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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Rhi Entertainment
Salesrank: 30274
Released: June 3, 2008 |
| Our Price: $5.99 |
| Used Price: $2.40 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The Western Trail can be a risky one, but for one destitute lawman, it's a road to redemption. For three troubled women, it's a journey toward hope. And for a one female outlaw, it's as good a place as any to keep running. In Clearwater, Preston Biggs (Kevin Sorbo, Hercules) was once the law. That was before his wife died and grief drove him to the bottle. along the treacherous prairie plains, Olivia (Jamie Anne Allman, The Shield) is a beautiful sharp, armed, desperate woman on the run from her vengeful partner, Monte (Golden Globe nominee Lance Hendrickson, Aliens). Join this unusual band of outcasts fighting for their lives in Prairie Fever, a story of redemptive love, gripping adventure, and the rousing pioneer spirit.
Prairie Fever Reviews:
KEVIN SORBO, LANCE HENRIKSEN, AND GREAT FEMALE CASTING 
2009-04-06 - PRAIRIE FEVER
Can you imagine how excited I was to see a new film out that stared not only the great Lance Henriksen but also Kevin Sorbo as well, it could only be great. Luckily I was right and this turned out to be one of the most original westerns I have seen, plus not only does it have those two but also some excellent female characters. I remember when this first came out and all I did was look at it in the store and as soon as I got home out from the bag comes this DVD, how did that get there? Turns out my girl had seen me eyeing it and picked it up when I wasn't looking, oh how I love her. So in it went later on that day and it was excellent, now the second time around when I watched it with my grandfather over at his house it was still just as good.
The film follows Preston Biggs [Sorbo] a former sheriff who killed his wife by accident when she was being held hostage. Now years later he is still blaming himself and drinking the rest of his life away, until a group of women give him back his life. After being locked up after a bar fight the sheriff offers him a job taking three women [two at first] who apparently have a thing called Prairie Fever back their families. While having to deal with these three women who are all off the wall crazy [it seems] he comes across a woman [Dominique Swain] who just left her husband [Henriksen] tied to the bed back at the town. She is a strong stubborn woman that seems to have a healing touch with the three others, which also drives Biggs crazy because he obviously needs her help. So off he goes and must deal with the husband after his wife, one of the girls ex husband and his brother and some people from Biggs's past. All of this makes for one entertaining movie.
Dominique Swain deserves most of the credit for this movie because his script had some very strong and excellent female characters which are not only rare in film in general but definitely in westerns. Plus had to the fact that the story is pretty original and you have one good flick. Directors Stephen Bridgewater and David S. Cass Sr. also did a great job on this film relying more on the character dynamics more so than the usual multi gun shoot out. I don't know if this was made for TV or not though I think it was but the lack of violence adds to the parts that do have it, it was done real well.
Kevin Sorbo as usual does a great job on this film bringing his usual swagger to the lead hero role, even though the hero is flawed. Of course Lance Henriksen is great as well in the lead villain role although the ending may surprise you a bit, maybe he isn't that bad. Still the best performances come from the ladies who make this movie what it is, particularly the three with the fever. Jamie Anne Allman is great as Olivia the artist in disguise who her whole life wanted nothing more than to draw, she may not be that crazy considering. Then there is Jillian Armenante who plays Lettie a woman who is insanely religious, mostly because her husband's brother raped her. And then there is a favorite of mine Felicia Day who was wonderful as Blue who is an excellent musician and can get down on a piano. Then there is Dominique Swain the woman who brings the ladies around and helps them trust again after all of them have been very wronged by men in their past.
This was a wonderful movie and while not the best western ever made it may be the best from all the recent ones in the past year or two. I would recommend this film not only to western lovers but to film lovers as well. This is a well paced and well put together story that showcases some strong female characters. To all those even slightly interested I would say buy now and skip the rental.
Prarie Fever
2009-03-20 - A very good movie. Not the best Kevin Sorbo movie, but still very goood.
One of the worst westerns I have ever seen 
2009-01-24 - I love western movies. This was one of the worst I have ever seen. The script, the acting, the plot, was incredibly lame. It was one of the first movies that I have turned off midway through because it was so boring. I couldn't believe that they got Hollywood actors to go through the motions on this movie. The girls who played the parts of 'prarie fever' women were so unbelievable as to be nonensical.
Don't waste your money on this loser.
Excellent 
2008-10-21 - I absolutely love this movie. This movie I can't seem to put away on the shelf, but hey, it doesn't collect dust. I never tire of it, and it really is a very good well written movie. I guess my only disappointment of it all,,not a lot of extras. Yes the Sorbo interview was good... but would have loved to see bloopers or something... I would highly recommend this. Lots of lessons to be learned in this movie. There should be a sequel.
Where's the big shoot-out? 
2008-10-03 - Alcoholic former sheriff, Preston Biggs (Kevin Sorbo) is hired to transport three mail-order brides (Jillian Armenante, Dominique Swain and Felicia Day), all of whom have seemingly gone crazy from living in wide open spaces, from a small Western town to the nearest railway station. Along the way, he picks up another woman, former con-artist Olivia Thibodeaux (Jamie Anne Allman), who is on the run from her partner (Lance Hendriksen).
"Prairie Fever" is a pleasant, inoffensive, straight-to-DVD Western that kept me entertained for its 81 minute duration, but isn't all that good. The story is predictable, the acting is second rate (Kevin Sorbo isn't all that bad, nor is Jamie Anne Allman, but as usual, Dominique Swain is an embarrassment, and Armenante and Day aren't all that great either) and the ending is a disappointment. With three sets of villains chasing our heroes, you would think that the film would be heading towards a big shoot-out as its grand finale, and yet, instead, the film just ends. It is really just the likeable personality of Sorbo that makes this film work. For fans of Sorbo, this film is worth watching, but otherwise, give it a miss.
