The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is a 2010 Western starring Lizzy Caplan, Cote de Pablo, Kris Kristofferson, and Dwight Yoakam, whose plot revolves around a female outlaw's efforts to retrieve her boyfriend's body from northern Mexico and bury him in Texas.
It is 1912, and Juliette Flowers (Caplin) runs a gun smuggling operation with her boyfriend Ransom Pride (Scott Speedman). When Ransom is killed in a deal gone bad, his body is taken by Maria La Morena, a Santa Muerte bruja (witch) in revenge for the death of her brother, a Catholic priest who was killed in the crossfire. Determined to give Ransom a decent burial, Juliette rides to Texas to enlist the help of his younger brother Champ. She also confronts Ransom's father, ex-Confederate bushwacker-turned-preacher Reverend Early Pride (Yoakam). Believing that Juliette intends to give Champ to the Bruja, Reverend Pride seeks aid from another ex-bushwacker, Shepherd Graves (Kristofferson), who sends his unstable nephew John (Jason Priestley) and another ex-bushwacker named Matthew (W. Earl Brown) to ride after them. Pride soon decides to track them down himself, and gives chase in his new automobile. The chase turns into a surreal odyssey with Juliette and Champ getting help from several unusual characters including a retired Buffalo Soldier on a motorcycle and a troupe of circus freaks led by Peter Dinklage.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: When his deal with Louie Chama turns into a Blast Out, Ransom reflexively shoots a someone behind him, then realizes the victim was an unarmed priest. He is then shot dead by a female parishioner.
- Action Girl: Juliette Flowers
- The Alcoholic: Early Pride, who is a very mean drunk.
- Anti-Villain: Early Pride is a drunk asshole and an abusive father, but he pursues Juliette and Champ because he blames her for what happened to Ransom and believes she is leading Champ to his death, and wants to protect his only remaining son.
- As the Good Book Says...: Juliette and Rev. Pride engage in some Quote-to-Quote Combat with Bible verses.
- Ax-Crazy: John. Matthew can't stand him for it.
- Bait-and-Switch Gunshot: Early Pride is standing over Juliette with a gun in his hand. after they finish their Quote-to-Quote Combat, he levels it at her. There is a shot and the screen goes black. When the film resumes, Juliette awakens in the Pride's house, and Champ reveals that he shot his father to save her.
- Ballistic Discount: Ransom Pride is selling automatic pistols to gang of Mexican bandits when their leader decides it would easier just to kill Ransom with his own gun. Unfortunately for him, Ransom wasn't foolish enough to hand his a loaded pistol.
- Blown Across the Room: The first two bidders who attempt to storm Juliette's room at the brothel are sent flying backwards when they are blasted by The Dwarf's twin Sawed Off Shotguns wielded Guns Akimbo.
- Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: The plot is driven by Juliette promising Ransom that if he dies, she will take his body to Glory, Texas and bury him beside his mother. However, after his death, the Bruja seizes his body and the only way to redeem Ransom's corpse is for Juliette to give her Ransom's brother in exchange.
- *Click* Hello: Matthew and The Dwarf are both in the habit of answering their door with guns drawn.
- Concealment Equals Cover: Averted. Champ and Maria La Morena bouncer/bodyguard shoot at each other through the thin internal wall of the Pride house.
- Despair Event Horizon: When Juliette tells him about Ransom's death, Early Pride collapses to his knees in front of his congregation, crying out, "I am no longer worthy to be called Your servant!" He then goes on a Hookers and Blow bender at Graves's place in his despair, before news of Champ's departure with Juliette snaps him out of it.
- Destination Defenestration: During their fight in the Pride house, The Bruja tackles Juliette out through the closed bedroom window.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: A major theme.
- The Bruja's brother was a Catholic priest. She doesn't share his faith, but still loved him and wants vengeance for his death.
- Early Pride dearly loved his wife and tried to reform himself for her. Her Death by Childbirth in giving birth to Champ hurt him badly and left him an alcoholic. Though an abusive father, he still loves his sons on some level, is devastated by Ransom's death, and is motivated entirely by his desire to keep Champ safe.
- Juliette Flowers' devotion to Ransom is very sweet, but she is no saint herself. It is left ambiguous whether she really intends to trade Champ's life for Ransom's body as Reverend Pride fears, or take it by force with his help.
- Ransom was a murdering, swindling, cheating smuggler who wanted to make enough money to get his little brother away from their abusive father.
- Facial Horror: Maria La Morena is a beautiful woman with hideous burn scars across one side of her face.
- Guns Akimbo: The Dwarf carries a pair of double-barreled sawed-off shotguns that he wields Guns Akimbo.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Being an excellent shot is a hereditary trait in the Pride family.
- Instant Drama, Just Add Tracheotomy: When bandits break into the church where they are sleeping, Champ catches a brutal blow to the throat from a rifle butt. After the bandits are killed, Sergeant performs an emergency tracheotomy on Champ; explaining to Juliette that Champ's windpipe is filling with blood and if he doesn't relive the pressure, Champ will choke before they can get him to medical attention.
- It Works Better with Bullets: Ransom Pride is selling automatic pistols to gang of Mexican bandits when their leader decides it would easier just to kill Ransom with his own gun. Unfortunately for him, Ransom wasn't foolish enough to hand his a loaded pistol.
- Lost Him in a Card Game: Sergeant asks the Dwarf why the circus troupe is wandering the Mexican wilderness, and the Dwarf explains that they were lost in a card game ("Four sixes beats a full house") and are travelling to their new owner.
- Never Mess with Granny: During the opening Blast Out, Ransom reflexively shoots a someone behind him, then realizes the victim was an unarmed priest. He is then shot dead by an elderly Mexican woman who had been impassively sitting preparing dinner throughout the shootout.
- Noble Demon: Matthew is a professional killer and bounty hunter who committed atrocities with Pride and Graves in the Civil War. He's also honest, polite (though gruff) to people he meets on the road, and is disgusted by John's psychotic tendencies and penchant for creepy souvenirs.
Matthew: You wanna make a black-ass fool o' yourself, you go right ahead. But if you shame me, I will kill you!
- Papa Wolf: Early Pride's sole motivation is to protect his remaining son.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Outlaw Ransom Pride is killed in a Mexican border town after an arms deal goes bad. His lover Juliette learns his body is being held by "The Bruja", a witch who runs the town's brothel. The Bruja informs Juliette that Ransom accidentally shot and killed her brother, a priest, and the only way to redeem Ransom's corpse is to give her Ransom's brother in exchange.
- Quote-to-Quote Combat: When Rev. Pride has Juliette at gunpoint atop the grave, they engage in a exchange of Bible quotations; each using the Bible to justify their actions. Juliette's knowledge of the Bible surprises Pride.
- Retired Monster: Reverend Early Pride. Graves and Matthew also apply, having all three been members of the same Confederate bushwhacker outfit in the Civil War.Early Pride: I thought you was dead.Matthew: You ain't the only one Jesus saves.
- Sawed-Off Shotgun: The Dwarf carries a pair of sawed-off double-barreled shotguns that he wields Guns Akimbo.
- Shovel Strike: Champ is checking the barn when he sees the silhouettes of the Bruja's men sneaking through the house. He grabs a shovel and sneaks in to rescue Juliette; using the shovel to knock out Shep.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behaviour: In 1901, half-breed Juliette Flores saw her tribe and village slaughtered by Mexican troops. Still a child, she takes revenge by slipping into the home of the soldiers' commander, General Juarez, and cutting his throat in his bedroom.
- Twilight of the Old West: Set in 1912. While most of the characters still ride horses, Sergeant rides a motorcycle, and Early Ransom travels to Mexico in a Model T Ford.
- Two-Faced: Maria La Morena, the witch who runs the local brothel, is a beautiful woman with hideous burn scars across one side of her face.
