The Perfect Hand 2023 (Wild Dogs Productions) Review

Here we are with Wild Dogs Productions 53rd feature film, The Perfect Hand. In this film, Michael Fredianelli returns to his comfort zone of the western genre. He directed his last two western films The Scarlet Worm in 2011 and The Rogues of Flat Oak in 2018. This time however, Michael Fredianelli is taking charge of writing duties as David Lambert is not involved in this production this time around. The film centers around a sharp-shooting sheriff who tracks down a con artist and his henchmen that took his hand in a rigged poker game. Overall, the plot is fairly engaging expect for a few pacing issues near the start and end. The film takes its time in its opening scene but once we get to the poker game, that's when things ramp up in one of the films best scenes.

Can his hand be trusted to do what is right?

Bryan Hurd playing the villain role of Jedidiah is a treat to watch. Bryan commands the scene when he is on screen, and his performance is a mix of comedic charm and threatening undertones. Michael Fredianelli takes leading duties here playing the lead of Hart, and he fits the role well. His character deals with guilt and loss, portraying a stoicism vibe. Fun fact, Michael Fredianelli had to live with a walrus mustache for four weeks during filming. There are some cool dream sequence elements thrown in the mix to convey some of his emotions, which I kinda wish they went more into that element to explore a bit. The side characters are do an excellent job of supporting their main cast mates. Jeff Foster and Gideon Klapow do a fine job of playing Jedidah's henchmen. Sydney Van Delft does a great job of playing Mabeline, who is seeking a treasure with her dad. You get your usual Wild Dog mainstays Bryan Wilks and Trent Avvenire to appear in short character cameos as well.

Wild Dogs Productions has done a pretty fantastic job of nailing the western vibe. The film uses a variety of locations with some impressive interior locations and vista valleys and farms. The one highlight is the bar scene where the poker game takes place. The only sticking point that sticks out is we don't get any shots of the western town until the end of the movie. The film could have used an establishing shot of the town in the beginning to help set us in the world. I was not sure if they were saving the western town for the climax of the film or production wise they couldn't fit it in at the start. Another oddity takes place at night in the woods where two spotlights are clearly lighting up the scene. On one end, it's great the scene is well lit and we can see the action unfolding. But it also breaks the immersion a bit when you are thinking about what is lighting up the scene. It may have worked better to try to work with one spotlight and just frame it as the moon. But these are just small nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. When you consider the indie nature of the project, it is impressive what Wild Dogs do with so little.

Something tells me this guy just does not want to greet us.

Leo Moring takes a hold of the camera here and does an excellent job again as DP. This time things are not as smooth with a bit of shaking camera style thrown into the mix during some of the action scenes. Most likely due to the nature and dirt paths, Leo could not zoom around on his wheel for those extra smooth shots. But there are some beautiful shots in the film, such as when Michael Fredianellis character is standing in front of a tree farm. The team takes advantage of golden hour to get some sweet looking lighting. There are some shots with rolling fog and campfire smoke filling the screen as well. Overall, the film looks solid.

We have Benedict Peterson doing the score for the film, and he does a good job of enhancing the intense moments as they unfold on screen with some horror like sound cues. He also fills in for some of the calmer parts of the film as well, adding in some acoustic guitar to help fill the western vibe.

Just a man taking his daily walk through beautiful landscapes.

Any western movie would not be complete without a shoot out, and The Perfect Hand delivers. There is a western stand off moment that happens early in the film that is fantastic. Later in the film, you have some shoot offs that take place in the woods and town that feel chaotic yet you can still follow. Overall, Wild Dogs Productions proves that they can take you to the past and the relive the golden era of the western. The Perfect Hand will be coming to streaming platforms such as Tubi and Amazon Prime soon so if the western genre is up your alley, check it out.