Film / Forsaken

Haunted by his past, searching for peace.

Forsaken is a 2015 Canadian western film directed by Jon Cassar, starring Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald Sutherland as John Henry Clayton and his father Reverend Samuel Clayton. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 16, 2015. The film was released on February 19, 2016.

John Henry returns to his hometown in hopes of repairing his relationship with his estranged father, but a local gang is terrorizing the town. John Henry is the only one who can stop them, however he has abandoned both his gun and reputation as a fearless quick-draw killer.

Not to be confused with the video game or with the Pokémon Fan Fic by the same name.

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This film provides examples of:

• Blatant Lies: James McCurdy offers Mrs. Chadwick condolences for Mr. Chadwick's death, while writing the check to buy his land. She calls him out on it.
• Bullying the Dragon
  • Frank knows John Henry's reputation and is repeatedly told not to antagonize the man. He refuses to listen and keeps insulting and attacking John Henry. He finally attacks John Henry's father which unleashes John Henry's wrath on Frank and his men.
    Gentleman Dave: You did the one thing that will bring John Henry Clayton into this.
  • One of Frank's men mocks Gentleman Dave Turner for his Pragmatic Villainy approach to forcing farmers off their land. Dave reaffirms his reputation by shooting the man dead.
• Co-Dragons: Gentleman Dave starts out as The Dragon, but when he objects to the Psycho for Hire behavior of Frank and the other men, James McCurdy has Frank handle forcing the farmers off their land, keeping Gentleman Dave around to handle John Henry if he decides to get involved.
• Cutting the Knot: Gentleman Dave Turner states that he is obliged by the terms of his employment to kill John Henry. John Henry asks if he may retrieve his Colt revolver, which he dropped in the saloon, since the much heavier LeMat revolver would put him at a disadvantage. Back in the Saloon, he kills Gentleman Dave's employer.
  John Henry: My friend, you are no longer employed.
  Gentleman Dave: It would appear you are correct.
  John Henry: It's been a pleasure knowing you Dave.
• Deconstruction: A revisionist western, rather than a classic western.
• The Drifter: What John Henry has become from constantly running from his own reputation.
• Flashback: The film opens with flashback of a distraught mother grieving over the death of her young son.
• Friendly Enemies: John Henry and Gentleman Dave Turner have great respect for each other and go to great lengths to avoid a situation where one has to kill the other.
• Guns Do Not Work That Way: The shopkeeper remarks that the LeMat revolver has 9 shots plus a 10 gauge shotgun, then places a box of cartridges on the counter next to it. The LeMat has a 20 gauge (not 10 gauge) shotgun barrel, and it is a cap and ball revolver that does not use cartridges.
• Honor Before Reason: Gentleman Dave Turner will not abandon his employer no matter how much he has grown to dislike him. He took the man's money and will follow orders as long as the contract is in place.
• He Who Fights Monsters: John Henry finds himself forced into this role.
• It's Personal: John Henry went to extreme lengths to leave his gunfighting life behind. Then Frank's gang attacked (and nearly killed) his father.
• Loose Lips: One of Frank's men brags that they go going to the Chadwick farm next. Mr. Chadwick is warned and is able to kill one of Frank's friends and drive the others away. Frank kills the loudmouth for this.
• Nobody Poops: Averted, fatally. Mr. Chadwick is ambushed while walking to the outhouse.
• The One That Got Away: When John Henry finally returns home after 10 years, Mary Alice is married and has a son. He respects her marriage, but still has the red hair ribbon that she gave him when he left for the war.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Gentleman Dave Turner is a stone cold killer who has no problems killing for money. However, he only kills if he feels he has to. He sees no point in killing farmers if a bit of indimidation will convince them to sell their farms. He also sees no reason to antagonize John Henry as long as John Henry is not interfering with what Dave and his employer are doing.
• Psycho for Hire: Frank and his buddies enjoy hurting people and getting paid to do so is just a bonus for them.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Gentleman Dave Turner turns out to be this at the end. He despises the actions of Frank and his thugs, and thinks they deserved to be killed by John Henry. But the terms of his employment won't allow him to run (or walk) away.
• Retired Gunfighter: John Henry desperately wants to leave that life behind.
  Rev. Clayton: You don't wear guns.
  John Henry: I put them away. I'm done with that.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After John Henry kills Ned, a number of McCurdy's men are more than happy to accept John Henry's demand that they put down their guns and leave the salloon.
• The Smurfette Principle: Mary Alice is the only major character who is female.
• The Un Favourite: John Henry is convinced that he is this, that his father was disappointed that his brother William had drowned instead of him.
• The Western: Set in 1872, in the small town of Fowler in the wild west.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: A voiceover by Gentleman Dave Turner explains that little is known about John Henry after that, but offers the common view that he assumed an alias and moved west, and the claims of locals that they saw him occasionally until his father's death.