The Unholy Trinity 2025 Movie Review
Henry Broadway (Brandon Lessard) attends the hanging of his father Isaac. He is forced to promise him that he will search for Saul Butler, the sheriff of Trinity. He believes he is the true perpetrator of the crime for which he was sentenced to death. When Henry arrives at the village in the mountains of Montana, he finds that Saul Butler is already dead.The new sheriff, Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan), takes him under his wing, but it’s not long before he finds himself embroiled in a web of intrigue and secrets. The mysterious gunslinger Saint Christopher (Samuel L. Jackson) also gets involved and rescues Henry from a very dangerous situation. He’s searching for a large amount of gold that he stole with Isaac. Henry finds support with Sarah Dove (Veronica Ferres), Sheriff Gabriel’s wife. And what about the native Running Cub (Q’orianka Kilcher), who is supposedly responsible for the old sheriff’s death?
Director Richard Gray has succeeded in creating a visually intense Western that thrives on the three supporting actors: Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Veronica Ferres. Brandon Lessard does a good job as the lead, but he doesn’t have enough shoulders to hold his own against the other three. The story and script lack rhythm, requiring a lot of patience.
Richard Gray conjures up impressive images, but the film’s central theme is missing. This makes the 90-minute film seem considerably longer than it actually is. The crude depiction of violence doesn’t advance the story, and the question remains as to what purpose it served in this film.
However, the well-integrated social critique enhances this Western. The United States is a country of settlers from Europe. The “uncomfortable” natives, represented by Running Cub, have a difficult life and find themselves outside of society here as well. Peer pressure and the notorious lynching are well addressed in this Western and demonstrate the ambivalence of a developing society.
Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson carry this modern Western and have well-drawn characters. The role of the Sheriff of Trinity seems modeled after the idealistic Westerns of Tom Ford, while gunslinger Saint Christopher has been given the typical rough edges of anti-heroes from Spaghetti Westerns. The role of Sarah Dove, the Sheriff’s wife, is somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Jill McBain from Once Upon a Time in the West . Veronica Ferres impresses with a confident interpretation of the role, but she’s given too little scope in the script to truly shine.
The biggest problems with this film lie in the story and the script. Especially at the beginning, the individual scenes from different locations seem like isolated moments that have nothing to do with one another. They fit together poorly, and when the film finally picks up some momentum toward the end, this energy dissipates in the botched finale. The coolest part is reserved for Samuel L. Jackson in the saloon, when he lets loose with a monologue in front of the assembled crowd. The film would have benefited from more of that.
