Hickok Blu-Ray REMUX 4K (2017)

Legendary lawman and gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the west. While delivering his own brand of frontier justice, the infamous gunfighter's reputation as the fastest draw in the west is put to the test.

"A Hedonist With No Ambition"
Author: lavatch from Twin Cities, Minnesota
In the Abilene of the 1870s depicted in this film, the residents are urbane and literate, speaking lines like the description of Wild Bill Hickok as "a hedonist with no ambition." But to what degree is the film an accurate representation of William Hickok and the Wild West?

In the bonus segment of the DVD of "Hickok," director Timothy Woodward, Jr. discussed his goal of finding a balance between (a) the biographical truth of Bill Hickok and (b) the popular conventions of the film Western. As it turned out, the balance fell much too heavily on the standard structural features of traditional Western filmmaking: melodramatic villains; romantic intrigue; climactic shootouts; and the flawed but decent hero.

The film may have been accurate in depicting a relatively young Hickok, as played by Liam Hemsworth. It is also correct that Hickok only served as the marshal of Abilene for a brief period. Still, there could have been a stronger attempt to individualize Hickok with more details from his life. The depiction of Hickok's "moon blindness" (or poor eyesight at night) had the potential of a unique character trait. But the film did not go far enough in explaining this disability (was it due to syphilis?) or following through on Hickok's life after he left Abilene.

This film is very much a companion piece to "Traded," another Western directed by Woodward. In each case, the standard elements of the film western were plugged into a rather predictable formula. If Hickok were truly the hedonist of Abilene, the pleasurable pursuits of the gunslinger could have been presented in much greater detail in this film.