Rating: 
Summary: Not your Grandpa's western!
Review: Some of the other reviewers apparently expected a mainstream Western, but this film is actually a wild, funny deconstruction of the classic icons of American Westerns, that pays visual and thematic homage to familiar, great Westerns, while simultaneously dissecting such icons by taking them to a deliberately absurd (and frequently hilarious) extreme. The film is accompanied by an informative audio commentary by the director, one of the producers, the DP, and the film's editor (I give the film 4 stars, and the 5th star is for the commentary). I would call this film a "meta-Western," more about the genre and its archetypes than anything else. Luke Askew and Bo Hopkins, familiar faces from other, far less adventurous Westerns, give superb performances, as do Paul Reubens (playing WAY against his Pee Wee Herman type!), Vince Vaughn (a truly menacing psychopath), and Bud Cort (an effete government official). A young, first-time actress named Flecia Beard gives a strong performance in the small role of a deaf-mute child traumatized by a father who cannot accept her handicap. Bridget Fonda gives a nice performance, and her character definitely modernizes the "damsel in distress" stereotype by taking matters into her own, quite capable hands when she is menaced. John Wayne's love interests definitely never defended themselves the way Addie does! Overall, this film is a mostly successful, thought-provoking combination of the surreal (some of the characters may or may not be dead) and the realistic (most of the shots fired miss their mark by a country mile). It's beautifully photographed (by the son of the cinematographer of many classic Westerns, as the audio commentary informs us), and the score is excellent, including one track co-written by Dwight Yoakam and Mick Jagger. There are some rough edges (the commentary points out some minor continuity errors that you probably wouldn't otherwise notice). But kudos to Yoakam for achieving success under extreme financial and time pressures (as he explains in the commentary) and especially for assuming that his audience is as least as smart as he is. It might help to have taken a graduate seminar in film history and/or semiotics before you see it -- and have a finely honed sense of irony -- but SOHWOH is a wild trip through the old West that is very entertaining. You'll either "get" this film or you won't. If you do "get" it, I think you'll find it vastly enjoyable. I hope that Yoakam doesn't get discouraged by the less than appreciative reception that this film seems to be getting, because he does seem to have something to contribute to American cinema.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dark Movie That Isn't For Everyone
Review: South of Heaven, West of Hell really didn't get much theatrical exposure, which is surprising considering its stellar cast, including Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton , Bridget & Peter Fonda, Vince Vaughn, Paul Reubens and Bud Cort. In addition, South of Heaven, West of Hell is in the strange position of having different cuts of the film being released on VHS and DVD. The VHS of South of Heaven, West of Hell is 30 minutes shorter than the theatrical and DVD version of the film. I have no idea why Trimark would decide to touch South of Heaven, West of Hell, one of the most intriguing and 'real' westerns I've seen in a long time. Running at about two and a half hours, South of Heaven, West of Hell takes its time telling its story, but surprisingly doesn't really feel slow. Director/Star Dwight Yoakam does a great job of capturing the feeling of life in the West at the turn of the century. There's a scene at dusk where there's nothing really going on, a group of people sit around outside and listen to people play music. It's such a stark contrast to modern life where people close themselves in their homes and flick on the TV. It's little moments like this that create a real and credible world in which the story takes place. Aside from being one of the more methodical and realistic westerns I've seen, South of Heaven, West of Hell is also by far the darkest, where there really aren't any heros, and the lines between honor and revenge are quite blurry. South of Heaven, West of Hell is a gem of a movie with stellar performances. While I felt Dwight Yoakam did a great job as the lead, I really enjoyed the supporting performances, especially Bud Cort (best know for being Harold in Harold and Maude), Paul Reubens, who is a thrill to watch playing a cowboy, and Billy Bob Thornton in a brief but pivitol role. After watching South of Heaven, West of Hell I still had a number of questions about the film, but unfortunately the commentary doesn't clear everything up, which at first was a little frustrating, but after a bit of thinking was ok. It's hard to remember a recent film that I thought about as much afterward. South of Heaven, West of Hell isn't a movie for everyone but for those interested in a dark, real western I'd highly recommend it. [Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]
Rating:
Summary: A Dark Movie That Isn't For Everyone
Review: South of Heaven, West of Hell really didn't get much theatrical exposure, which is surprising considering its stellar cast, including Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton , Bridget & Peter Fonda, Vince Vaughn, Paul Reubens and Bud Cort. In addition, South of Heaven, West of Hell is in the strange position of having different cuts of the film being released on VHS and DVD. The VHS of South of Heaven, West of Hell is 30 minutes shorter than the theatrical and DVD version of the film. I have no idea why Trimark would decide to touch South of Heaven, West of Hell, one of the most intriguing and 'real' westerns I've seen in a long time. Running at about two and a half hours, South of Heaven, West of Hell takes its time telling its story, but surprisingly doesn't really feel slow. Director/Star Dwight Yoakam does a great job of capturing the feeling of life in the West at the turn of the century. There's a scene at dusk where there's nothing really going on, a group of people sit around outside and listen to people play music. It's such a stark contrast to modern life where people close themselves in their homes and flick on the TV. It's little moments like this that create a real and credible world in which the story takes place. Aside from being one of the more methodical and realistic westerns I've seen, South of Heaven, West of Hell is also by far the darkest, where there really aren't any heros, and the lines between honor and revenge are quite blurry. South of Heaven, West of Hell is a gem of a movie with stellar performances. While I felt Dwight Yoakam did a great job as the lead, I really enjoyed the supporting performances, especially Bud Cort (best know for being Harold in Harold and Maude), Paul Reubens, who is a thrill to watch playing a cowboy, and Billy Bob Thornton in a brief but pivitol role. After watching South of Heaven, West of Hell I still had a number of questions about the film, but unfortunately the commentary doesn't clear everything up, which at first was a little frustrating, but after a bit of thinking was ok. It's hard to remember a recent film that I thought about as much afterward. South of Heaven, West of Hell isn't a movie for everyone but for those interested in a dark, real western I'd highly recommend it. [Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]
Rating:
Summary: Dwight and friends make a real western
Review: The more I see this flick, the more I love it. At first viewing this DVD, I thought it started off pretty dull and slow, but then things picked up when I realized the film's characters are supposed to be quirky and odd. I loved the unpretentiousness of the writing and acting. No stupid predictable Hollywood lines or situations in this film. GREAT! Being Dwight's first Director job (and not knowing anything else about Mr. Yoakam) I think it's a minor masterpiece. I do wish he'd have cast someone else as his character and concentrated on directing only. All the actors were outstanding. Can't say enough about them. Truly a pleasure to watch them in action. I also dug those wild rags! This movie gave me the western flick bug. I rented other westerns thereafter. Well-known and recent ones, including a God-awful remake of High Noon with Tom Skerritt and Michael Madsen. I love this little gem the most. I intend to buy it. Already own the soundtrack CD. Can't wait until Dwight's next effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Theme To An Imagenary Lousy Western!
Review: This flick begins with a turn of the Century preacher proclaiming that these "new moving pictures" are a sinfull abomination. After viewing the rest of the movie you think he might just be right! "South of Heaven West of Hell" has all the bloodshed and exploitation of a Peckinpah western without any of the rhyme, reason or demension. The hard-to-care-about script takes you from one stomach churning monent after another with an understandibly unenthusiastic cast. (Who told Dwight Yokem he could act?) The ONLY people who'll want to waste time with this would be die-hard Pee Wee Herman fans! Pee Wee plays a perverted western badguy... a little TOO convincingly! Other than that no reason to forfeit 2 hours of your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong performances, weak story line
Review: This is not on my buy list, but well worth renting. Strong performances by Bud Cort, Paul Reubens, Terry McIlvain and others cannot overcome weaknesses and gaps in the story line. It's a wonder the movie was ever made. The director's track reveals that funding dropped away after ten days of shooting and that the movie was completed in a total of 29 days. Yoakam co-wrote the sceenplay, directed, starred, and wrote the music for this. Makes you wonder what the movie would have been with another month of polish.
Rating:
Summary: Save yourself 2 hours of your life
Review: This movie was absolutely awful. I really can't explain it any other way. It didn't help that Dwight Yoakam produced, directed, and starred in it. The characters are so unbelievable and the dialouge is painful. It was very obvious that this movie was written by a male. The women characters were very fake. (Well, come to think of it, the male characters were pretty bad also.) Don't waste your time. Rent "Tombstone".
Rating: 
Summary: South of Heaven, West of Hell
Review: This movie was, bar none, the worst movie I have ever seen! I went to the world premiere, and the only reason I was glad I went was that I got to have my picture taken with Dwight Yoakam. I admire Yoakam for writing his own movie, but I think he should stick to singing. The movie was plotless, and the only thing that kept from walking out was Vince Vaughn.
Rating:
Summary: There's no excuse.
Review: Unbelievably bad! I kept hoping this film was a satire. I watched it winching, but I watched it nonetheless. Isn't it strange how the most appalling things can attract morbid curiousity? Sad.
Rating:
Summary: South of Heaven West of Hell
Review: Vince Vaughn's performance more than compensates for the rough edges in this star-studded western. Mr. Yoakam has assembled an impressive cast to populate the strange world(s) in which this film's action takes place. Easily one of the most original westerns ever. I found some interesting background information about props including the guns and the comically giant bandanas that accessorize the players.
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