Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough revive family-friendly Western with ‘Angel and the Badman’

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Entertainment Editor Tuesday, October 06, 2026

Zachary Levi believes stories of redemption are among the most important Hollywood can tell, especially when audiences want entertainment that offers more than violence and cynicism.

The 46-year-old “Shazam” actor explores that theme in “Angel and the Badman,” a family-friendly Western hitting theaters Oct. 9 from Angel Studios. Levi stars as Quirt Evans, a feared outlaw forced to decide whether mercy and redemption offer a better path than the violence that has defined his life.

“It’s the most important story,” Levi told The Christian Post. “It’s the story that God has told us through Christ and through all of these wonderful stories and narratives within Scripture and elsewhere that help to remind us that we are God’s children.”

Directed by Julio Quintana, “Angel and the Badman,” originally a 1947 film starring John Wayne, follows Quirt after he staggers onto a ranch with a bullet in his back and expects to die. Instead, Penny (Meg Fraser), the rancher’s daughter, extends compassion to the notorious outlaw and introduces him to the possibility of a life beyond violence.

But Quirt’s past follows him. As a marshal closes in and an outlaw gang threatens the ranch, he must decide whether to revert to the man he was or choose a different path.

The film also stars Neal McDonough as Laredo, Tommy Lee Jones as the Marshal, Jean Louisa Kelly as Irene Worth, and Barrett Ellis Luca as Johnny Worth. The film is rated PG-13 for some violence, language and thematic material.

For Levi, who has previously spoken candidly with CP about his Christian faith and personal struggles, Quirt’s journey reflects the belief that no one is beyond the possibility of redemption, and grace can cover even the worst sinner.

“There’s always another opportunity to make the better decision that is selfless and of service,” Levi said.

The “American Underdog” actor, who recently became a father, reflected on how his own journey of faith and healing taught him the importance of learning to care for himself while seeking to serve others.

“The whole concept of redemption, I love it,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite stories to tell.”

McDonough’s Laredo offers a darker counterpoint to Quirt. While both men believe they are pursuing a form of justice, Laredo’s understanding of redemption increasingly leads him toward brutality and vengeance.

“You also have a villain who’s also hellbent on this kind of redemption,” McDonough told CP, adding that his character is willing to commit horrific acts because he believes his larger cause justifies them.

“His code is far different from Quirt’s code,” the “Homestead” actor said. “There’s something to Laredo that he’s doing something right, but he’s doing it in ways that really aren’t.”

That tension, the actor added, allows the film to examine what strength and courage look like when a person has the power to retaliate but instead considers mercy.

McDonough, a devout Catholic, said he was drawn to the moral ambiguity of both men and the different directions their lives ultimately take.

“I love films that delve into the gray area, and Quirt is a very gray character. Laredo is also a very gray character,” he said. “His scale goes to lightness by the end of the film. My scale goes from gray to darkness at the end of the film.”

“But my right thing is vastly different than most people,” he continued. “It just creates great drama between the lead characters, and I couldn’t be more proud to play in the sandbox with Zach Levi and have a great time in the Western genre. It was just awesome.”

For Levi and McDonough, the film is also a chance to revive a kind of family-friendly Western that has all but disappeared, one with shootouts, action, outlaws and danger without graphic violence.

“If you go back to the original ‘Angel and the Badman,’ or really just Westerns in general, when they were in their heyday, they were all pretty family-friendly,” Levi said. “You’ve got the violence of the shoot-’em-ups and things like that, but they were never particularly gory back then.”

Levi said the filmmakers sought to recapture that approach while building the story around “this incredible narrative of redemption and mercy and love.”

“I think audiences are deserving of watching movies like this,” he added.

McDonough, who is no stranger to playing onscreen villains, agreed, joking that classic Western deaths were considerably simpler than modern versions.

“When guys get shot, you didn’t see, as in any film now, blood exploding and heads blowing off and limbs falling off,” he said. “A guy gets shot, he goes down. He falls off a horse. He’s gone.”

And then, Levi interjected, “You get a Wilhelm scream.”

The pair said that old-fashioned charm is part of the film’s appeal, along with a cast that includes one of the genre’s most recognizable modern stars in Jones, an Academy Award-winning actor and director.

“The first time you see Tommy up on that horse and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s Tommy Lee Jones,’” McDonough said. “There’s the popcorn. There’s the Coke, sitting in the movie theater all nestled in, and those are the moments that you love as a moviegoer.”

Ultimately, however, Levi said the gunfights and Western setting serve a story about a man discovering that his past doesn't have to determine his future. It’s a message, he said, that reflects his own life. And Quirt’s transformation points toward the biblical truth that redemption remains possible even for someone who believes he has traveled too far in the opposite direction.

“We are redeemable,” Levi emphasized. “[God] desires to redeem us every second of every day.”

“Angel and the Badman” releases in theaters on Oct. 9.