Julia Roberts' Only Western May Be Forgotten But It Has A Stacked Cast

Few stars were more synonymous with the glitz and glamor of Hollywood in the 1990s than Julia Roberts. There were better actresses around, such as Oscar-winner Jodie Foster, and plenty of other big hitters challenging for the limelight like Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock, and Meg Ryan. Despite this, Roberts still dominated the decade with her grace, style, and sheer charisma, seemingly unable to do any wrong (that dodgy Irish accent in "Mary Reilly" aside) between her massive breakthrough role in "Pretty Woman" and her only Oscar win to date for "Erin Brockovich." 

Best known for illuminating the '90s rom-com boom, she was also captivating in glossy thrillers like "Sleeping with the Enemy" and "The Pelican Brief," and even managed to turn very mediocre flicks like "Dying Young" and "Something to Talk About" into commercial successes. One thing she has never been known for is the Western, and her only outing in the genre in a forgotten '80s movie with a stacked cast.

Roberts' star rose so high and bright that it seemed like she had been around forever, making it easy to forget that she only received her first credited screen role two years before stepping out with Richard Gere in a pair of thigh-high leather boots. That landmark was 1988's "Satisfaction," which served as a warm-up for the two movies that initially put her on the map as a talented up-and-comer, "Mystic Pizza" and "Steel Magnolias." In between them came "Blood Red," Peter Masterson's Western shot in the glorious vineyards of the Picchetti Ranch Reserve in Santa Clara County, California, where you might still catch clips of the film while sampling wine to this day. 

"Blood Red" is an immigrant drama-meets-revenge thriller filled with familiar faces, including Dennis Hopper, Burt Young, Michael Madsen, Elias Koteas, and a very young Julia Roberts. It's also an odd entry on her filmography for two reasons: Firstly, it holds the distinction of being the only movie to feature Roberts alongside her big brother Eric, who plays the hero; and secondly because, although it was released in 1989, it was shot three years earlier while the future megastar was awaiting her big break. That makes "Blood Red" Julia Roberts' first screen appearance, but is it worth your time? Let's take a closer look.

We're in California in the late 19th century, and we join the story on an important day for the Collogeros. After bringing his family from Sicily and cultivating a successful vineyard, proud father Sebastian Collogero (Giancarlo Giannini) is officially becoming an American citizen. He wants nothing more than to pass his land and traditions down to his wayward son Marco (Eric Roberts), who is far more interested in romancing wealthy local women than growing grapes.

There is more trouble on the horizon than just family disputes. Filthy rich Irish tycoon William Bradford Berrigan (Dennis Hopper) plans to extend his railroad right through the heart of the lush valley where the Collogeros and other Italian immigrants have made their homes and business. He's prepared to pay for the land, but only the minimum that the law deems necessary. Berrigan flirts with legal process, but after years of hard graft, Sebastian isn't willing to let everything go for bottom dollar and refuses to sell, and encourages the other families to stand firm with him. Plan B for Berrigan involves recruiting Andrews (Burt Young), a thuggish enforcer, and his gang of goons to drive the vintners off their land by intimidation and force. As the title may suggest, "Blood Red" doesn't just refer to the color of wine: After Sebastian is murdered, Marco goes guerrilla with a small band of comrades to seek revenge and ward off the bad guys.

"Blood Red" deserves credit for focusing on the struggles faced by poor European immigrants trying to earn an honest living and their clashes with land barons who had the wealth and the power to bully them off their land. 1986 wasn't the best time to do it, however. Just six years after "Heaven's Gate" had covered a similar topic with disastrous results, it's a miracle that the film got made at all. During that period, only Lawrence Kasdan's old-school horse opera "Silverado," Clint Eastwood's "Pale Rider," and John Landis' beloved comedy "Three Amigos!" provided any indication that there was still some life left in the Hollywood Western. In that climate, it was perhaps no surprise that "Blood Red" wasn't released until after "Young Guns" had become a popular hit. Even with that boost from the Brat Pack, Peter Masterson's film sank without a trace, making only $15,000 at the box office.

The headline here is Julia Roberts, but "Blood Red" is very much an Eric Roberts star vehicle. In that respect, your enjoyment of the film will very much depend on your appreciation of the older Roberts sibling's distinctive acting style. The cult actor has spent much of his prolific career in B-movie territory, but he still showed real promise in the mid-to-late '80s. He had racked up three Golden Globe nominations (for "King of the Gypsies," "Star 80," and "Runaway Train") and was also coming off the back of an Oscar nod for his gritty turn in the latter film. His performance in "Blood Red" tends toward the Eric Roberts mode familiar to those who only really know him from his action movie efforts: Shirt off, peculiar tics, and strange line delivery, and a magnificent '80s mullet that looks totally out of place in a 19th-century period piece. As for his little sister, Julia is barely in the movie — if it wasn't for a few words of dialogue, her part would almost count as an extra.

The other familiar faces in the cast get a rough ride. Dennis Hopper was enjoying a major career resurgence with eye-catching turns in "River's Edge," "Hoosiers," and David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," where he played the demented Frank Booth. Here, he vanishes for large spells of the movie, and that's a good thing, too. His attempt at an Irish accent is incredibly distracting, and he also gets saddled with one of the weakest final lines that I can recall. Elsewhere, Elias Koteas and Michael Madsen were still early in their careers, and they barely get a few lines between them. The only big name to come out with any credit is Burt Young, who was clearly enjoying time off from Paulie duty in the "Rocky" movies to play Berrigan's brutish hired muscle.

All that wouldn't be so bad if "Blood Red" knew what kind of film it wanted to be. If it stuck with the serious immigrant drama stuff, it might have been involving. If it had gone all the way and turned into an Eric Roberts vs. Dennis Hopper revenge flick, it might have been trashy fun. Instead, it gets stuck somewhere in the middle and ultimately ends up rather boring. One for Julia Roberts completists only — or fans of Eric Roberts' mullet and bad Irish accents.