Murder At Yellowstone City Review: Compelling Western Undercut By Tired Tropes
Upon first reading the title Murder at Yellowstone City, one will assume that the Western mystery is a part of Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding Yellowstone franchise for Paramount. Alas, this is not true, but it would have been an ideal situation for this film. This Western has many compelling pieces that force it to reach the dreaded two-plus hours range, ending on a note that will leave one wondering why the film wasn't a miniseries instead.
Murder at Yellowstone City follows the inhabitants of the once prosperous (and now rundown) titular town. Yellowstone City has become a haven for folks pushed to the margins of society or are escaping their pasts. There is the bible-thumping clergyman Thaddeus Murphy (Thomas Jane), who is proficient in firearms and solving mysteries. He and his astute wife Alice (Anna Camp) are central to the narrative as they poke and prod the truth behind the titular murder. The victim is a prospector, Robert Dunnigan (Zach McGowan), who has struck gold and proclaimed to offer assistance to his fellow struggling townspeople —providing hope that is promptly destroyed by his murder. Sheriff James Ambrose (Gabriel Byrne) is an ex-soldier who utilizes a combination of fear and admiration to rule over the town and maintain order and peace. His instinct and thinly veiled racism point him toward a newcomer to town, the formerly enslaved Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa), an eloquent, handsome, confident man who quotes Shakespeare on occasion. Cicero is not the killer, but the town is now in the grips of individuals willing to dispense with their neighbors. It’s up to Thaddeus and Alice to put on their thinking caps and solve a murder mystery.
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