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Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead

It’s 1902 in Wyoming when a fourteen year old boy is shot in the back. The community is outraged and demands the perpetrator of this detestable atrocity be hanged. Fast forward to a holding cell where the execution clock continues to appear and tick away as two men await the execution and reflect on what has transpired. In an unexpected twist we realize both men are merely pawns to the power and corruption of those who seek to control others. Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead tells the true story of a legendary tracker and killer who finds himself in the middle of a clash between the cattle barons who hire him and the twentieth century expansion of the west.

  • Mark Vizcarra
    Director
    The Flying Greek, Forgotten Hero, Thud Pilot
  • Mark Vizcarra
    Writer
    The Flying Greek, Forgotten Hero, Thud Pilot
  • Mark Vizcarra
    Producer
    The Flying Greek, Forgotten Hero, Thud Pilot
  • Larry Poole
    Producer
    The Flying Greek, Forgotten Hero, Thud Pilot
  • Larry Poole
    Key Cast
    "Tom Horn"
  • Shane P. Allen
    Key Cast
    "Joe Lefors "
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    1,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • GI Film Festival San Diego 2017
    San Diego
    United States
    October 22, 2017
    California
    Best Narrative Short, Best Film Made by a Veteran, Best Actor
  • San Diego Film Week 2018
    San Diego
    United States
    March 7, 2018
    Best Student Narrative Short Film
Director Biography - Mark Vizcarra

Mark Vizcarra entered film school after 29 years of service in the United States Navy. He spent nearly two decades flying the world’s most sophisticated fighters accumulating over 2500 hours and landing aboard nine different aircraft carriers. As a Commander having been assigned on an Admiral Staff, he has been responsible for programs in excess of 100 million dollars and knows the intricate details of successful project management and leadership. He is in his last year at The Los Angeles Film School and brings a unique perspective to filmmaking which is clearly visible in his work and his passion for authentic storytelling.

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Director Statement

I have always been fascinated by history and time. I suppose that is one of the reasons I am drawn to making films based on true stories. I have always wanted to do a western film from a historical perspective with the mysteries of time being a central point to the story. I happened to come across a New York Times article reporting the Tom Horn’s retrial ninety-years after the fact. The headline title, Once Guilty, Now Innocent, But Still Dead, captivated me. The reality of an innocent man hanged impelled me to ponder one of life’s unique truths – only a person who is sentenced to death really knows the exact time they will die. I use that theme throughout Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead to tell the true story of a nineteenth century legendary assassin in the middle of a clash between the Cattle Barons who hire him and the twentieth century expansion of the west. The setting is a time of the great migration and expansion of the frontier that left little regulation or enforcement other than a gentlemen’s agreement to certain rules of conduct respected on the range. One man, Tom Horn the legendary tracker and enforcer of that gentlemen’s agreement soon realizes the days and ways of his existence are being swallowed up by progress as the west enters into the twentieth century. Only authentic props from the Winchester rifle to the horse’ saddles were used while filming as I believe authenticity is vital to telling any story to maintain that genuine look and feel of the story. Actual American cowboys were cast to accurately play the characters within the Tom Horn story and authentic music was composed and performed to take the audience to Wyoming in 1902. The compelling story of Tom Horn’s life is not well known and I hope Once Guilty, Now Innocent, Still Dead will present a part of American history that is now only a faded memory.