Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Faith-based Western remake has gun violence, deaths.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Angel and the Badman
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, outlaw Quirt Evans (Zachary Levi) is shot while trying to steal a sack of already stolen Confederate gold from Laredo (Neal McDonough) and his gang. Quirt hides most of the gold and rides on, eventually collapsing in the front yard of the Worth family. Deeply pious, Irene Worth (Jean Louisa Kelly) takes him in and starts nursing him back to health. When he awakens, Quirt meets the family's eldest daughter, Penelope, or "Penny" (Meg Fraser). To pay the family back, Quirt uses some of his old intimidation tactics on a selfish neighbor to get him to share his water supply. Before long, Quit finds himself spending more and more time with the family. Unfortunately, Laredo is looking for Quirt, and a dogged U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) is looking for them both.
Is It Any Good?
This Western is technically competent and certainly isn't terrible by any means, but it's also a bit too ordinary and unsurprising to justify the decision to remake a classic. Angel and the Badman is a reworking of the same-named 1947 John Wayne Western, and it's hard not to notice right away that Levi is no John Wayne. (Jeff Bridges did a far better job of filling the Duke's boots in True Grit.) The screenplay also changes the Quaker characters from the original to a different type of Christian, which somewhat changes the dynamic and lessens the impact. Wayne's Quirt had greater hurdles to clear before beginning to understand his Penelope, while this Quirt's struggle with his feelings toward Penelope and his attempts to leave his old life behind now feel cursory, by-the-numbers.
McDonough plays one of his usual steely-eyed villain types, not particularly interesting in any way. And Jones just looks out-of-sorts, like he didn't want to be there. (Jones won an Oscar for playing a very different U.S. Marshal in The Fugitive, but he can't manage a tenth of that performance here.) That said, Angel and the Badman is a good-looking movie with a fine use of landscapes and handsome set decoration. It's just not terribly memorable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Angel and the Badman's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Do the characters in the movie demonstrate compassion?
Which characters, if any, do you consider role models? Why? (Or why not?)
What makes the Western genre so enduring? What can stories of the Old West tell us about who we are now? What sets this film apart from other Westerns you've seen?
If you've seen the original film, wow does this remake compare? What changes were made? Do you think the changes improve upon the original? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 9, 2026
- Cast : Zachary Levi , Neal McDonough , Meg Fraser , Tommy Lee Jones
- Director : Julio Quintana
- Studio : Angel Studios
- Genre : Western
- Topics : Animals ( Horses ) , Faith ( Christianity )
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence/bloody images, suggestive material and language
- Last updated : October 14, 2026
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