PG-13 | 1h 34m | Action, Comedy, Western, Fantasy | 2026
Do you recall the last time you saw a comedic Western in a theater? If you don’t remember or have to go back decades for an answer, here’s a couple of reasons for that.
The first and probably most obvious reason is that studios don’t really make them anymore. It’s sad but true. The second reason is that the ones which are made aren’t very good. Reason three is that they’ve largely fallen out of favor with large swaths of moviegoers, especially the under 30 crowd. Finally, they don’t tend to light it up at the box office upon release.
Collectively, this is why the major players have all but abandoned making Western comedies, and this void is being filled by independent, low-budget, and hungry upstart studios.
Check the Boxes
The latest title in this once-dominant genre is director Adam Rifkin’s “Last Train to Fortune” (“Fortune”). Handled by two distributors and financed by five more, “Fortune” could also be considered an oddball, mismatched buddy affair.
It gets to the point quickly and moves along at a brisk clip. British teacher Cecil Peachtree (Malcolm McDowell) takes a job in a Western frontier town after being “left go.” The reason for this “dismissal” runs deeper, and it’s why Peachtree is seeking employment in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
It’s quickly established that Peachtree is a major bookworm. He just misses the weekly “train to fortune” and will have to wait seven days to catch the next one, which will arrive a full week after he needs to be there. With few (make that no) options, the bandit Jedidiah Dooley (James Paxton) shows up, and robs Peachtree, taking all of his valuables, including many classic first edition books.
Logic and Befuddlement
Instead of cowering or panicking, Peachtree reacts to the situation with logic and considerable befuddlement. He can’t understand how and why someone would behave toward him with such uncouth rudeness. At first, Dooley is flabbergasted that this person he’s victimizing can act so nonchalant, without any outward fear.
On a two-day trip, Dooley agrees to transport (if that’s the right word) Peachtree to the sleepy town of Fortune, where he’ll become the new schoolmaster. For his trouble, Peachtree promises Dooley a healthy bonus upon arrival.
As the journey progresses, the tension between the two men begins to ease, and they start to, if not exactly get along, at least try to tolerate each other.
Father Bill
The movie has an interesting if somewhat melancholic history. The screenplay is based on a 1986 short story by Michele Rifkin, director Rifkin’s mother. By 1994, the screenplay was ready to go, with Englishman Lindsay Anderson set to direct and the part of Dooley going to Paxton’s late father, Bill. Unfortunately, Anderson’s sudden death halted the production. Plans to retry the production were later thwarted when Bill Paxton died in 2017.
This isn’t the first time James Paxton has paid tribute to a role his father played. In 2020, James played a younger version of Bill’s character John Garrett in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” In 2024, James had a cameo in “Twisters” while paying homage to Bill’s character from the original 1990 “Twister.”
While each shows up in fleeting cameos, executive producers Bernadette Peters (Miss Lily) and Mary Steenburgen (as Miss Maybelle) likely appeared for the sole purpose of boosting visibility for the film.
Butch & Sundance
There’s a whole lot of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” going on here, though not so much because either of the two movies’ characters share similarities. On the contrary, they have next to nothing in common. For starters, Dooley is a hotheaded outlaw who seems completely unfazed at the idea of killing someone.
Meanwhile, the snobby, aristocratic Peachtree doesn’t pass judgment on people so much as he finds their crude approach to life and boorish ways to be, well, wanting. His best defense is in appearing thoroughly unthreatened by Dooley.
The pair’s mutual respect increases exponentially when they barely escape with their lives after being captured by two ruthless thieves.
The big connection here is the initially awkward, ultimately snappy repartee between the two leads. This is the important part—it feels completely natural. That the leads are so diametrically different in appearance and style makes this all the more impressive.
As good as everyone involved is, the movie belongs to McDowell. Flustered and flummoxed, McDowell takes full command of what’s essentially his first comedic role, and he does so with the biggest of hearts.
He fully deserves all the accolades he gets.
The movie opens in theaters on Sept. 18, 2026
‘Last Train to Fortune’
Director: Adam Rifkin
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, James Paxton, Bernadette Peters, Mary Steenburgen
Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: Sept. 18, 2026
Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
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