Not even an excellent cast can help this often muddled film. Bring back the westerns of the 1950s, they had class, intelligence, and people who could speak their lines.<br /><br />Renee Zellwegger has the part that Shirley MacLaine would have had in the old days. Suddenly, she is on scene as a widow, and after Cole (Ed Harris) asks her if she is a whore, the two plan a house together.<br /><br />Viggo Mortensen is his side kick and deputy Everett Hitch. Mortensen falls for Zellwegger as well but there is no absolute final conflict between the two men.<br /><br />It is Jeremy Irons who is the real laugh here. This erudite actor is horrendously miscast as the villain. Irons sounds more like a sophisticated gentleman than a bad guy in the 1880s.<br /><br />Since when has Chester Arthur ever been mentioned in films? While it is true that the film takes place in the territory of New Mexico, 40 years before statehood was achieved in 1912, the only thing we might remember Arthur for is becoming president after Garfield was assassinated. Students of history would remember the Pendleton or Civil Service Act of 1883, but that's another story.<br /><br />Even the scenes with the Indians have little to no action. Ed Harris, you're a terrific actor and I liked you with that big brim hat, but this picture is a definite bomb.