Murder at Yellowstone City is set in a declining Montana town where anything can happen. Within the first 20 minutes, a prospector who strikes gold and promises to spread the wealth is shot dead by an unknown assailant. The rest of the film plays out as a murder mystery of sorts that contains an impressive and large cast of characters. Even if westerns aren’t your thing, the movie is worth a watch for its cast alone.

Directed by Richard Gray and written by Eric Belgau, the film opens as prospector Dunnigan (Zach McGowan) discovers gold. He promises the small community that he’ll share the wealth and makes a vow to his mistress, Isabel (Aimee Garcia), that he’ll use some of the money to pay for her daughter’s education. Despite the fact he’s cheating on his wife, Dunnigan seems like a good dude. But not long into the film, he’s shot. A former slave turned avid poetry fan, Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa), is jailed by Sheriff Ambrose (Gabriel Byrne) and blamed for the murder. Some, however, believe he’s innocent, including Violet (Yellowstone’s Tanaya Beatty) and Alice (Anna Camp).  Meanwhile, Dunnigan’s wife, Emma (Scottie Thompson), wants revenge for her hubby’s infidelity. This turns into another main plot point.

Murder at Yellowstone City isn’t a constant shoot-em-up-type western. There are plenty of dialogue-driven scenes that explore the characters, like when Cicero explains why he loves Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar and his namesake. These quieter moments are some of the film’s best. There are plenty of solid performances here, too, especially by Byrne and Mustafa, and even some smaller roles given to Shameless star Emma Kenney, who plays Rebecca, and Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Edgar. That said, there are so many characters. It becomes difficult to keep track of them and the various side stories that pop up during the long runtime. Dreyfuss doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but he delivers some poetic lines about death.

The film also has some praise-worthy cinematography, especially the opening shots of the natural land, including the gorgeous mountains and deep forests. Paradise Valley sure looks pretty on screen. But this story is anchored in a small town where several of the characters harbor secrets and a killer’s on the loose. The murderer can strike again at any moment, and in that regard, Gray and Belgau do a well enough job establishing mystery and tension. Just don’t expect a murder every 15 minutes. The kills are there, though, sprinkled throughout the two hours in bloody fashion.

Murder at Yellowstone City sure isn’t for everyone. It’s a slow-chugging western that surprisingly features few shoot-outs. Most of those happen in the last 25 minutes.  That said, as a whodunit murder mystery, Murder at Yellowstone City entertains. At the very least, this film is a reminder that it’s pretty terrifying when people take law and justice into their own hands. The consequences can be deadly.

6.5 Out of 10