Upon first reading the title Murder at Yellowstone City, one will assume that the Western mystery is a part of Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding Yellowstone franchise for Paramount. Alas, this is not true, but it would have been an ideal situation for this film. This Western has many compelling pieces that force it to reach the dreaded two-plus hours range, ending on a note that will leave one wondering why the film wasn't a miniseries instead.
Murder at Yellowstone City follows the inhabitants of the once prosperous (and now rundown) titular town. Yellowstone City has become a haven for folks pushed to the margins of society or are escaping their pasts. There is the bible-thumping clergyman Thaddeus Murphy (Thomas Jane), who is proficient in firearms and solving mysteries. He and his astute wife Alice (Anna Camp) are central to the narrative as they poke and prod the truth behind the titular murder. The victim is a prospector, Robert Dunnigan (Zach McGowan), who has struck gold and proclaimed to offer assistance to his fellow struggling townspeople —providing hope that is promptly destroyed by his murder. Sheriff James Ambrose (Gabriel Byrne) is an ex-soldier who utilizes a combination of fear and admiration to rule over the town and maintain order and peace. His instinct and thinly veiled racism point him toward a newcomer to town, the formerly enslaved Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa), an eloquent, handsome, confident man who quotes Shakespeare on occasion. Cicero is not the killer, but the town is now in the grips of individuals willing to dispense with their neighbors. It’s up to Thaddeus and Alice to put on their thinking caps and solve a murder mystery.
What stands out about this Western, written by Eric Belgau, is that there is an effort to craft progressive characters out of archetypes. Each major and minor archetype is there, but the characters are all presented in ways that are in keeping with the film industry’s shift towards inclusive and diverse storytelling. Belgau attempts to correct past wrongs by submitting to some realities previously washed away. For example, he writes an elderly gay couple who ostensibly adopted a young Lakota Sioux woman. The writer also includes a wife who doesn’t ideally wait for her husband to come to her for support or words of encouragement; she is instead a partner, his equal. The den mother at the town’s saloon — which doubles as a shelter — is overseen by a Mexican woman, making her a community pillar.
Little efforts such as these paint a town unlike most that would accept a Black man waltzing in without too much fervor. However, this is still a Western, and with murder on the table, Belgau opts to be far less evolved despite making some progress. Director Richard Gray has the benefit of shooting in Montana, which offers Murder at Yellowstone City the advantage of being in a spacious, luscious, and cinematography-ready landscape. There is very little that needs to be done to capture the beauty of this land adequately. Furthermore, the film is handsomely crafted, and a decent array of filming techniques capture the detailed costuming, impressive production design, and the environment surrounding the small town.
The film’s primary downside — aside from the flimsy integration of non-white characters — is the movie’s length. It meanders in parts and is slow when getting to the point. The killer becomes evident only a short way through and what ensues is a battle of morals and pride as the sheriff focuses his efforts on executing an innocent Black man. At the same time, the preacher and his wife do more than preach as they solve this murder mystery. There is an opportunity to be a bit more expansive with the story, particularly regarding the town and its inhabitants. A series format would have been better to flesh out some of the characters, especially those that are sadly propped up only to be taken down unceremoniously. The Western genre is having a bit of a resurgence, so a story like this would have fit neatly in the modern television landscape.
Murder at Yellowstone City has some decent moments. However, while some measures are taken to improve outdated tropes, the story does fall into the same age-old pitfalls that could have been avoided. This is especially true considering the number of characters at the filmmaker’s disposal. Despite the pieces adding up to an intriguing adventure of a preacher-turned-sleuth at the center, the story fumbles under pressure and regurgitates tired concepts. Murder at Yellowstone City was sadly a miss overall, even when the shot was so clear.
Murder at Yellowstone City released in theaters, on demand, and digital Friday, June 24. The film is 127 minutes long and is not rated.