The Canadian cinema bubbles by bottom with Gunless, a western, which wants to be comic but which is not, about a foreigner and his passion for the firearms. After that, the Canadian movie will wonder why nobody will see their feature-length films and that in fact is as almost always French titles from Quebec that are distinguished in the ceremonies.

In 1882, the malicious American Montana Kid (played by Paul Gross) arrives in a peaceful village in Canada. In spite of his wound and his dress which does not smell like flowers, he continuously seeks to fight in duel. Except that the inhabitants decline his proposal. The more he spends time in this place and the more he is convinced that the weapons are not used for nothing and that a conflict can be regulated differently. Until the moment when his past catches up with him, pushing him to make tearing choices…

A trailer can sometimes be revealing. Take that of Gunless, which summarized in two minutes the intrigue, showing gags not funny and actors shaming themselves in vain. In fact, it had not lied. It is exactly what is with the menu of this movie of approximately 88 minutes which would like so much to be funny, before biting dust 99 out of 100 times. Here is an average which would be mortal under the fire in the action, or which would push no matter whom to re-examine the original narrative screen, to only avoid the spectators wasting their time.

The western comes with its codes, its stereotypes and its color. Like any kind, it is interesting to divert it, bring it elsewhere, only to see what that can give. The raw material of this project is thus not unpleasant, treating it under the filter of the comedy. It only should be made sure that it is it truly, which is not here the case with these gags which are repeated unceasingly, this non-existent story worthy of a TV series of CBC (in the ways of “Due South”), this lovesong which reminds another Canadian film entitled Passchendaele and these sketches which are only used to emphasize the popular Paul Gross who, with his too white teeth, forces the game by monopolizing all the glances on him. As if the public will be easily deceived and that he will not see these open faults which surround him.

Directed correctly by William Philips who had however offered the alluring Treed Murray in 2001, he does not have this time have the happy hand with his scenario. The unit almost resembles to a publicity for the Canadian cinema. There are the nice people but a little annoying from the North in front of malicious South which only thinks to fight and to carry a firearm. A simplistic dichotomy, especially in front of this final which recalls, unfortunately, bases of humanity. And to say that this idea wanted to be satirical, which in known as length on the way of approaching this project.

Much less enchanter that the very diverting Maverick and less coloured than the already doubtful Lucky Luke, Gunless is another of these aberrations which are there for reasons which exceed the understanding. Perhaps that this production without tail neither head, neither funny nor satisfactory, is there to tap a little box office in front of the American objects, following the example of Men With Brooms in 2002. For the occasion, why not have chosen something original and comic? If it is necessary to be different from the batch, better is worth than that is for the good reasons. The amateurs of western will want to undoubtedly go their way and to have patience for the remake of True Grit by the Coen brothers.