MURDER AT YELLOWSTONE CITY -- Another Simple Murder Mystery

Review by Paris Jade

A Western murder mystery set in the late 1800s is a captivating tale if done right. Murder at Yellowstone City has great tones of mystery that set itself up perfectly for its plot. A local prospector strikes gold and is found murdered after a mysterious man enters the town. The sheriff arrests the man, but certain townsfolk think he may be innocent; it’s up to them to find the evidence. 

This film is decently entertaining if you love a simple murder mystery. Certain key plot moments might feel a bit obvious, and the plot twists are definitely predictable, but it doesn’t make it a terrible movie. The characters are compelling enough to keep you entertained. You want to root for them and hope for the best, but you don’t need anymore or want more from them. Sometimes when you really like a character, you want more of them, but here, it’s all just enough. There are some characters that you could have less of or are just a bit boring but important to drive the plot further. Specifically, one little girl just runs around most scenes carrying a gun like she runs the world.

​Cinematically, the best scenes are the shoot-out and murder scenes. Every scene is choreographed well and is seamlessly transferred onto the screen. The action sequences are really the only reason to watch this film. Everything else is just average. It’s all very simple. There is nothing that screams special about this movie. It follows simple rules and themes, and the filmmakers tried to go for a regular old “don’t judge a book by its cover” message. As quick as the movie is and as entertaining as those action sequences can be, it is a bit boring that there’s nothing more. 

For the film being two hours long, it goes by very quickly. No scene is unimportant, and everything fits together perfectly. Murder at Yellowstone City has all of the simple elements that make a murder mystery. The only thing that differentiates this film from the others is that it’s set and made like a Western movie, which still doesn’t make it that different from others. If you are a person who, for some reason, has to watch every murder mystery movie ever made, go ahead and knock this one out. If you are just a casual movie watcher and want something good and entertaining, maybe skip out on watching this one — it’s not really worth it. 

See Murder at Yellowstone City in theaters and on VOD June 24.

Rating: 3/5