Title: Traded

Director: Timothy Woodward Jr.

Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, Michael Paré, Tom Sizemore, Brittany Elizabeth Williams, Constance Brenneman and Quinton Aaron

Determinedly setting out to create your own way, in an unwavering attempt to build your own experiences and life path, is a common and understandable process for many young adults. But when you unwittingly become drawn into a dangerous situation, in part because of your naïve nature, you can often need the help of someone you trust to help save you from experiencing any more risk. That all-too-important life lesson of realizing just how endearing your present life and situation is presented in the new Western, ‘Traded.’

Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr., the action-driven and equally sentimental and life-affirming drama is set to open theatrically on Friday in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Phoenix, Denver and Kansas City. The Western is also set to be released day-and-date On Demand and Digital HD by its distributor, Cinedigm.

Set in 1880s Kansas, ‘Traded’ follows a former sharpshooter, Clay Travis (Michael Paré), who has restructured his life and reprioritized the elements that now take precedence in his life. He currently works as a rancher to support his two children, Lily (Brittany Elizabeth Williams) and Jake (Hunter Fischer), and his wife, Amelia (Constance Brenneman). But when his daughter ventures out on her own to support herself, after the family endures a harrowing experience, Clay becomes determined to protect what little family he has left.

The Travis family’s patriarch leaves their serene life on the quiet ranch and heads to Wichita, in order to find Lily and bring her home. After uncovering a lead that she has been taken by the ruthless Ty Stover (Trace Adkins), Clay confronts the notorious brothel owner about his daughter’s whereabouts. The ranch owner eventually learns that his daughter has been traded into an underground sex ring in Dodge City. Once Clay arrives in the city, he receives the help of an unlikely companion, hardened barkeep Billy (Kris Kristofferson). With his unlikely new ally, Clay leaves a trail of gunsmoke and bodies in his wake, as he won’t let anything stand in his way of bringing Lily home.

Paré was enthrallingly cast in the gripping role of a formerly tenacious outlaw turned protective family man, whose resiliency is restored in his commendable decision to save his daughter. The actor intriguingly presented Clay as being fearless in his persistent search for the men who kidnapped Lily, as his anger and survival instincts guide his bold and daring decisions to harm anyone who tried to stop him.

The natural emotional motivation Clay possesses in his quest to rescue his daughter is powerfully highlighted in part by the stunningly choreographed stunts that Paré and his castmates engage in throughout the course of ‘Traded.’ Whether the protagonist is unabashedly shooting or grappling with the brothel workers who are desperate to protect their latest acquisition, and prevent him from taking Lily back home, or defending himself against the locals who remember the destruction he left in his path when he was an outlaw, the Western is captivatingly driven by stunning action sequences.

The entrancing stunt sequences that Paré and the supporting cast of ‘Traded’ fearlessly embarked on for the drama were rivetingly set against impressively crafted sets that were enthrallingly assembled by production designer Christian Ramirez. Having mastered the art of crafting the setup of locations for diverse films, particularly in the Western and adventure genres, the designer was stunningly able to transform the California and New Mexico locations where ‘Traded’ filmed, particularly the ranches, into appearing as they belonged in the historic American Midwest. From the humble, isolated feel of the Travis family ranch, to the bustling main street where Clay relentlessly searches for his older child, the stunning locales Ramirez created effortlessly help establish the feeling of the 19th century Western city where the characters valiantly quarrel.

‘Traded’ is an emotionally and visually intense Western that stunningly highlights Paré’s natural and intense portrayal of the resilient and passionate Clay as he determinedly searches for his missing daughter. The film’s entrancing emphasis on the protagonist’s striking survival instincts intriguingly helped build the suspense of his gripping fight sequences against the ruthless men who kidnapped Lily. Along with the impressive transformation of the modern California and New Mexico ranches and locations where the drama filmed into an outlaw-driven Western city of the late 1800s, Woodward’s drama stunningly emphasizes the powerful resolve people develop as they courageously set out to protect their family.

Watch the official trailer for ‘Traded’ below.

Traded's Exclusive Poster Premiere Shows Revenge is a Bitter Deal

Written by: Karen Benardello

By Karen Benardello

As a graduate of LIU Post with a B.F.A in Journalism, Print and Electronic, Karen Benardello serves as ShockYa's Senior Movies & Television Editor. Her duties include interviewing filmmakers and musicians, and scribing movie, television and music reviews and news articles. As a New York City-area based journalist, she's a member of the guilds, New York Film Critics Online and the Women Film Critics Circle.

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