Still, Once Upon a Time in Deadwood is by no means a total waste of time. There’s no pretty way to dress up that statement. He seems almost intimidated by the role and is occasionally cringe-inducing. Additionally, you almost feel bad for Michael Pare (a man not without real talent) for having to step into the shoes of a famous, real-life Wild West villain who’s already been portrayed PERFECTLY by acting demigod Ian McShane in HBO’s Deadwood. Karin Brauns’ accent is almost too much to handle it breaks the suspension of disbelief every time she opens her mouth. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, seem to have a difficult time with rather wooden dialogue that sounds oddly formal and force-fed for what you’d hope would be a believable shoot ‘em up. His performance, even where it falters (those convulsions!), is still up to snuff. While Once Upon a Time in Deadwood is no rehash by any means, it is a meaningful homage to an admittedly far superior hallmark of the Western genre.
Charles Bronson is best remembered for the Death Wish series and (of course) the Sergio Leone classic, Once Upon a Time in the West. His physical choreography and presence are on point, and it remains downright eerie every time you see him. His accent is still something of a distraction, especially in a Western, but he sounds more natural this time around. Robert Bronzi is still a joy to watch and reliable as ever. Realizing the pickle that he’s in, The Colonel travels with her to Deadwood to rescue her sister from the den of sin that is the Gem Saloon, which is run by the evil Al Swearengen (Michael Pare Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich). She also brings him poisoned beans in a plot to force his hand in helping her telling him after he fills his belly that her sister is the only one who has the antidote. He’s approached by a busty, stunning young woman named Ursula (Karin Brauns The Wishing Forest) with a heartbreaking story of her kidnapped sister, Abigale (Lauren Compton Death House) and a “house girl”.
He roams the Wild West, righting wrongs and filling scumbags full of hot lead. The Colonel (Robert Kovacs, now formally billed as Robert Bronzi Death Kiss) is a Civil War hero turned vigilante gun for hire.
You know what this all means- lots of people are gonna get shot! This time around it’s a Western set in and around the town of Deadwood, South Dakota in the 1880’s. He plays another character without a name here to ensure the bad guy pays the price for his deeds (this time it’s The Colonel as opposed to The Stranger). Everybody’s favorite Charles Bronson doppelgänger is back with a gun in his hand.