My review was written in January 1990 after watching the movie on Raedon video cassette.
The direct-to-video release of "Cole Justice" is a deeply felt homage to classic Westerns, styled as a modern revenge picture.
Filmmaker Carl Bartholomew also stars as Coleman Justice, an Oklahoma schoolteacher who trains his pupils in quoting dialog and absorbing the messages in Western films ranging from "The Ox-Bow Incident" right through to "Silverado". His favorites are "Shane" and "Once Upon a Time in the West", with film clips from both adding much to the narrative.
Some 35 years ago, Cole's girlfriend was raped and murdered on the way home fro seeing "Shane" at the local bijou. When Bartholomew sees some thugs terrorizing a bar waitress, the long-ago incident comes back to him and he becomes an avenger (dubbed "Killer Cowboy" by the local press).
Dressing in Western gear, including the long coats popularized by Sergio Leone, he goes after crack dealers and other heavies until his identity is discovered by his students.
Barholomew's pleasant screen persona and obvious love for the subject make "Cole Justice" watchable, but he stumbles by having too much sentimentality in the final reels.