"Dead Man's Hand" (2023) weaves the story of Reno, a newlywed gunslinger yearning for tranquility with his spouse. However, a bandit's death at his hands propels him back into his tumultuous past. The corrupt mayor of their town, Clarence Bishop, is adamant about avenging his brother's demise.
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Brian Skiba, the director, with co-writer Corin Nemec, bases the film on Kevin and Matthew Minor's novel "Dead Man's Hand.” The central character, Reno (Jack Kilmer), is a post-Civil War sharpshooter. He dreams of establishing a saloon in Nevada with his wife, Vegas (Camille Collard). Reno's intriguing persona includes a talent for magic card tricks. We see his marksmanship early on when he defends a woman and her daughters from bandits.
The film's gunfights and bloodshed come across as artificial. The characters react to gunshots in an oddly delayed manner, and the grunts sound far from genuine. Despite the stiff dialogue and frequent violence that is common in many low-budget films, "Dead Man's Hand" provides action. The plot intensifies when Reno's fingers are cut off as retribution for killing the brother of the corrupt mayor (Stephen Dorff). The mayor is under suspicion by the sheriff (Cole Hauser) for offing law enforcement personnel in a quest for gold.
The severed fingers would naturally pose a significant obstacle for Reno, especially when he needs to rescue his wife. However, the fingers are miraculously reattached by Apaches, grateful to Reno for saving their lives. In this Confederate-flag-flying post-Civil War town, Reno is an icon of forward-thinking courage. However, this virtue could extract a high price.
In the film, the Apaches and several Black characters provide critical information appears to be there primarily to aid Reno. They believe he could potentially enhance their lives. The extent of their characterization can be summed up by a Black character's remark, "They say I'm free, but I don't feel free." This lack of depth in character development is not exclusive to minority characters, but the filmmakers' failure to use these characters for more than just aiding the hero is a letdown.
More glaring issues with "Dead Man's Hand" include its subpar execution, manifesting in poorly lit and oddly color-graded scenes. The action scenes lack weight due to a clear absence of geography or choreography, reducing them to a series of disjointed shots and bullet wounds. The dialogue, often unintentionally funny, detracts further from the film's overall quality. A glaring example is a woman asking Reno if his hand is all right barely moments after he's shot through it. Despite its many shortcomings, at the very least, "Dead Man's Hand" manages to narrate a clear story, a feat not all of Brian Skiba's films can claim.
