Main Cast: Sam Elliott, Arliss Howard, Carolyn McCormick, James Gammon, R. Lee Ermey
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Produced for U.S. cable outlet TNT, You Know My Name is based on the colorful true story of Bill Tilghman, who went from Wild West lawman to Hollywood filmmaker to lawman again. Tilghman, played by Sam Elliott, was once an associate of Wyatt Earp and had run-ins with such famous outlaws as Cattle Annie and Little Britches. After retiring from law enforcement, Tilghman moved to California and began producing a series of silent Westerns that stressed historical authenticity over the grand-standing heroics of Tom Mix and William S. Hart. However, his films lacked name stars and failed to click at the box office. After his career in film went bust, Tilghman, nearly 70, answered a call from a friend to help him reform Cromwell, Oklahoma. Once called "the most sinful town in America," Cromwell was a place where vice was freely traded in many forms and the only peace officer was a violent, cocaine-addicted tyrant named Wiley (Arliss Howard). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
James Parks - Alibi Joe; Sheila McCarthy - Mrs. Lynn; Nataalia Rey - Rose; Jonathon Young - Hugh; Perla Batalla - Singer
Credit
Doug Byggdin - Art Director, Shannon Grover - Art Director, Denise Chamian - Casting, Denise Chaman - Casting, Wendy Partridge - Costume Designer, John Kent Harrison - Director, Lois Freeman-Fox - Editor, Sam Elliott - Executive Producer, Amy Adelson - Executive Producer, Brandon Stoddard - Executive Producer, Lawrence Shragge - Composer (Music Score), Brent Thomas - Production Designer, Kees Van Oostrum - Cinematographer, Andrew Gottlieb - Producer, Eric Batut - Sound/Sound Designer, John Scott - Stunts Coordinator, John Kent Harrison - Screenwriter
It is 1924 and the height of Prohibition. Oklahoma is still a wild and lawless haven for all manner of criminals, and even the men who are sworn to uphold the law are themselves corrupt and part of the new crime syndicates looking to expand into the new markets and towns. One of these men is Wiley Lynn (Arliss Howard), an unscrupulous federal agent who hides behind the power his badge gives him and ruthlessly deals with anyone who stands in his way, even his own wife. His drinking and drug addiction further feed his increasingly violent and erratic behavior.
Bill Tilghman (Sam Elliott) is a legendary lawman who is as famous for his shooting and exploits with one-time partner Wyatt Earp as he is for his virtue and honesty. Now retired from law enforcement to a more normal home life in Oklahoma with his wife Zoe and their two young sons, he turns to directing and starring in a movie about his Wild West exploits. Concerned about audiences' growing appetite for movies that romanticize and exaggerate the past, he is especially intent on producing a movie that deglamorizes and more accurately portrays the lives of outlaws.
Fed up with the growing and indiscriminate violence and chaos in their town, the people of Cromwell reluctantly turn to Tilghman to help restore order and kick out the criminal element. Although he is faced with several corrupt business owners who frequently attempt to thwart his efforts, Tilghman quickly wins over the more intimidated or skeptical townsfolk with his honesty, wit and fair dealing. They gradually become more assertive and willing to take a more active role in directly dealing with the gamblers, swindlers, murderers, and prostitutes. Before long, Cromwell becomes a quiet and genteel town.
The new order does not sit well with Lynn, who dismisses Tilghman as a relic whose time has long passed. Having previously murdered three other men in cold blood, Lynn sets his sights on Tilghman.
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