This would be director Gary Wheeler’s Far Haven, starring Bailey Chase (Country Roads Christmas, Walk. Ride. Rodeo., Far More … perhaps best known as Branch Connally in the Longmire television series) as Hunter Braddock, a disgrace Civil War soldier — an incident involving the mistreatment of certain captives — who served two years in prison for his actions.
Branded a traitor, but able to hold his head up for what he did, Braddock returns to Far Haven (filmed in around the Tucson area) to find that his wife has died during the war and his two children, Luke (Lev Cameron) and Adele (Livi Birch) are now being raised by his wife’s parents — Ben and Alma Watkins (played by Bruce Boxleitner and Nancy Stafford).
They are hostile to his return, not knowing the full circumstances of his imprisonment. So are certain elements of Far Haven, which will soon be exposed for what they truly are (murderous outlaws).
Far Haven also has a kinship with the Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns of yore (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More … ), stylish, violent, evil-doers, double-dealing, a lone figure standing against all comers … you name it, the elements are all here, which is refreshing.
Far Haven also works as a faith-based tale of redemption. Braddock has to stand up against impossible odds (the bad guys), win the love of Lily (Amanda Righetti — as Grace in The Mentalist television series), earn the respect of his children and rally the town’s people to fight against the corruption that threatens to make their community of Far Haven an unlivable hell hole.
Producer/director Gary Wheeler (Christmas in the Pines, Christmas on the Range, The Perfect Summer, etc.) has assembled a terrific cast and delivered a swiftly-paced tale that works on several levels. Far Haven, on DVD, from Mill Creek Entertainment on Jan. 9 … be sure to check it out!
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