The Decoy

Orphaned at a young age, "Martin Lowery" (Kevin Market) is taken in by a married couple and raised as one of their own. And even though he is mute, as he grows older and becomes a man, Martin becomes one of the most likeable people in his small town because he is so kind and meek. The townspeople turn on him, however, when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of those same two people who initially treated him with such kindness. This includes a deputy by the name of "John Cooper" (Justin Kreinbrink) who is not only in love with the daughter of the two people Martin supposedly murdered but was also Martin's best friend. So, when Deputy Cooper is ordered to personally escort Martin to Tucson to be tried and hung, he struggles with the decision to simply kill him along the way instead. But what nobody realizes, however, is that Martin knows who the actual murderers really are but refuses to disclose that information--and the killers are not willing to have either Deputy Cooper or Martin make it to Tucson alive. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this low-budget film started off relatively well but the overall reason for Martin to keep everything secret was a bit of a stretch considering that he had plenty of opportunities set things right with little danger to anyone but the real murderers. Likewise, the ending was a bit too convenient as well. In any case, while I don't consider this film to be a complete waste of time, the low-budget aspects were much too obvious, and I have rated this project accordingly. Below average.