Taglines: She made her own rules in a man’s world..
Calamity Jane is an action-western film directed by Terry Miles and stars Emily Bett Rickards as the titular legendary female outlaw. Following the death of her lover, Wil Bill, Calamity Jane escapes from prison to track down those involved in the fatal poker game and take down his killer before the sheriff can catch her.
Calamity Jane begins with Jane being escorted to Deadwood by Sheriff Mason (Tim Rozon) for one of her crimes when their stagecoach is attacked by thieves. Even though Jane is an outlaw, she’s a “good” outlaw and helps the sheriff defend against the bandits killing them. Her reward: she still has to go to jail. Mason is a by-the-book lawman.
At the same time, her new husband Wild Bill arrives in the town of Deadwood and is waiting for her to be arranged and released as he just bought a plot of land for the two of them to settle in for the next chapter of their lives. In the meantime, Wild Bill and decides to blow off some steam by playing poker and drinking. Unfortunately, Bill talks smack to the wrong guy and is gunned down while playing poker.
Jane learns about her husband’s death while in her jail cell, and she immediately breaks out trying to get justice. In the aftermath, her husband’s killer guns a lawman, but it looks like Jane did it, so now she has to go on the run, and at the same time try and chase down her husband’s killer. As a result, we are treated to a cat-and-mouse game with Jane going after her target, and Sheriff Mason going after her through Calamity Jane’s hour and thirty-five-minute runtime up until its explosive finale.
Martha Jane Canary (Emily Bett Rickards) is best known as one of the most famous female gunslingers during the days of the Wild, Wild West. In Calamity Jane, we are treated to her superhero origin story as she embarks on a revenge quest after her recently married husband (and partner in crime) Wild Bill Hickok (Stephen Amell) is gunned down in a poker game and she has to escape custody and then enact her revenge on her husband’s killer.
For fans who were shipping for a proper “Olicity” Arrowverse reunion, you may want to proper your expectations for Calamity Jane. Stephen Amell’s appearance operates more like a de facto cameo. He and Emily Bett Rickards may share about ten minutes of screen time before his untimely demise in the film.
Ironically this is one of the few films of late that has a “reverse fridge” and Wild Bill’s death is in service to the female’s character development instead of the other way around. Speaking of character development, there isn’t much in the film. Emily Bett Rickards gives a good performance for what she is given script-wise, but Calamity Jane treads water in between shootout scenes.
Calamity Jane (2024)
Directed by: Terry Miles
Starring: Emily Bett Rickards, Tim Rozon, Stephen Amell, Primo Allon, Priscilla Faia, Ben Cotton, Curtis Lovell, Garrett Black, Jana Berengel, James Drew Dean, Christian Sloan
Screenplay by: Leon Langford, Collin Watts
Production Design by: Michael Nemirsky
Cinematography by: Jan Klompje
Film Editing by: Alexander Formos
Costume Design by: Martin Gregus, Elena Gregusova
Set Decoration by: Lizzi Pedersen
Art Direction by: Cameron Boon
Music by: Darren Fung
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Samuel Goldwyn Films, Tubi Films
Release Date: February 2, 2024
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