The Legend Comes to Bluray with HICKOK

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and 4K Ultra HD from director Timothy Woodward Jr. and Cinedigm is a look at the frontier and the life of a gunslinger known as HICKOK.

It is 1870 and Wild Bill Hickok (Luke Hemsworth) is wandering trying to avoid the reputation that follows where ever he goes. The problem is he can’t seem to keep his hands off the pistol on his hip. Ending up in Abilene, Texas he is introduced to the town’s Mayor George Knox (Kris Kristofferson).

Knox realizes that the town has turned into the stereotypical Wild West town and the citizens are being hurt. Thinking that having Hickok as the town sheriff might be just what the town needs. Hickok also meets Phil Poe (Trace Adkins), the town saloon owner and his fiancée Mattie (Cameron Richardson) and son Joey (Hunter Fischer).

When Hickok enforces the ordinance outlawing any guns inside the city limits, it is almost as if it’s a beacon for trouble. When John Wesley Hardin (Kaiwi Mersereau) comes to town, Hickok gives him a choice of which side of the law he wants to be on.

Hickok also tries to rekindle his friendship with Mattie which sends Poe off the deep end to the point where he offers up money to get rid of the town sheriff. Now, it is up to Hickok to do what is right instead of living up to a myth.

Hemsworth as Hickok gives his character the rough exterior of a man who has come to believe in the stories they tell. Putting on the lawman hat, Hickok must see what what’s been kept from him and reconnect with the man he was before all the stories were created. Hemsworth portrays that journey and comes around to and ending that needed to happen.

Kristofferson as Mayor Knox believes having the name Hickok in the town will stop outlaws from continuing to hurt Abilene’s citizenry. At the same time, Knox sees something in the gun slinger that he’s forgotten about himself. I love seeing Kristofferson in roles such as this and am thrilled he continues to make films.

Adkins as Poe gets to be the outlaw saloon owner in HICKOK. I have seen his westerns before and it is clear that he can play both good guy and outlaw gunslinger. Of course he has used that deep voice to his advantage along with the ice cold stare that means business.

Richardson as Mattie is a woman who has a history with Hickok. Wanting him to leave town quickly, she knows Poe is a man who handles things violently. Fischer as Joey is a young man who idolizes the gunslingers without realizing the difference between lawmen and the lawless.

Other cast include Robert Catrini as Sheriff Akers, Britain Simons as The Kid, Kimberly Alexander as Lou-Ann, Max Bogner as Jenkins, Bruce Dern as Doc O’Roark.

Cinedigm is a leading distributor of amazing content in storefronts, digital platforms, Internet and Demand platforms for cable television. With an extensive library of over 52,000 films and television shows, Docudrama films, next-gen Indies and Independent films. At its inception, Cinedigm has played a pioneering role in transitioning movie theatres from traditional film prints to digital distribution to advance worldwide cinema modernization. For more on what Cinedigm has to offer please visit http://www.cinedigm.com.

The 4K Ultra HD and Bluray includes the Special Features of The Road to Abilene: The Making of HICKOK, Three Deleted Scenes and Trailer.

HICKOK has a western feel with a cast that is full of tough as nails actors who have made the genre equally tough again. Hemsworth mixed with Adkins and Kristofferson becomes a triangle of storytelling. If you love Westerns filled with action and the addition of 4K Ultra HD or Bluray that means you can curl up at home with popcorn, then let HICKOK ride into your player.

In the end – you know the myth now meet the legend!