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Angel's remake of 'Angel and the Badman' with Zachary Levi opens, drawing mixed reviews

Angel's remake of the 1947 John Wayne western 'Angel and the Badman', directed by Julio Quintana and starring Zachary Levi, opened in US theaters on 9 October 2026. Variety finds it fitfully engaging but sanctimonious, while Screen Rant welcomes it as a gentle tribute.

2 outlets · 1L · 1C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: Variety
Image: Screen Rant

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2A remake of the 1947 western 'Angel and the Badman', directed by Julio Quintana and starring Zachary Levi in the role John Wayne played, opened in theaters on 9 October 2026. Mixed · 2The film comes from the Angel media company and streaming platform, which Variety says was rebranded from Angel Studios in 2025; Screen Rant still calls it Angel Studios. Mixed · 2The original, directed by James Edward Grant, was Wayne's first film as producer. It follows the wounded gunman Quirt Evans, who is nursed back to health by a Quaker family and falls for their daughter Penny, played by Gail Russell.

Left · 1Variety notes the story has been filmed before: a 2009 Hallmark Channel version starred Lou Diamond Phillips and Deborah Kara Unger, which makes the new film the third version. Mixed · 2Both outlets say the remake keeps the original plot but replaces the Quaker family with a generically Christian one. Meg Fraser plays Penny, and Tommy Lee Jones plays the lawman who suspects Quirt. Centre · 1Screen Rant also lists Neal McDonough as the villain.

Left · 1Variety's Guy Lodge calls the remake 'fitfully diverting' and says the first film remains the most compelling of the three. He says the new version trades the original's chemistry for 'plenty of sanctimony and not much of a spark'. Left · 1Variety praises Tommy Lee Jones, who it says is 80, as the film's best element. It finds Levi proficient but unable to reconcile the tonal swings, closer to Jason Sudeikis in 'Ted Lasso' than to a dark angel. It also criticises the production design as looking freshly made and the cinematography as competent but undistinguished. Left · 1Variety adds that the film's blend of Christian virtues and violence may appeal to audiences who share the distributor's 'values-based' approach.

Centre · 1Screen Rant is more positive about the project. It calls the original underrated and a quiet character study, and says that remaking a lesser-known Wayne film is a smarter choice than remaking his famous ones. It also says the gentle, romance-focused remake will be a welcome change for western fans. Centre · 1Screen Rant calls Levi's casting 'a smart choice' because his screen persona is so unlike Wayne's. It concedes that the film 'has some obvious limits in its production'.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Variety runs a critical review that measures the remake against the 1947 original and finds it pious and short on excitement.
Emphasis
Jones's performance, Levi's tonal inconsistency, the lack of western texture, and the film's 'values-based' branding.
Leaves out or plays down
Says little about the original's wider legacy or the cast beyond the leads.
Charged language
“sanctimony”“piousness”
For example
“plenty of sanctimony and not much of a spark” — Variety
“adds piousness at the expense of excitement” — Variety

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Screen Rant treats the release as a nostalgic celebration of a forgotten Wayne film and a tribute to the original.
Emphasis
The original's significance and legacy, the DC connections of the cast, and the film's gentle tone.
Leaves out or plays down
Gives no real assessment of the new film's quality beyond casting and a brief nod to production limits. It leaves out Variety's criticisms of sanctimony and weak chemistry.
Charged language
“bravely steps into John Wayne’s shoes”“Forgotten John Wayne Classic”
For example
“Shazam’s Zachary Levi, who bravely steps into John Wayne’s shoes as Quirt Evans” — Screen Rant
“it’s just great to see another Wayne story celebrated” — Screen Rant

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.