Texas Rangers

Set in Texas in the years after the Civil War, Texas Rangers follows the formation of a law-enforcement company under Leander McNelly, who is asked by the state's governor to bring order to a border region where outlaw gangs operate largely unchecked. The force McNelly assembles mixes a few war veterans with young recruits who have almost no experience with firearms or police work. Their first serious target is the gang of John King Fisher, a larger and better-armed band, and the new Rangers are quickly tested by an enemy willing to kill.

The film was directed by Steve Miner, the eleventh of the thirteen features he has directed in chronological order, arriving between Lake Placid in 1999 and Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous in 2008. Scott Busby and Martin Copeland wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Dylan McDermott as McNelly, James Van Der Beek, Rachael Leigh Cook, Ashton Kutcher, Usher and Tom Skerritt. It was produced by Alan Greisman and Frank Price for Dimension Films, with a budget of 38 million US dollars.

Texas Rangers runs 90 minutes and blends the western with action, adventure, drama and thriller. Audience responses have been modest: it holds a rating of 5.3 out of 10 on IMDb from around 6,700 votes and 5.9 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller sample of 128 votes. A critics' rating of 3.7 out of 10 from 50 reviews places critical opinion below even the higher audience figure on TMDB.