Overview

A young boy draws on the inspiration of legendary western characters to find the strength to fight an evil land baron in the old west who wants to steal his family's farm and destroy their idyllic community. When Daniel Hackett sees his father Jonas gravely wounded by the villainous Stiles, his first urge is for his family to flee the danger, and give up their life on a farm which Daniel has come to despise anyway. Going alone to a lake to try to decide what to do, he falls asleep on a boat and wakes to find himself in the wild west, in the company of such "tall tale" legends as Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Calamity Jane. Together, they battle the same villains Daniel is facing in his "real" world, ending with a heroic confrontation in which the boy stands up to Stiles and his henchmen, and rallies his neighbors to fight back against land grabbers who want to destroy their town.

Genres

Cast

Patrick Swayze

Pecos Bill

Oliver Platt

Paul Bunyan

Roger Aaron Brown

John Henry

Nick Stahl

Daniel Hackett

Scott Glenn

J.P. Stiles

Stephen Lang

Jonas Hackett

Jared Harris

Head Thug Pug

Catherine O'Hara

Calamity Jane

Burgess Meredith

Old Man (uncredited)

Scott Wilson

Zeb

William H. Macy

Railroad Magnate

Moira Sinise

Mary Hackett