Jim West (Smith) is a black sheriff doing his utmost to uphold truth and justice with good old-fashioned western know-how. During an attempted arrest he meets up with Artemis Gordon (Kline) who is also upholding truth and justice in his own wonderful way. They are forced to team up and given a very cool train to stop a possible threat. This possible threat turns out to be quite a real threat in the form of Arliss Loveless (Brannagh with very bizarre facial hair) complete with appropriately titled foreign beauties. West and Jones have to stop Loveless and some very cool inventions, though they have cool inventions of their own.
Many people have put down this movie, but I enjoyed it for the fact that you could just sit down and watch and not have to think too much. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with thinking, but sometimes I feel that I've done enough thinking for a while and would like someone else to think for me or just forget about thinking completely. There are a few surprises in this movie but none that you have to work through the history and plot etcetera. This is a simple, fun, action comedy in which you can sit back and enjoy the ride.

Clint Eastwood shows up in this occasionally compelling drama as Steve Everett, a reporter asked to write up a piece on Frank Beachum (Isaiah Washington), a man on death row accused of killing a pregnant convenience-store clerk. Steve is a hardened old-school reporter, kicked out of a prestigious job at the Washington Post for generally being too much of a bad arse. He now works for the Oakland Tribune, under an editor who is unaware that his wife is serving herself up a cup o' Dirty Harry when he is not around. Steve, however, appears a little pathetic at times, hence vulnerable, and naturally, not such a bad guy after all. Anyway, before long this initially lightweight assignment awakens investigative instincts within Steve, who quickly comes to suspect that Frank may not be guilty. In fact, he discovers good proof of this, but this is not enough, as Frank's accusers are still to be convinced. Will Steve get the appeal through on time, or will an innocent man be put to death? (I know what you're wondering......are there 10ccs of poison in this lethal injection, or just one ?......in all the confusion, I kind of forgot myself.....so I guess you should ask yourself....do you feel lucky, punk....well....do ya? Sorry, I'm all done now.)
Although not quite as novel as, say, quantum mechanics, this movie nonetheless hits the mark a number of times, probably enough to get the audience interested in the characters and involved in this suspenseful and intuitively frightening situation that Frank Beachum has all-too-little hope of surviving.