Deliverance Creek

Deliverance Creek

Year: 2014

Runtime: 87 mins

Language: English

Director: Jon Amiel

Drama

Following the Civil War, Belle Gatlin Barlowe, a widowed mother, struggles to protect her family’s land. Faced with a ruthless local bank threatening her livelihood, she is pushed to become an outlaw. Belle’s fight for survival forces her to confront difficult choices and question the true meaning of justice and the lengths one must go to protect those they love.

Tense
Ambiguous ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Steady pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Deliverance Creek (2014)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Deliverance Creek (2014). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1863

The story unfolds in 1863, two years after the start of the Civil War. It’s a tense period in the border states, with Union forces, deserters, and enslaved people trying to navigate a volatile social order. The danger of raids and the possibility of pay being the target shapes everyday life in Deliverance Creek.

Location

Deliverance Creek, Arkansas

Deliverance Creek is a small Arkansas frontier town set during the Civil War era. It serves as the focal point for a pay delivery by Union troops and becomes a battleground for deserters and townspeople. The community is defined by farms and a bank, where loyalty, fear, and survival intersect as men drift between duty and desertion.

🏞️ Rural town 🕰️ Civil War era 🏚️ Frontier

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:50

Main Characters – Deliverance Creek (2014)

Meet the key characters of Deliverance Creek (2014), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Belle Gatlin Barlow (Lauren Ambrose)

A resilient, resourceful farmwife who must defend her family and home as war disrupts everyday life. She navigates precarious alliances, confronts threats from the Crawfords, and orchestrates a dangerous plan to take back what’s been stolen. Her resolve is tested by hunger, fear, and the cost of vengeance.

💪 Strong-willed 🏡 Family-focused 🎯 Determined

Jeb Crawford (Barry Tubb)

A neighbor with a volatile temper who embodies wartime pettiness and threat. His actions create tension at Belle’s home, exposing the volatility of small-town power dynamics during the conflict.

🔥 Hot-headed ⚠️ Troublemaker 🧩 Rival

Caleb Barlow (Judah Lewis)

Belle’s son whose presence underscores the personal stakes of the war. He joins the fray with deserters and is tragically shot during the upheaval, illustrating the cost of conflict on families.

🧒 Family-first 🪖 War-loss 💔 Tragic

Nate Cooper (Wes Ramsey)

A deputy who represents law and order—but is also drawn into Belle’s dangerous circle. He embodies the complicated loyalties and protective instincts that frame the town’s wartime choices.

🛡️ Protector 💼 Lawman ⚖️ Loyalties

Kessie (Yaani King Mondschein)

A enslaved woman who acts with courage to escape bondage and reunite her family. She forges papers and negotiates a fragile bargain, underscoring the brutal realities of slavery and the hope for freedom.

🕊️ Freedom-seeker 💪 Resilience 🪙 Resourceful

Jasper Gatlin (Christopher Backus)

A deserter who partners with Belle to pull off the payroll heist. His practical, morally gray stance reflects the desperation and opportunism born from a long war.

🎯 Pragmatic 🫂 Ally 🗡️ Betrayal

Cyril (Christopher James Baker)

One of the deserters who aims to keep the payroll for himself. His self-interest introduces tension and danger, threatening Belle’s plan and the group’s fragile alliance.

💼 Self-interest 🗡️ Opportunist 🤝 Unreliable

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:50

Major Themes – Deliverance Creek (2014)

Explore the central themes of Deliverance Creek (2014), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗡️ Revenge

Belle’s pursuit of justice for Caleb’s death drives much of the plot. She leverages community ties and cunning to outmaneuver the deserters and those who crossed her. The payroll heist becomes a vehicle for retribution as much as for survival.

🤝 Loyalty

The film explores loyalty across divided lines—family bonds, neighborly trust, and the uneasy alliances formed among Union deserters and townspeople. Characters weigh personal safety against collective duty in a threatening wartime landscape. Choices about trust and sacrifice push characters to test their commitments.

🕊️ Freedom and Slavery

Kessie’s escape with her family and her forged papers highlight the ongoing struggle for freedom in the South. The Underground Railroad subplots show the risks enslaved people take to gain liberty, while the civilians around them must decide where their loyalties lie. The tension between bondage and personal autonomy frames the action as much as any gunfight.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:50

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Narrative Summary

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Narrative Summary

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Deliverance Creek Summary

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Deliverance Creek Spoiler-Free Summary

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