Broken Trail is as long film cut into two equal parts of 1:30 each. It is immersed in the Far West of the late 19th century to follow two cowboys: Print Ritter camped by the impeccable Robert Duval and his nephew Thomas Harte. Both are charged with escorting a convoy of 500 horses to Wyoming.
During their journey, their fate is induced to cross that of slaveholders seeking to sell young Chinese promised to prostitution. Overwhelmed by the innocence of these five young women our two cowboys offer them protection. Due to the overwhelming poverty and customs of China in the 19th century, many young Chinese were sold as slaves, arriving by thousands in the western U.S. for a life of prostitution and brief violence. So begins a race against time to reach to convey the herd in Wyoming on time and at the same time escapes their pursuers thirsty for revenge desperate to get their precious “commodity” human.
Robert Duval as always impresses, and Broken Trail seems tailor-made for such a film, as if this film was part of a triptych for hypothetical Duval began with Lonesome Dove, followed by the famous Open Range. Behind the camera we have the right to an aficionado of the genre in the person of Walter Hill. Although known for his films like 48 hours and then it still made with Geronimo in 1994 the couple Matt Damon and Gene Hackman or Will Bill in 1995 with Jeff Bridges and John Hurt.
Although Broken Hill includes a watermark of western ideologies, he freed some codes provide for such footage honest sincere and generous. For the heart of the story crystallized around these young Chinese, yet historically strong presence in the far western U.S., but surprisingly absent from the transposition into western film.
The director transcribed perfectly fear of these young women immersed in a world that is foreign to them, they do not understand the language or not knowing what to expect. The barrier difference diminishes gradually in contact with our two cowboys. Another feature of Broken Trail is putting forward the impressive herd of magnificent horses, led by Robert Duval, who is alone a “character” full of Broken Trail. There is adventure, suspense and emotions for almost a western classic with an excellent bill.
