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Purgatory (1999)
Now, watch this.
Cavin. I thought you said that nephew of yours was gonna be worth a damn. Wanna see that again? I'll set him straight. This ain't no barn social. You understand? I spoke up for you, Sonny. You best do right by me. All right. He'll do right. All right. Let's get it done. Everybody, grab the ceiling. Just keep your damn trap shut, nobody has to get killed. Good boy. Open the safe. I don't know the combination. - Cavin. - Damn city boy. Now, you wanna keep the other nine fingers? Open the safe. Excuse me, ma'am. You're Dolly Sloan, aren't you? How would a green kid like you be knowing something like that? I know all about you. Look, I got it in here somewhere. Dime novels, huh? Harlot With a Heart, right here. Well, you take it from one who's been there, boy. They don't always get it right. Even so, I'd be much obliged if you'd mark my copy. Company, right! Coming around! Maybe some other time. Hey, boys. Well, what brings you to town today? There's blue boys out there. At a walk! Company, halt! Company, dismount. How was your ride? It was over two days. How do you ride? - Hurry up. - Hurry, let's go. Quit your squirming! Cover me! That's them! Miss Sloan. Let's ride. Come on. Don't let me die. - Come on! - Wait for me. Sonny! Badger! Get up! Come on! Come on! Go! Get up here. All right, throw those bags on Ginger. - What went wrong? - Nothing. Hell, it went real good. Knox, where's the rest of them? Butch went down. Waco too. I didn't see nobody else. Listen up, we got a hard road ahead of us. And some of you ain't gonna make it. I can ride, Blackjack. You ain't gotta worry none. Any man who can keep up with me, I'll see in Chihuahua. The rest of you, I'll see you in hell. They're coming. Let's keep pushing it. - What about Badger? - What about him? He's hurt bad. He's gonna need to rest. Well, why don't we make camp so he can have a nice long nap. He's your brother. Think I give a damn? We got a posse of men behind us on fresh horses... ...just itching to hang us all. - I'm all right, kid. Time's a-wasting, Blackjack. I can keep up! Let's go. Badger, give me your reins. Come on. Hold on to your saddle horn. I don't see any quit in them. All right, we'll ride through the night. Let's pick it up. Yeah, we're the Blackjack Britton Gang. Ain't a bunch a quitters here, eh, boys? Let's go. - Badger's down! - Hold it up. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I reckon it's over for me now. Appears so, Badger. Do me a last kindness, Jack, and end it. I can't spare the bullet. Cavin, will you? - We gotta ride. - We're just gonna leave him here like this? What do you suggest, boy? Well, at least wait until... Until what? Until that posse rides up? Hell, you wanna read him a prayer, go ahead. So long, Badger. So long, Blackjack. Let's go. We're moving out. Get up. Don't be a fool. Go with them. It just ain't right. Not much in life is. It sure as hell ain't like them dime novels... ...you got in your saddlebag, is it? There's a way out of this if you act quick. I ain't never shot nobody before. Maybe you're worth a damn after all. I wanna go home. It's a little too late for that. Come on, now. Get out. Come on, you hear me? Sonny! - Hurry up! Come on! - Let's go. Go! Go! Son of a bitch! Come on! It's not worth dying for! Blackjack! Blackjack! Let's get out now! Come on! This sure as hell ain't Mexico. Winds must have got us turned around. Let's move it. It must go somewhere. Anywhere's better than where we been. All right, we're heading out. Let's keep a sharp eye. It looks like we got us a town up ahead. So ride in nice and easy. And be ready for anything. Oh, my, would you look at that. I think I'm gonna like this town. Keep your mind on business. Here comes the law. Welcome to Refuge, strangers. Thank you, sheriff. You look like you've seen some trouble. Ain't that a fact. We're drovers. We was moving a herd up from Chihuahua... ...when Apaches attacked us. They stole the herd. They killed some of us, they wounded others, then they drove us in here. We wasn't due to get paid till we delivered the herd to Sweetwater. So we're a little short on money too. Well, that shouldn't be a problem. You'll find Refuge is a charitable, friendly little town. You can stable your horses. Your men can have free drinks in the saloon. Bed and table in the hotel. That's mighty neighborly of you, sheriff. Ain't it, boys? You can stay as long as it takes to heal your wounded and get back on your feet. I'm much obliged. Can you tell me where the telegraph office is? I need to contact the owner of the herd. We're a little off the beaten track here. There's no telegraph office, no newspapers. In fact, aside from the occasional strangers, such as yourselves... ...we don't have much contact with the outside world. - That a fact? - Deputy Glen... ...you show these gents where they can put up their horses. Doc Woods will treat your wounded. Rose, would you show them to the doc's office, please? Imagine the rest of you boys have built up a mighty thirst. Saloon's right over there. - All right, boys, let's un-ass these saddles. - There is just one thing. - What's that? - I would appreciate it... ...while you're in Refuge, that you don't curse. Except for the saloon, of course. - Of course. Thank you. - Did you hear that? Right this way, gentlemen. - Come on. - Let's go get some of that water. The water's over here. Well, lads, what will be your pleasure? Bottle of whiskey. - This is the whole bottle. - This one's on me. Who are these people, anyway? What are they doing in the middle of nowhere? Maybe they's Mennonites. I heard they had colonies scattered all over the place. - Follow me, please. - Yes, ma'am. So it's a beautiful little town you got here. Yes, it is beautiful. How long is it that you have lived here? Five years, one week and two days. That's amazing how you just know that, like, exactly to the day. Well, I know it's silly, but I tend to keep track of things like that. It appears I'm back in business. Hello, Doc. Step inside, gentlemen. I recognize that sheriff from somewhere, just can't place it. Lucky he didn't place you. - Yeah, you notice he wasn't packing. - Neither was the deputy. I didn't see a gun in the whole damn town. You thinking what I'm thinking? All right, you're next, son. I think it's just a flesh wound. I'll tell you what it is. - Well, you're lucky. - I don't feel lucky. You just lost a few inches of baby fat. What are you looking at? - Have you ever been in Wichita? - Why? - Is that where you're from? - Yeah, from just outside of there. My mama's got a little farm. Why, you been there? I was there once. It was long before you were born. How many men have you killed? Why would you ask me a question like that? Your ramrod said you were drovers, right? That's right. And that your cattle was stolen by the Indians. That's what he said. Did they steal your ropes too? Our ropes? Yeah, I see your horses, and I only see two or three ropes. No branding irons. Aren't cowboys supposed to have a lot of ropes? You sure do ask a lot of questions yourself. Well, I guess you wanna be joining your friends now. I only killed one man. He... He begged me to do it. Forty-five. Forty-four-40. Forty-five. And... ...45. Not many Indians use a. 45. - Well, we knew they wasn't drovers. - So, what are we gonna do about it? We'll walk softly. Give them plenty of room. Maybe they'll leave peacefully. And maybe they'll drop us a thank-you note on the way out of town. Don't work that way, sheriff. You should've told them to keep on riding. This job's yours if you want it, Glen. I'd just as soon go off and sit under a big tree. Believe me, I'd rather. Forrest, nobody'd blame you for it either. Look, the last man we want handling this thing is Glen. Why, he'd shoot the eyes out of a dove for singing too early in the day. Brooks is right. If we got a hope of getting out of this jackpot, I'm pinning it on Forrest. That bunch, just ride out? We got about as much chance of that as a one-legged man at a... ...rat stomp. We got any other choice? You had your sorry moments... ...but all in all, I'd say you did the family real proud today. I did? Yeah, you acquitted yourself real good for a green farm boy. Next time I write Esther I'm gonna tell her so. Excuse me. - You're the doc, right? - And you are...? Smith. Jack Smith. I just wanna thank you for patching up my boys. Think nothing of it. Come on in. Let me stand you to a drink. That's mighty tempting... ...but I don't drink anymore. Well, that's a shame. Nice to meet you, Mr. Smith. You know, it's the damnedest thing... ...but I swear I seen that man somewhere before. He was in Wichita once. Excuse me, Mr. Smith, I have to go for an hour... ...so please tell your men to help themselves to whatever they'd like. Yeah, you see, I told you the whole damn town is full of Bible-thumpers. He's right, boss. Nothing but a bunch of damn cheek-turners. It's gonna be real easy. What's gonna be easy? It's none of your damn business. How's the leg? It hurts. Bullets tend to do that. Evening, miss. May I have a minute? What do you want? Listen, the man I shot... ...he was dying in the desert and begged everyone to shoot him... ...but no one would. I mean, they were gonna leave him to the buzzards. Why are you telling me this? Because I don't want you to misjudge me. Why should you care what I think of you? Because I like you. What's your name? Leon... ...Miller. But most everyone just calls me Sonny. What's your name? Rose. Rose, huh? That's a mighty pretty name. Rose what? It's just Rose. Well... ...I reckon it fits you pretty good. You know, your grammar is terrible. You know how to read? Yeah, read all the time. In fact, I... - It's a dime novel. - Yes, it's dime novels. Hey, Sonny. Why don't you bring her over for a drink. - This is the damnedest saloon I ever saw. - Who's that? My uncle. He gets mean when he's drunk. Where the hell are all the women? I'm getting real lonely. Did you hear what I said, boy? Mean when he ain't too. Look at you, hogging all the whores. She ain't a whore, Uncle Guthrie. I don't care if she's a nun. They're all whores. You know, you shouldn't be walking around with boys... ...when there's real men in town. How about me and you crack some calico? No. Please. Don't. No, Forrest. You can't. What's the matter, sheriff? You know what this is, don't you? Sorry. It's not your fault. I'm obliged for that, son. - You gonna put him in jail? - We don't have a jail. What? Every town's got a jail. Well, this one doesn't. Why's everyone just standing here? Why didn't you draw your gun? You best get him to bed. Good night, Sonny. Y'all go to bed! Sonny, what the hell happened here? I didn't see. I think... I think he fell. More likely, somebody felled him. Get him off the street. Glorious day, Glen. Yep. Beautiful morning, Brooks. Indeed, Brother Lamb. Morning. Morning, Sonny. Hi. Morning, sheriff. Mr. Smith up and about? I ain't seen him yet. I'd like to speak to him when you see him. I'll make sure to tell him. Hey, sir? How long have you been sheriff of this town? Oh, better part of 10 years, why? - Nothing. - You know... ...you don't seem as seasoned as the rest. How'd you fall in with this bunch, anyhow? I begged my uncle to come along with him. On the cattle drive? Bet by now you wish you hadn't, huh? Yes, sir. I feel like I was ate by a coyote and crapped off a cliff. Hey, Sonny! Did you see which one of them Bible-thumpers bushwhacked me? No, sir. Cavin, I want you to take your nephew and check the general store. We're gonna need ammo. - Probably don't have any. - Check anyway. What will I use for money? Your imagination. - Sir? - What? The sheriff said he wanted to see you. - He say what about? - No, sir. All right. We got company. Morning. The boy said you wanted to see me. Care for a cup of java? Be obliged. So how do you like our little town? It'll do. So, what's this all about? One of your men got out of line last night. Used foul language toward one of our women. - That'd be Cavin. - Yes, I believe it was. I wish you'd speak to him. I'll do that sheriff, but Cavin seemed to have a grievance of his own. Seems that one of your citizens hit him over the head. Well, I doubt if it was one of my people. You calling him a liar? No, I only said I didn't see one of my people do it. Now, he was blind drunk. Maybe he passed out and just didn't wanna own up to it. Yeah, maybe so. So you will talk to him? Look, he gives you any more trouble, why don't you just throw him in jail? That is, if you got the sand. I had hoped it wouldn't come to that, Mr. Smith. We have extended our hospitality. You're damn right we have. That's enough, Glen. The least we can expect in return is for you to control your men. I can promise you one thing, sheriff. My men do exactly what I tell them to. That's all I'm asking. Everything else all right at the hotel? - Your wounded being tended to? - Everything's fine. - Mind if I ask you a question? - Not at all. In all my years on the frontier, I never run across a sheriff that wasn't armed. How come you ain't packing? Well, we never found the need in Refuge. What? There are no guns in this whole town? - We have our own ways here, Mr. Smith. - Damn right. - Thanks for the coffee. - Pleasure. You are walking a thin line. That man all but slapped you in the face with a glove, sheriff. That's not what I'm talking about. You said "damn" twice. Just keep him busy for a while. Morning, gents. What can I do for you? We's just looking. Please, look. Right. Sure got a lot of stuff here for being so far from anywhere. Yes, we have the latest of everything. - Hey, you got any dime novels? - No, I'm sorry... ...but we do carry all the classics. You might want to check out the classics, son. Get a whole lot more out of them than you would those dime novels. I never had much use for reading myself before I came here. Now I find that I... What's the matter, son? Do I have a smudge of flour on my face? No, I'm sorry. Did anyone ever say that you kind of look like Jesse James? Well, now that you mention it, a man in Tulsa once said that to me. Why, did you...? Did you know Jesse? Well, no, but I read quite a bit about him, and I saw some likenesses. Although, I think he was a little bit taller than you are. Yeah, that's what the man in Tulsa said too. Nice shop you got here. Thank you. Thank you. I'm rather proud of it. Like I said, we just looking. Of course. Thank you, sir. Help yourself, boys. This town's easy picking. You didn't get away as clean as you thought. So what? I don't see no bold moves being made our way. I don't think they got an ounce of bold between the bunch of them. I'm sick and tired of acting polite. Tell the boys they can have their way with this town. I like to watch that Danny ride, I'll tell you what. Get our people off the street. Your men seem to have a lot of time on their hands. Yeah, what of it? Maybe they'd like to split some wood. Sort of earn their keep. Earn their keep? Yeah, it seems like a reasonable suggestion. - I'll split some wood. Heck, it's the least... - You ain't chopping nothing, boy. Anything else, sheriff? Yes, please ask your men to slow down these horses... ...and stop throwing knives at our church. Why don't you tell them? I doubt they'd listen to me. Then you got yourself a problem, sheriff. Yes, it appears I do. You miserable little bastard, I ought to pistol-whip you. You listening? Get us some whiskey. Go on. - You owe me another 5. - There's a barn out at the edge of town. You can take your knife-throwing there. No, that's too far to walk. What if I set a plank up in the middle of the street? We're doing just fine right here. I am asking you nicely to stop throwing knives at our church. Now, I'm asking you to stop. This ought to be interesting. Five bucks says you can't put it right in the windpipe. That sheriff is either lucky or... Or what? Let's go inside and drink. Go on! Go on! Go on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Whoa! Whoa! Where are we? There's nothing to be afraid of. Come inside. - All right, folks. - Forrest? I got a message for you. It's time you packed your grip, son. Come noon Sunday, you're going home. Go on! Come on! Don't you just feel joyful? Why, I see you got a saloon. Yep, but you can't go in there. One step through those doors, and it's all over. - Seems like a lot of damn rules. - No cursing either. You came in last night on a stagecoach, right? This is no concern of yours. I wanna know how she can be alive and breathing... ...when I saw her dead in Sweetwater. - Maybe you were thinking of someone else. - No. She died in my arms. The first person I ever saw got killed. I ain't likely to be mistaken about that. Do you deny it? You're Dolly Sloan, harlot with a heart. Dolly Sloan? Oh, you mean the lady gambler? Yeah. I've been told I look a lot like her. Sorry, young man, but my name is... - Ivy. - I know what I saw. What about that stage that disappeared into thin air last night? - Please, just let it be. - I can't. You have to, Sonny. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're showing Ivy the town. Good day. Holliday, draw! That's a pretty dangerous game you're playing there. You gonna deny you're Doc Holliday? A man sneaks up on you and calls you out, you're gonna react. I don't care if they call you Mary, Queen of Scots. Don't think I don't know what's going on here. Suppose you tell me. Well, somehow, I don't have that whole thing figured out... ...but y'all ain't dead the way people think. This town some sort of hole-in-the-wall for famous outlaws looking to retire. You don't say. You're damn right, I do. See, Forrest, he's Wild Bill Hickok, and that deputy of his looks just like Billy the Kid. How about the guy who owns the general store there? - Brooks? - Yeah, Brooks. If he ain't Jesse James, I'll eat my hat. Except I always thought Jesse was taller. And then there's that farmer. He looks just like Lefty Slade. And what famous outlaw is Rose? I don't know. She ain't in any of my books, but... What don't make sense to me is... ...if you are all those people, why y'all eating Blackjack's crow? You could handle him easy. Blackjack? You mean Mr. Smith? So that's Blackjack Britton? I've heard of him. He cut a real wide swath through Missouri. What's a farm kid like you doing riding with the likes of him? I wasn't supposed to let on. You're not gonna tell...? - You're not gonna tell Forrest, are you? - Forrest isn't as dumb as you think. I suggest that you reflect real hard on your situation, Sonny. A few bad choices and a man can lose his soul. Morning. Morning there, young fella. You seen Rose? No. Haven't seen her. You're Lefty, aren't you? - Lefty? - Lefty Slade. Excuse me? You were killed in Tombstone. Three shots to the chest and one to the left wrist. My name's Lamb. Yeah, then what's that? - I killed men for less than that. - I know. Cyrus Beaudry in Dodge and Peewee Winters... ...when he laughed at your shoeshine. - It wasn't over any shoeshine. It's in The Blazing Gun of Lefty Slade. That fool writer never even talked to me. Besides, I got nothing to say to you. Hey! Hey! Get out of there! That's my garden! Get out of my garden! Get out of there! You son of a... Lamb? Lamb, what have you done? Eight years. I thought I was beyond it, but... - I'm so sorry, Lamb. - Me too. Blackjack Britton! - How'd you know? - That's not important. You're no longer welcome in Refuge. Collect your men and ride out. Sheriff? You know what you need? You need yourself a good old-fashioned pistol-whipping. Come on, boss, bring him down. - Come on, Blackjack. - Glen, no! No. No. To hell with this. Blow him away, Blackjack. Nobody will do nothing. The whole town is full of cowards. What the hell is that? I want every man jack in the saloon, right now. Hey, not you. Drink up, boys. Come sunup, we're gonna ride back into that desert... ...and head south for Chihuahua. - What about supplies? Take whatever the hell you can carry. Anybody makes a fuss, kill them. Except for that little girlfriend of my nephew's. Y'all just leave her to me. Y'all know where Rose is? Rose. - Sonny. - I gotta talk to you. You can come on out. I promise I won't look. You can turn around. Listen, there's... What is that around your neck? Lefty Slade had something like that on his wrist. I suppose Forrest would have one of those on the back of his head... ...where Broken Nose Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok. Rose? Is that how you died? Yes. I was the first woman ever to be hanged in the Arizona Territory. I was 19 at the time. You're Betty McCullough. The one who hacked her father to death with a meat cleaver? Everyone forgot to mention how he had his dirty hands all over me since I was 12. Is Refuge like a place where you get a second chance? Last chance is more like it. Listen, I was thinking that I might stay behind when the rest leave. - But... - I like you, Sonny. A lot. But you're gonna have to ride out with them when they leave tomorrow. That's why I came here. They're gonna tear up the town. I heard them say it. If y'all don't do something about it... ...y'all might end up dead by the time they leave. Dying's not what bothers us. That was the easy part. If you've figured it out like you say you have... ...you know it goes way beyond that. Okay, maybe I can help. I'll talk to Forrest. Maybe I can convince them to do something. No. It wouldn't do any good. Okay. All right. I'll ask them. I'm not promising anything. - When? - Tonight at church. I'll be waiting outside. You're a nice young man, Sonny. I wish I had met you at a different time. Well, I'll be waiting outside the church. I bet it was him who let my name slip. That little bastard. Ask Ivy. She was in Sweetwater. She knows what they'll do. I can't believe you're all just gonna stand around and let yourselves get slaughtered. You come from a world of options, and we have none. - There's only two ways out for us, Sonny. - Amen. Refuge is where the marginally good are gleaned from the hopelessly wicked. All the temptations that we faced in our previous lives are here. The saloon, the guns, the rotten people. You lift a gun one time, it's over. For all of us. If each of us holds out for 10 years, neither inflicting... ...nor attracting harm, we're spared the fate of Brother Lamb. Forrest has been here the longest and has less than 24 hours... ...before he enters this house justified. If we go up against them armed, we're doomed. If we just stand and let them shoot us down, we're doomed. Either way we're going to hell. Then stand up to them and take a few of them down with you. - We can't, Sonny. - The longer we're here, the meeker we get. Even if I was willing, I don't reckon I have it in me anymore. Except for Glen, none of us do. After what happened to Brother Lamb, I ain't about to. And to think some of you used to be my heroes. Where you going, boy? - You bastard! - Hit him again. I'm gonna crush you! Sonny! You want him, you got him. Sonny. Sonny? Oh, Sonny. Doc, is he okay? - Sonny. - Doesn't look good. Let's get him over to my office. He's coming around. Sonny? Can you hear me? - Rose? - Yes, Sonny. - Am I dead? - No. That's too bad. Maybe you and I could've... Welcome back, kid. I can't tell you how much it pains me that we weren't able to help you. It's okay. I understand. I'm not gonna let them do it to you. I'll take them all on myself. Not now, Sonny. You have to rest now. Not much else we can do, Doc. Don't you worry. All right, let's get a move on, you bunch of desert rats. In 15 minutes, we start knocking this town over one door at a time. Fifteen minutes is all I need. You'll have your fun later, Cavin. Sheriff! He's gone. - Sonny? - Yeah, he's gone. Shape he was in he couldn't have gone far. - He was there an hour ago when I looked in. - He's gone. Sonny. You should be in bed, son. - What are you doing? - I can't let them do it, Rose. I promised you. I'll be damned, the kid's on his feet. And don't he look like he wants some action, though. Sonny, don't be stupid. Get out while you still got time. I ain't going nowhere. And I don't think you're gonna try and make me. Do you even know how to shoot that thing? Of course I do. Oh, yeah, they'll be quaking in their boots. I'm gonna chop off his ears, hang them on my saddle horn. Whoa, whoa. Whoa! Whoa! This is the last chance you got, son, to change your mind. Come on, honey. Sonny, you don't have to do this. That's not true. I don't have any choice. We've gotta go. I love you. We gotta go. We best be going in. Yeah. Forrest, you're coming? No, you go on. What? The only thing I've been thinking about the last 10 years is myself. "I'm gonna get through this. Just like I did my whole life. " And this green kid comes along... ...stands here, ready to die for the woman he loves. No thought to himself. Kind of makes a man think. Makes me think you're loco. You've only got five hours left. Yep. You go on, Doc. You got three bells to get inside. What do you think you're doing? Down the hole's down the hole. I might as well have a little fun on the way. What the hell? That's exactly what it is. Hope you're ready to meet it. Well, welcome aboard, Jesse. I was planning on holding out till my brother got here... ...but the old buzzard just refuses to die. Yep, no matter what else they said about you, Billy, I always knew you had sand. Sorry for what I said. It's okay, son. You were right all along. - Who are they? - I guess they ain't Mennonites. The way the man wears those guns puts your mind to Wild Bill Hickok. He's been dead 10 years. Everybody knows it. Let's get it done, boys. They ain't budging, boss. Let's give them a little prodding. Hank, do it. Come on. Get ready. Well, let's get to it. - Yeah! - Here. This is your last invitation to turn around and ride out. Sheriff, your mother's a whore. I have no mother. It's still our 16 to your four, sheriff. The odds are against you. The odds are getting better. Draw your gun! Come on! Draw your gun! Shoot the damn thing! Shoot him! He shot me. Yeah, it's a long way from your heart. Go! Now! Go! Go! Go! Get back! - Sonny! - Rose! Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It's funny. It don't hurt none. How come I'm not dead? Welcome to Refuge, son. Wild Bill Hickok. I reckon the odds are against me now. Put that gun belt back on. We got one thing left to settle. That's you and me. Look at me, you son of a bitch. Look at Blackjack Britton. I guess I'm one of you now. I wouldn't count on it. Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Whoa! Time to go home, folks. The Creator may be tough, but he ain't blind. Climb aboard, Sonny. - Do I have to? - Well, you got nothing left to prove. I'm gonna stay. Refuge is a place of hard rules, Sonny. I know what it is. And I think I'm gonna make it. Well, good luck to you, son. Your seat will be here when you want it. Come on! SkyFury |
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