The Unholy Trinity (2025): A "B‑Western" Two Legends Try to Save
- Dan Brooks
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
Buried secrets of an 1870s Montana town spark violence when a young man returns to reclaim his legacy and is caught between a sheriff determined to maintain order and a mysterious stranger hell-bent on destroying it.
So Hollywood decided to roll back time to 1870s Montana for The Unholy Trinity - because modernity is overrated, and nothing says “legacy” like buried Confederate gold and a small dusty town full of skeletons. Written by Lee Zachariah, directed by Richard Gray, and starring Pierce Brosnan (as Sheriff Gabriel Dove), Samuel L. Jackson (as St. Christopher), Brandon Lessard (Henry Broadway), and Veronica Ferres (Sarah Dove)
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The Plot (But Let’s Keep It Tight)
Henry Broadway returns to Trinity after watching his father Isaac get hanged - Isaac swears he’s innocent and demands vengeance from beyond the gallows. But, surprise: the sheriff who framed him is dead. Into the fray comes Gabriel Dove, the new sheriff with Irish charm and enough brogue to throw you off your horse, and St. Christopher - a former slave with a taste for vengeance and half of that Confederate gold stash in his crosshairs. Henry ends up stuck between these two men, and the town’s buried secrets explode in shootouts, betrayals, and moral grey zones that feel familiar - but with a twist of gold glitter.
What I Liked
Samuel L. Jackson as St. Christopher: Easily my favorite silver‑tongued villain in ages. He brings Puck‑like chaos to the frontier, smirking through every scene as if the script owes him money - and he’s right. Critics agree he's fascinating enough to make everyone else feel like dead weight.
Pierce Brosnan: He’s a decent man trying to do the best he can, rocking Irish authority and gravitas - even in a world where everybody else keeps trying to kill each other. He anchors the moral code even if the screenplay keeps pulling the rug out.
Western vibes done well enough: I like a good Western - real Western, not some cowboy cosplay. Montanan landscapes look sharp, the saloons feel saloony, and yep - some faces I recognized (I’m looking at you, Spock from TV - Ethan Peck as Sam Scarborough). That sells authenticity even when the story drags.
What I Disliked
Tired tropes abound: frontier vengeance, corrupt sheriffs, gold conspiracies - it's all here. None of it feels fresh. Critics say the writing is predictable, too generic to feel like more than a boilerplate western flick.
Convoluted and predictable narrative: The script layers so many moving parts - mob lynchings, hidden loot, Native American subplot, fake priests - that the emotional core never lands. The big shoot‑out finale feels obligatory, not earned.
Lessard’s Henry isn’t gripping: The young lead feels like the passive center of gravity around which everyone else orbits. He's more blank slate than brooding hero, which makes his journey feel hollow.
The Experience
Watching The Unholy Trinity is like ordering a steak at a diner - you get plenty of meat, some trimmings, but the chef clearly used pre‑ground mystery mix. The visuals and swagger are there, especially during saloon stand‑offs and gallops across Montana plains, but the emotional punch stays five feet short of landing.
Still, it's not a total waste. There’s enough character play between Brosnan and Jackson to hold your attention. It’s the kind of mid‑tier Western you queue up for a slow afternoon, maybe over some popcorn and low expectations.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of Samuel L. Jackson unleashing primal frontier fury, or Pierce Brosnan’s nice-guy-cum-lawman routine in dusty boots, there’s some charm here. Just don’t expect the next Unforgiven or True Grit. It’s mostly salvageable because of the leads - everything else hinges on your patience for trope‑heavy setups and choppy pacing.
Ranking
All told, I’m giving The Unholy Trinity a 6.9 /10. Enjoyable if you like your Westerns served straight with aged pros doing the heavy lifting - and a side of "been there, done that" plot devices.
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