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Submitted by Steve

Black Fox 3
Good Men and Bad
(1995)

POOPER:
Britt captures Carl Glenn, who is found guilty for the murder of Sarah Johnson, and is hung.

LONG VERSION:
Three years have passed since the end of the second film, and the Civil War has just ended.  The families of the settlers killed when Ralph Holtz attempted to get his wife back have left Elm Creek, and many of the settlers that replaced them are refugees from the newly defeated Confederate States.  The US Army has returned to occupy Fort Belknap, and with the Texas Militia back in Austin, they have become the de facto police force in Elm Creek.  While in town to get supplies, Britt Johnson (Tony Todd) gets into a fight with one of the new settlers, Carl Glenn (David Fox).  After he breaks up the fight, Army commander Colonel MacKensie (Lawrence Dane) tells Britt that he has been authorized to deputize Marshals for the area to watch over the “Southern trash” like Carl Glenn that now live in Elm Creek, and offers him a badge.  Britt declines, fearing how a town full of white people would react to a black lawman, but the Colonel tells him the offer still stands if he changes his mind.  Colonel MacKensie also tells Britt that President Lincoln is dead, and Britt goes back to his homestead and tells his blood brother Alan (Christopher Reeve) and their wives the bad news.  He also tells Alan that he and his wife Mary (Janet Bailey) and their son Frank are going to visit their new neighbors for a few days to help them out.

That night, Carl arrives at the Johnson homestead, looking to kill Britt.  He arrives while Alan is making love to his wife Sarah (Nancy Sorel).  She has recovered from the rape that happened to her at the hands of the Comanche, and they are thinking about leaving Texas to start a family wherever she wants.  Alan then hears someone outside, and he and Sarah grab their rifles.  Because it’s at night, Carl can’t see that it’s Alan instead of Britt, and he shoots both of them before running off.  Britt learns of the shootings and he and his family race back home.  It’s then they learn that Alan was seriously wounded and Sarah was killed.  As Alan recovers from his wounds, Britt finds out that Carl was the killer, but he has fled to Kansas.  He tells Alan that as soon as he’s ready to ride again, they’ll go to Kansas and get him.  Weeks later, Alan has physically recovered, but he is still deeply depressed over Sarah’s death and has begun drinking heavily.  Alan then leaves to go after Carl by himself, and Britt knows that it will be a suicide mission.  He then goes to Colonel MacKensie and tells him that he will take that badge and, now with the law on his side, leaves Elm Creek to go catch Carl and bring Alan back home.

Several days later, Alan is arrested in the town of Leland, Kansas for public drunkenness, and after a night in jail, the now sober Alan tells the sheriff that he’s looking for his wife’s killer.  The sheriff knows of Carl Glenn and tells him where to find him, but he also warns Alan that unlike this part of the state, most of Kansas is lawless, and he won’t find anyone who’ll help in catching him.  He then gives Alan back his gun and sends him on his way.  Now more determined than ever to catch Carl, Alan gets rid of the booze and starts to take better care of himself.  Meanwhile, Britt is about a day or two’s ride behind him, meeting up with the people who saw Alan earlier.  While riding through another town, Alan learns that Carl is now riding with a band of outlaws led by Natchez John Dunn (Kim Coates).  Alan catches up to Dunn and his men (minus Carl), and talks his way into the group.  To prove his worth, Alan participates in a couple of robberies, including one involving a stagecoach.  Carl was one of the passengers on the coach, but when he sees Alan, he doesn’t recognize him.  With no money on the stage, Dunn decides to take another passenger hostage.  She is Hallie Russell (Kelly Rowan), and she says that she’s the wife of a famous cattleman, and they can get a large ransom for her.  By this time, Britt is just a few hours behind Alan.

Now at their hideout, while Dunn and the gang are getting drunk, Alan is tying up Hallie when she reveals to him that she’s a former Union spy and not actually married to a cattleman, and figures that Alan isn’t an outlaw either.  He says she’s right, and as they continue to talk, they begin to show feelings for each other.  The next morning, while everyone is still asleep, Britt arrives at the hideout.  As he is approaching it, he is surprised by one of gang members coming out of the outhouse and shoots him.  This sets off a gun battle that has Britt killing another member of the group and Alan killing one himself.  Dunn grabs Hallie and they ride off together, with Carl right behind them, and Alan right behind him.  Britt then gets back on his horse and follows all of them.  The shootout continues, and Alan’s horse is shot out from under him, so he continues the chase on foot.  Britt chases Dunn and Carl to a cliff, and with everyone pointing guns at each other, Hallie takes out the small pistol hidden in her stocking and shoots Dunn, killing him.  Carl then goes to shoot Alan, but he is out of bullets.  Alan approaches Carl to shoot him, but Britt tells him he needs to face justice for all of his crimes, not just for what he did to Sarah.  Alan agrees and puts his gun down.  Some time later, back in Elm Creek, Carl has been found guilty for the murder of Sarah Johnson and is hung in front of Fort Belknap.  Hallie, who was there to see the hanging, kisses Alan goodbye and tells him she’s going to Chicago to see her ailing mother, and to look her up if he ever goes there.  The movie ends back at the Johnson homestead, with Alan visiting Sarah’s grave, possibly for the last time.