This film, set in Montana during 1887, is a Western that deserves to be discovered. A gunman (Tim Daly) seeks refuge with a widow (Naomi Watts) and her son, who are members of a Plain People religious group. Keith Carradine portrays a neighboring elder, while David Carradine appears as the town doctor. "The Outsider," released in 2002, combines elements from films like “Angel and the Badman,” "Shane," “Witness” and “The Scarlet Letter” (1995), achieving a quality comparable to those classics in its own distinctive way. The movie possesses a reverent beauty similar to “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992), but with a feel akin to the later film, "Forsaken," starring Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. Two significant themes are explored within the story. One involves absolute pacifism versus limited pacifism; the sect in the movie champions complete non-violence while the narrative seems to favor a more measured approach. Rebecca Yoder (Naomi) defends her group’s beliefs using the phrase “turning the cheek,” but she argues that Jesus' words about ignoring insults were intended for minor slights, not serious crimes like murder. Regarding criminal actions, there’s a passage stating, "If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” The Book of Nehemiah 4 illustrates how the returning Hebrews to Jerusalem “did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,” highlighting that self-protection—including safeguarding loved ones—is an inherent right. Those who claim Christ condemned using weapons must understand there's a difference between living by violence and employing it when necessary. This explains why the disciples carried swords to defend themselves from thieves on their journeys, as described in Luke 22:49-50. Another compelling topic is religious divisionism and its consequences. The group depicted seems admirable, but Johnny Gault (Daly) notices that they’ve unintentionally weakened their faith through an excessive focus on rules—a form of legalism. This kind of rigidity can be destructive; it's shown in what happens to Rebecca’s brother. Will she permit this strict adherence to the law to harm her and her family, either literally or figuratively, or will she find a way out? It has nothing to do with genuine faith and everything to do with preventing people from confining God within human-made boundaries, which can stifle life and hinder progress. The film’s running time is 1 hour and 58 minutes; it was filmed in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. GRADE: A-

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