Western films are few and far between these days. New western films that are good are even harder to find. The filmmakers of Angel and the Badman were truly ambitious. They remade a John Wayne film from 1947!
Director Julio Quintana gathered a cast capable of meeting the high standards set by the original 1947 film. Zachary Levi (Sarah’s Oil, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) plays the role John Wayne portrayed, Quirt Evans. Neal McDonough plays the role of Laredo (the lead bad guy portrayed ably by Bruce Cabot in the original). Tommy Lee Jones plays the Marshal (played by Harry Carey in 1947). Finally, Meg Fraser plays Penny, the role that Gail Russell portrayed in the John Wayne version.
The story is still about the badman, Quirt Evans, who is saved after being shot by a religious family, and falls in love with his saving “angel”.
The bad guys are truly bad, the Marshal is an interesting study in Old West justice, and Quirt finds he isn’t as bad as he thought he was.
Excellent action from a script that had modifications designed to make it more palatable to modern audiences. These mods didn’t take anything away from a story worth watching. If you’ve never seen the original (and I am ashamed to say that I own a copy of the 1947 film, but have never watched it) you will thoroughly enjoy this film!
Unlike True Grit’s remake, this one did not make me cringe, even once. Angel Studios works hard to find good family films. Their 3M+ members have a vote in what they bring to theaters and the formula works! I think this is another winner.
Director: Julio Quintana
Cast: Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, Tommy Lee Jones, Meg Fraser, Jean Louisa Kelly, Barrett Ellis Luca, Melissa Chambers, Maurice Greene, Jesús Carús, Sean Bridgers, Eric T. Esparza, Nicholas Logan, John Pyper-Ferguson, Matthew Blood-Smyth, Nathan Kostenko, James Hal Hardy, Angel Rosario Jr.
MPA Rating: PG-13 for violence/bloody images, suggestive material, and language
Selig Rating: 5 Stars
Runtime: 105 Min.
Release Date: 10/09/2026
Language: English
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Romance, Western
Trailer: ANGEL AND THE BADMAN Official Teaser Trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.