Goodnight for Justice

Director: Jason Priestley
Actors: Luke Perry, Lara Gilchrist
Binding: DVD
Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Rating: Unrated
Region Code: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Running Time: 88
DVD Release Date: 2011-04-12
Label: Entertainment One
UPC: 741952695394

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John Goodnight (Luke Perry) was just a child when he witnessed the brutal murders of his parents by a band of ruthless outlaws. Now as a Circuit Judge of the Western Territories, he travels the lawless frontier, haunted by the memory of the man who destroyed his family. When one fateful day, his journey brings him to a place all too familiar, Goodnight must decide between good and evil… justice and revenge.

Bonus Features:
On Location Featurette, Interviews with Jason Priestley, Luke Perry and Lara Gilchrist.

There's not a lot of thematic muscle-flexing in this Hallmark Channel production as it takes on a fistful of Western clichés and bundles them into a package neatly wrapped for the family market. Even so, a high level of polish in everything from the production design, tidy narrative structure, and unfussy performances makes it a lot better than a B-rated TV genre movie needs to be. The big sell is the collaboration between star Luke Perry and director Jason Priestley, who have enough nuts-and-bolts showbiz savvy between them to justify its modest success. Their years of working friendship starring on Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000 (and the variety of work they've done since) give each of them more than enough credibility to grind butter out of even the most moldering chestnut of a TV-movie concept. Perry plays John Goodnight, a boozy, cynical Chicago lawyer who's forced into duty as a circuit court judge in the wilds of the Wyoming Territory after the Civil War. Goodnight hates lawyers, so he's been struggling with some pretty big self-loathing issues. But as a judge he begins to value the law in a new way and sets out to seek justice not only for the downtrodden he sees on his docket, but also for himself. The unresolved issues he carries and begins to address through his work stem from a childhood tragedy that saw him witness the slaughter of his family by thieving outlaws. His begrudging transformation out of bitterness holds no surprises, and neither does the plot, which ultimately brings him face to face with the men responsible for his trauma and their shared appointment with destiny--not to mention justice. Goodnight stands tall for the underdogs and warrants no bigotry in his makeshift Wild West courtrooms. When the story leads inexorably to the High Noon-style showdowns with the villains who done his family wrong all those years ago, Priestley handles the action with brisk efficiency. Perry holds as strong a grip on his character as he does on his rifle, never lapsing into caricature and keeping a twinkle in his eye, whether it flashes in anger or irony. Don't look for nuance or subtlety in Goodnight for Justice, but if you focus on the big picture this workmanlike Western drama will push all the right buttons for an equable night of family viewing. --Ted Fry