Cage plays Colton Briggs, a former gunslinger and bounty hunter. The reformed Briggs is now a husband and father who runs a peaceful country store.. But because of a brutal event involving his wife (Kerry Kruppe), Briggs transforms into his previous self and goes into vengeance mood. And he takes his serene preteen daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) along with him. That means he teaches her how to shoot and kill.  

THE OLD WAY relies on interesting costumes to help show Cage’s dual character. For example, take a look at the film’s poster and you will see turned-up edges on his cowboy hat that look a bit like the devil’s horns. That’s Colton’s revengeful persona. His peaceful self looks quite plain.  .   

A reformed gunslinger goes back

   to killing for revenge, his knack.

Nicolas Cage plays this key part

and does so with an actor’s heart.

THE OLD WAY concentrates on Cage.

But a young girl earns all the rage.

Kiera Armstrong should earn fame

as Cage’s daughter without shame.

While not a Western at its best

  the horses pass most of the test.

I love watching horses gallop across the screen! It reminds me of happier times when I spent time with my grandparents at their cattle ranch and got to ride my favorite horse over the prairie with no speed limit. Those were the days!   

But back to Cage and THE OLD WAY. Although this is his first Western, its revenge theme seems comfortable for Cage. He does revenge in several offerings. My favorite? RAGE, of course. Both films fascinated me by Cage’s ability to draw me into his performance. As I mentioned in my RAGE review, after seeing almost all of this actor’s films – good, bad and in between -- I continue to be a fan whether watching him do comedy, drama, action or romance. His appeal? Probably because although he doesn’t look like a traditional movie star, he usually appears so believable in the diverse and quirky roles he takes on. Plus, his deep baritone voice seals the deal for me. 

In THE OLD WAY, Cage’s character isn’t the only one with vengeance on his mind. So does the villain, played vigorously by Noah Le Gros. We have to admit he has reasons to kill Colton Briggs. There is also a U.S. Marshall (Nick Searcy) and his deputies in the mix. This is no BLAZING SADDLES, It’s all-out serious revenge.

However, youngster Ryan Kiera Armstrong impressed me the most in this new Western. Her thoughtful performance brings realism to her every scene. Here’s hoping she gets many roles in the future.  

(Available now on Hulu. Rated “R” by MPAA.)

DIRECTOR: Brett Donowho

WRITER: Carl W. Lucas

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sion Michel

COSTUMES: Vicki Hales        

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