Purgatory

A gang of outlaws led by Blackjack Britton robs a bank, then rides for the Mexican border with a posse close behind. Losing their way, they reach Refuge, a small desert town whose sheriff carries no gun, where there is no jail and no swearing, and where the residents all gather at the church when the bell rings. The newcomers gradually recognise familiar faces among the townspeople, figures of the Old West such as Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid, men long believed dead who are working out their redemption before they can enter Heaven. The gang's arrival threatens the arrangement the town depends on.

Uli Edel directed this television western with a fantasy premise, the sixth of the ten features listed in his filmography, arriving between Tyson and The Little Vampire. Gordon T. Dawson wrote the screenplay, Daniel Schneider produced, and the cast is led by Sam Shepard as the sheriff, Eric Roberts as Blackjack Britton, Randy Quaid as Doc Woods, Peter Stormare, Brad Rowe and Donnie Wahlberg.

Made for television and running ninety-four minutes, the film has held up with viewers: on IMDb it sits at 6.8 from roughly 4,600 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.2 from a much smaller base of 127 ratings, so the higher average there reflects a narrower group of viewers rather than wider agreement.