THE TALE OF TIN CAN KADE (5-page short western screenplay) by Mark Renshaw

On a quest for vengeance, a grieving outlaw’s chance encounter with a scam artist turns out not to be a chance encounter at all…

Today’s review is of yet another short screenplay from the annual Writer’s Tournament, a western written by Mark Renshaw – this was one of Week 4’s top-scoring shorts (there was a three-way tie for top honors). The three criteria elements that Mark was assigned to include in his entry were: an OBSERVATORY, a LEATHER BELT and a PHARMACIST.

We’re taken back to the year 1843 in Cincinnati – back then, it was considered the wild frontier. This was a time when frontier justice was the real law of the land. We meet charismatic outlaw and title character, Kade as he enters the town’s main drag with a tin can strapped to his belt, something rattling inside of it. It’s here where he meets salesman/street pharmacist, Doc Barth, who travels from town to town, selling miracle remedies and cure-all potions to naive townsfolk.

Later that night, while both men yuck it up over a bottle of whiskey at a saloon/cantina, Doc lets Kade in on a little secret in regards to his miracle remedies…

As the night continues, Kade reveals the source of the rattling inside the tin can he keeps with him, calling them his “little reminders” – he shows Doc his daughter’s first tooth she had lost as child.

We find out that Kade is indeed a sentimental man, at least when it comes to his family… a family he lost tragically… a tragedy that has left him thirsty for revenge…

What was really impressive about this script was that it takes you places you’d least expect. Rather than a traditional, rootin’-tootin’ western with shootouts and train robberies, the writer tells a different kind of revenge tale… without compromising the thrills.

BUDGET: Low to Medium due to location.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Mark Renshaw is an award-winning screenwriter/producer, his sci-fi TV pilot script “Nearscape” reaching the semifinals of the prestigious Page Awards and 2nd round of the Austin Film Festival. His short script, “Cyborn” was the inaugural winner of the Inroads Screenwriting Competition. Reaching the top 4% of the BBC’s Open Drama Submission, Mark has also been added to their list of promising writers. His latest sci-fi short, The Survivor: A Tale From the Nearscape, which he wrote and produced, currently has a worldwide distribution deal with Meridian Releasing, also serving as a proof of concept for a TV series. You can check out Mark’s produced films and scripts on his website at www.mark-renshaw.com.

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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.

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