a woman bouncer (Chloe Kelloway) and a bartender (Emile J. Clarke).

The story itself is rather simple: the hero going after the bad guy, which is not a negative thing as it is a plot that creates suspense. Instead, the screenplay has more depth when it comes to the dialogue, especially the cat-and-mouse interaction between Gus and Red.

The montage during the opening credits certainly succeeds in catching the viewer's attention. With superb editing by Scrase, it introduces the protagonists via title cards with stylised letters and it is accompanied by the wonderful song Railroad Tracks by Rob Crooks and Riviere. The whole thing is a joy to watch and it effectively sets up the atmosphere.

Big commendations go to Scrase for the fantastic cinematography and visual effects, particularly during the scenes where characters utilise their powers. A lot of praise also goes to Imogen Bennett for the terrific costumes. The music is another plus, which sounds electronic and tense and the song Too Bold by Shoniwa was a good choice to end the film with.

This is a Wild West story about the hunt for a criminal, murder and betrayal. The mise-en-scene stands out and so do the characters and the strong performances. The impressive creativity that was put into this project is evident throughout and the result is an entertaining and visually stunning viewing that effectively mixes the Western genre with sci-fi.