In the spirit of Cecil B. DeMille comes a western saga of unbridled, albeit softcore, lust that caps a sinful 145-minute running time with just enough redemption to justify an appeal to Christian audiences. There’s one in every brothel in the old west: the dirt-poor farmer quick to excuse a dirty hooker her misdeeds in exchange for a better life with a shining savior — in this case Michael played with disagreeable gusto by Tom Lewis. Fuzzy-edged flashbacks detail how Angel (Abigail Cowan) was sold into slavery and groomed from childhood for a life of prostitution that eventually found her selling her services to the father who abandoned her at birth. Tawdry? At one point we hear two 8-year-olds screaming from an adjoining room while whoremaster Duke (Eric Dane) assaults them. No worries. So long as it meets the requirement of good taste put forth by the ratings board, who cares what God thinks? And you think your job is difficult? D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, a pair of xXx sequels) has seldom worked harder than when trying to mask his leading ladies’ nipples to earn the film its PG-13 rating. In a word: vile. (2021) — Scott Marks
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