Oddball indie about a drifting musician and a girl at a ranch in eastern Montana

A guitarist (Gabriel Sunday) traveling through Montana to Portland gets a job on Falcon Ranch where he helps the granddaughter (Rainey Qualley) of the patriarch (Jim Storm) discover her heritage and true talents. The three are soon caught in the middle of a land war linked to the shifty Cap Davenport (Martin Kove). Doing the math, the events take place in the late 80s.

“Falcon Song” (2014) is a micro-budget indie flick with the production quality comparable to that of “The Legend of Tillamook’s Gold” (2006). These kinds of flicks usually involve semi-competent local filmmakers creating a movie that takes place in their beloved location; in this case, the Billings, Montana, region (which I’ve been to a few times and have a couple stories to tell).

These kinds of indies usually run anywhere from $50,000-$150,000, give or take, depending on how much was spent on cast, lodging, catering, travel and so forth. “Another Kind” (2013) was made for $120,000 and is a superb example of how a professional-class film can be made for this kind of micro-budget. Even spare-change films, like “A Bothered Conscience,” which only cost $2300, can be effective if the filmmaker & crew are talented enough and efficiently make use of their resources.

So how does “Falcon Song” stack up overall? Too often the filmmaking seems amateurish, such as the sometimes awkward or curiously abrupt editing. A few scenes run too long and should’ve been cut by half or, at least, one-third (e.g. the couple walking to the barn near the end). Thankfully, these flaws are somewhat made up by the hearty cast, quality locations and a story that generally keeps your interest despite some questionable quirks, e.g. Carrie Jr. (if you get my drift) and the giggle-inducing secret society. As a cat person, I also appreciated the several cats in the cast.

Speaking of the cast, Gabriel Sunday is cogent as the likable and amusing protagonist; he’s a little reminiscent of Hugh Grant. And Rainey Qualley is quite fetching as the lass and I’m usually not attracted to thin women (she has just enough curves). Meanwhile Kove brims with shady relish playing the potential antagonist.

The movie runs 1 hour, 45 minutes and was shot in Joliet, Montana, and the Billings area (Columbus, Molt and Red Lodge).

GRADE: C