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Category: Original Reviews

Responses to Peary’s “must see” movie reviews, as well as my own “must see” movie reviews up to and after 1986 (when Peary’s book was published).

Comes a Horseman (1978)

Comes a Horseman (1978)

“She was tough in the old days — but the two of ya is just plum awful.”

Synopsis:
Near the end of World War II, a female rancher (Jane Fonda) and her cowhand (Richard Farnsworth) hire a war veteran (James Caan) to help them with their land — which includes staving off increasingly threatening attempts by local baron J.W. Ewing (Jason Robards) to buy it from them at any cost.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan J. Pakula Films
  • James Caan Films
  • Jane Fonda Films
  • Jason Robards, Jr. Films
  • Ranchers
  • Strong Females
  • Westerns

Review:
A year after co-starring as real-life lovers Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett in Julia (1977), Jane Fonda and Jason Robards, Jr. paired up once again — as adversaries — in this slow-paced, beautifully photographed (by Gordon Willis) western from director Alan J. Pakula. Fonda is fully deglamorized as a woman purely focused on her work and her land:

… who is slow (very slow) to take to Caan; but they suit one another well enough that eventually they make a powerful team.

Richard Farnsworth earned an Academy Award nomination as a grizzled cowhand who has stayed by Fonda’s side for years, at risk of his own well-being:

… and Robards, Jr. is appropriately menacing as a man accustomed to getting what he wants, at any cost.

Other than showing the nitty-gritty toil of ranching, this neo-western is focused on the age-old western trope of competition for land use, with oil prospecting coming into play in the form of George Grizzard’s Neil Atkinson, whose family was a financial backer for the Ewings.

Corruption abounds — and things most certainly turn dark (then even darker). Apparently most critics weren’t too fond of this film when it was released, but I think it’s held up well for those who don’t mind the slightly slower pace (and the surprisingly dramatic ending).

Note: Watch for young Mark Harmon in a brief early role as Caan’s ill-fated partner.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Jane Fonda as Ella
  • James Caan as Frank
  • Jason Robards as Ewing
  • Richard Farnsworth as Dodger
  • Gordon Willis’s cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s definitely worth a look. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Starting Over (1979)

Starting Over (1979)

“I am no one-nighter — I’m a teacher!”

Synopsis:
When a writer (Burt Reynolds) is divorced by his aspiring-songwriter wife (Candice Bergen), he begins an affair with a preschool teacher (Jill Clayburgh) — but are Reynolds and Bergen really over each other?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan J. Pakula Films
  • Burt Reynolds Films
  • Candice Bergen Films
  • Divorce
  • Jill Clayburgh Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Romantic Comedy

Review:
Alan J. Pakula directed this adaptation of Dan Wakefield’s 1973 novel about the challenges of dating after a divorce. As the film opens, we can see that Reynolds is none too happy about divorcing his beautiful (albeit tone-deaf) wife, Bergen, who is initiating the break.

Thankfully, Reynolds receives loving support from his brother (Charles Durning) and sister-in-law (Frances Sternhagen):

… who quickly set him up with a friend (Clayburgh) (though their “meet-cute” turns out to be embarrassingly awkward).

Naturally, things progress from there — and the entire film is spent showing how Reynolds and Clayburgh (who seems to be building on momentum from her quirky character in An Unmarried Woman) navigate both their mixed emotions and their strong attraction to one another.

While played for laughs at times, the overall tone of James L. Brooks’s screenplay rings realistic — at least until Bergen comes back into the picture and, inevitably, messes with their happiness.

We’ve been primed for this turn of events by others in the support group Reynolds is attending, whose members warn about the dangers of reconciliation with your ex-wife.

It’s really distressing to see Clayburgh hurt — and the remainder of the story plays out pretty painfully. While realistic about the vagaries of the human heart, Starting Over isn’t an easy ride; however, it’s worth a look for the strong lead performances (Reynolds is especially impressive in an off-type role).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Burt Reynolds as Phil
  • Jill Clayburgh as Marilyn
  • Candice Bergen as Jessica

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

Blume in Love (1973)

Blume in Love (1973)

“Who was I kidding? Being with one woman and constantly thinking of another was using.”

Synopsis:
After cheating on his wife (Susan Anspach), a divorce lawyer (George Segal) realizes what a huge mistake he’s made and tries everything to win her back, including befriending her new lover (Kris Kristofferson).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Divorce
  • Flashback Films
  • George Segal Films
  • Infidelity
  • Kris Kristofferson Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Marital Problems
  • Marsha Mason Films
  • Obsessive Love
  • Paul Mazursky Films
  • Shelley Winters Films
  • Winning Him or Her Back

Review:
Writer-director Paul Mazursky’s third feature — after Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) and Alex in Wonderland (1970), and just before Harry and Tonto (1974) — was this non-linear flashback film about a man who only realizes what he’s lost once he’s blown it. It’s hard to sympathize with Segal’s Stephen Blume given his egregious behavior (i.e., cheating with his secretary) near the beginning of the movie:

… though it’s refreshing to see Anspach so instantly resolute about leaving him, and staying in control of her own life from then on. Indeed, the film’s entire focus is on Blume eating crow, which holds a certain type of morbid fascination for anyone who’s ever been deceived. Could this movie be considered a lengthy paean to the strength and tenacity of survivors?

Perhaps so — at least until a crucial sequence later in the film when our sensibilities are once again shattered, and we wonder how (or if) we can forgive the perpetrator in question. The culminating sequence (echoing the opening honeymoon flashback) is an impossibly romantic elegy, set in a Roman plaza while “Tristan and Isolde” is being performed, which gives a hint about Mazursky’s frame of mind with this entire story: he is looking for toeholds in the messiness of life and love.

The lead actors are both excellent, as are supporting players Kristofferson (playing laid-back Elmo):

… Marsha Mason as Segal’s understanding new lover:

… and Shelley Winters as one of Blume’s distraught clients.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • George Segal as Stephen Blume
  • Susan Anspach as Nina
  • Bruce Surtees’ cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Harry and Tonto (1974)

Harry and Tonto (1974)

“I will not leave without my cat.”

Synopsis:
A widower (Art Carney) whose New York City apartment is being torn down embarks on a cross-country trip with his cat Tonto, staying briefly with each of his grown kids — Burt (Philip Bruns), Shirley (Ellen Burstyn), and Eddie (Larry Hagman) — while also meeting a variety of new friends and acquaintances.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ellen Burstyn Films
  • Elderly People
  • Geraldine Fitzgerald Films
  • Grown Children
  • Paul Mazursky Films
  • Pets
  • Road Trip

Review:
Peary doesn’t review this Paul Makursky-directed film in his GFTFF, but he does briefly mention it in Alternate Oscars given Carney’s surprise win that year as Best Actor. He refers to it as “the sweetest road movie to come down the pike,” noting that Carney “gave a fine performance, revealing unsuspected dramatic skills and proving that he could command our attention on the big screen as a leading man just as surely as when he charmed us as Ed Norton on the small screen’s The Honeymooners.” However, “in hindsight [Carney’s Oscar] victory is of little satisfaction for movie fans because with the exception of The Late Show, opposite Lily Tomlin, Carney’s later contributions to movies were negligible” and “he remains a television star.”

I would agree — but meanwhile, this does remain a surprisingly affecting slice-of-life from the mid-1970s, showcasing numerous cities and roadscapes across the nation, and always authentically holding our attention. While Harry raises a ruckus near the beginning by refusing to leave his home:

… we quickly see evidence of his shift towards going with the flow, as he makes his way across various settings and pays attention to the state and wishes of others around him. He understands, for instance, that staying with his oldest son Burt (Bruns) isn’t a long-term solution:

… so he gets going from there sooner rather than later (it’s refreshing to see that their father-son relationship is rooted in authentic care). An early scene at an airport luggage checkpoint provides a quaint reminder of how such things used to go (Harry refuses to let Tonto’s bag be looked at):

… and we see further evidence of Harry’s concern for his cat on his next mode of transportation (which ultimately doesn’t work because Tonto needs to pee and bus schedules can’t wait).

Harry otherwise gets around by purchasing a used car (and picking up a couple of hitchhikers), then hitching rides himself until he’s finally on the west coast. Along the way, he befriends young Melanie Mayron:

… who is on her way to a commune in Boulder and ends up accompanied by Harry’s nephew Norman (Josh Mostel, Zero’s son). Harry very briefly visits his daughter (Burstyn) in Chicago, but their relationship clearly has some tensions given that she refers to him by his name (rather than Dad) and there is no consideration of him staying long.

Geraldine Fitzgerald has a nice little cameo as a former lover with dementia:

… and Oscar-nominated Chief Dan George is fine in a small bit as a fellow prisoner who bonds with Harry over his purchase of a blender, sold to them both by a traveling natural foods salesman (Arthur Hunnicutt).

Be forewarned that the ending may have you choked up a bit.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Art Carney as Harry
  • Good performances by the supporting cast

  • Excellent use of location shooting across the nation

Must See?
Yes, for Carney’s performance and as a Good Show. Listed as a Cult Movie and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Good Show
  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

Hired Hand, The (1971)

Hired Hand, The (1971)

“Most people who work for the Widow Collings get paid in more than cash and keep.”

Synopsis:
When three men — Harry (Peter Fonda), Arch (Warren Oates) and Dan (Robert Pratt) — stop in a small town on their way west, unexpected tragedy violence occurs with one of its citizens (Severn Darden), leading to ongoing repurcussions once Harry and Arch arrive back at the homestead of Harry’s abandoned wife (Verna Bloom) and daughter (Megan Denver).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Friendship
  • Marital Problems
  • Peter Fonda Films
  • Revenge
  • Strong Females
  • Verna Bloom Films
  • Warren Oates Films
  • Westerns

Review:
Peter Fonda’s studio-financed follow-up to Easy Rider (1969) was helming and starring in this highly artsy, slow-paced western with a haunting score and dreamy cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. It’s difficult to know where things are going (literally) at first, as the film opens on three men wandering (we don’t know how they met or where they’ve been), and we learn that the youngest (Pratt) is interested in finally seeing the Pacific Ocean (though Fonda wants to head back home to his wife).

On their way, after an ominous experience while fishing (their line snags on something they don’t want to reel in), they have the misfortune of stopping by a small town run by bespectacled Darden, who appears innocuous but most certainly isn’t (looks are deceiving in this West).

From there, the bulk of the story focuses on Fonda’s tentative reuniting with Bloom, who has adapted over her years of solitude and isn’t exactly thrilled to welcome her roaming husband back, but is willing to give both him and Oates a try.

There are a couple of unexpectedly violent and bloody sequences, and revenge definitely plays a huge role in this western tale — but even more notable are the look of the film (plenty of slo-mo and double exposure are used throughout):

… and folk musician Bruce Langhorne’s highly eclectic score (utilizing sitar, fiddle, and banjo), which impresses and intrigues from the opening moments; I liked it enough that I’ll be giving it another listen on its own.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Verna Bloom as Hannah Collings
  • Warren Oates as Arch Harris
  • Creative direction by Fonda and editing by Frank Mazzola
  • Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography
  • A highly unique (if overly varied) score by Bruce Langhorne

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

“You make it with some of these chicks, they think you gotta dance with them.”

Synopsis:
When a teen (John Travolta) in Brooklyn falls for a beautiful dancer (Karen Lynn Gorney) he sees in a local discotheque, he begins pursuing her both as a dance partner and a romantic partner.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Class Relations
  • Dancers
  • John Travolta Films
  • New York City
  • Social Climbers
  • Womanizers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary writes, “John Travolta danced the disco beat to instant superstardom in this smash hit” in which he “plays 19-year-old Tony, who lives in a lower-middle-class Catholic neighborhood in Brooklyn” and on “Saturday nights” is “top dog at the local disco.”

Indeed, “dancing gives him his only fulfillment” — though “he senses that it can’t last forever,” and “across the bridge is Manhattan — the promised land.”

Peary asserts that the movie’s theme “is that every person has the talent to ‘make it,’ to escape the neighborhood where there are no opportunities; all anyone needs is drive and opportunities” — and for “Travolta and Gorney, opposites who get serious about each other,” the “disco’s upcoming dance context [is] their springboard to the big time.”

Unfortunately, the “film is shallow,” but Peary argues that “Travolta is electrifying, whether getting dressed in his room, wiggling down the street:

… trying desperately to express himself in conversation, making love, or, of course, putting on an amazing display on the dance floor.” He adds that the “disco score, featuring popular Bee Gees songs, is super,” and points out that the film is “stylishly, feverishly directed by John Badham, who isn’t ashamed to explore Travolta’s sexual appeal.”

Peary elaborates on Travolta’s breakthrough big-screen performance in Alternate Oscars, where he names him Best Actor of the Year and writes: “There was doubt that Travolta could make the transition from television, where he’d built up a following as Vinnie Barbarino in the high school comedy Welcome Back, Kotter.” However, “in his first movie lead (he’d been funny in a secondary role in Carrie) he became the sensation of the year, a magazine cover boy and sex symbol.” He points out that Travolta — who is “captivating” — is “great out on the dance floor, making sexual moves to the Bee Gees that have the females in the 2001 [Club] sighing:

… but he’s just as much fun to watch while strutting down the street as if he knows everyone is watching, or gazing at himself in the mirror — a moment of narcissism for a young boy without much self-esteem.”

He highlights how Travolta “has sweet, puppy-dog eyes, a sheepish face, and a delivery that starts out aggressive but ends up sounding hurt or defensive, as if he expects to be put down”; and he smiles “appreciatively if he gets a compliment, as when his boss gives him a raise:

… and when Stephanie [Gorley] admits he’s interesting and even intelligent.”

In his review for DVD Talk, Stuart Galbraith IV argues that:

The movie benefits from an almost classical script rich in characterizations. I was impressed by how in the movie tells us so much about Tony in just the first two minutes. Before the end of the first reel the audience learns Tony: likes to chase women, is a kind and thoughtful brother, is trusting and kind-hearted to strangers, thinks fast on his feet, and is popular in his neighborhood. The posters in his bedroom say it all — on the walls are Bruce Lee, Farrah-Fawcett, Rocky, and Al Pacino (as Serpico).

Interestingly, in the original magazine article upon which this script was based — later acknowledged by the author to be made up — the lead character (here named Vincent) daydreams explicitly of disturbing violence.

… Whenever he gazed into the mirror, it was always Pacino who gazed back. A killer, and a star. Heroic in reflection. Then Vincent would take another breath, the deepest he could manage; would make his face, his whole body, go still; would blink three times to free his imagination, and he would start to count.

Silently, as slowly as possible, he would go from one to a hundred. It was now, while he counted, that he thought about death.

Mostly he thought about guns. On certain occasions, if he felt that he was getting stale, he might also dwell on knives, on karate chops and flying kung fu kicks, even on laser beams. But always, in the last resort, he came back to bullets.

Fortunately, this isn’t how Tony is portrayed on-screen — though his buddies’ crude and immature behavior is often challenging to watch, as is Tony’s rejection of his original dance partner (Donna Pescow), who is eventually subjected to highly disturbing treatment.

Indeed, women aren’t exactly portrayed in the best light in this film. While Gorney — who Peary claims “can’t act” — refreshingly stands up for herself time and again, she’s referred to repeatedly as “practicing to be a bitch” and is given a hard time for being a “social climber.” Other young women (i.e., Denny Dillon’s “Doreen”) clamor to dance with, sleep with, or simply be nearby Tony:

… while the women back at home (Tony’s mother and grandmother) merely fuss over food or show deep distress when Tony’s priestly brother (Martin Shakar) has a career crisis.

Another subplot — involving neurotic Bobby (Barry Miller), who has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and is seeking advice from everyone around him on what to do — is intentionally meant to mirror James Dean and Sal Mineo’s relationship in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), though in a less nuanced and more distributed way.

Ultimately, Saturday Night Live is a film to watch for Travolta’s dynamic performance and as a snapshot of a certain era — not because of any particularly profound insights it offers into the human condition. Be forewarned that you will get “Night Fever” stuck in your head for hours (if not days) after watching this flick.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • John Travolta as Tony
  • Excellent use of location shooting across the city
  • The Bee Gees’ iconic score

Must See?
Yes, for Travolta’s performance and its historical significance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant
  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Patton (1970)

Patton (1970)

“They’ll lose their fear of the Germans; I hope to God they’ll never lose their fear of me.”

Synopsis:
During World War II, controversial General George S. Patton (George C. Scott) puts his career in jeopardy by refusing to tone down his strong beliefs and provocative behavior.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Biopics
  • George C. Scott Films
  • Karl Malden Films
  • Military
  • Nonconformists
  • Ruthless Leaders
  • World War II

Review:
Peary doesn’t review 1970’s Best Picture Winner in GFTFF, but he does discuss it in Alternate Oscars, where he notes that it “was geared to be, politically speaking, a middle-of-the-road film that wouldn’t offend anyone, and it was rewarded with across-the-board popularity.” Indeed, it became “a favorite movie of the hawkish presidents and military men, who jotted down every quote the aggressive general uttered about the nature of war and the responsibilities of the officers and soldiers who fought it.” He adds that “those who insisted the Vietnam War was being lost because sound military strategy was being compromised by diplomacy, discovered in this film the historical figure they wanted our generals to emulate.”

Peary asserts that “Patton was appealingly presented as a nonconformist within the military, a poet and historian who often speaks his mind against authority figures” — and he points out that “any time Patton says something that might have raised the ire of college-age viewers, [co-screenwriters Francis Ford] Coppola and Edmund H. North wisely have Karl Malden’s Omar Bradley counter with a more reasoned statement, as if he and not Patton represented the thinking of the filmmakers.”

Peary concedes that “Patton contains a great performance by Scott and holds up fairly well as a biography and as a war movie” — but he points out that:

“Under close scrutiny you’ll notice that this film has a flimsy structure with five or six basic scenes that are repeated over and over in different settings, as the war progresses. Repeatedly, Patton startles officers with his idiosyncracies, frightens soldiers with his discipline, shows (when his guard is down) that he really cares about the men who serve under him, gets into trouble for being outspoken, and so on.”

He asserts it’s “also annoying… that every time Coppola and North want us to know what a military genius Patton is, we cut to German headquarters, where we hear their top brass exalting him.”

I’m not as irritated by the structure of the film as Peary is, given that it shows the actual — albeit inevitably fictionalized — arc of this real-life general’s career, which likely did flow somewhat like this; and it feels relevant to highlight how highly German enemies thought of him given his rocky reception back at home.

In terms of Scott, Peary points out that his “tour-de-force performance… overwhelmed everyone in 1970” and “his blunt, imposing opening speech in front of a huge American flag became an instant classic — he could have stopped right then and won the Oscar.”

He adds, “It leads me to believe Scott would have been even more effective in a one-man show about Patton, because the other characters and repetitive scenes and conversations got in the actor’s way. Still, for giving one of the cinema’s most forceful and memorable characterizations of an historical figure, he certainly was worthy of the award the Academy wanted to give him.” However, Peary himself gives the Alternate Oscar to Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces (1970), which he also names as the Best Picture of the Year.

Note: An interesting bit of trivia is that “this was one of the few Oscar-nominated major films without a single female actor listed in the credits. There are only 3 lines of female dialogue in the film (during Patton’s PR appearances in England.)” Ouch.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • George C. Scott as Patton
  • Fine cinematography

  • Jerry Goldsmith’s score

Must See?
Yes, for Scott’s bravura performance and as an Oscar winner.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Breaking Away (1979)

Breaking Away (1979)

“He was as normal as pumpkin pie — and now look at him!”

Synopsis:
A small town teenager (Dennis Christopher) obsessed with bicycle racing and Italy hangs out with his buddies — Mike (Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) — while flirting with a beautiful college student (Robyn Douglass) and managing a rocky relationship with his car-salesman dad (Paul Dooley).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Class Relations
  • Coming of Age
  • Dennis Christopher Films
  • Dennis Quaid Films
  • Father and Child
  • Noncomformists
  • Peter Yates Films
  • Small Town America
  • Sports

Review:
Peter Yates directed this Oscar-nominated feel-good film (Steve Tesich won for best original screenplay) about class relations, friendship, identity, and father-son dynamics in Bloomington, Indiana. Featuring a memorable lead performance by Christopher as quirky high school grad Dave Stohler:

… whose adventures we get drawn into right away. Dave has huge (if naive) dreams, loyal (if confused) friends, and a frustrated (albeit loving) father who doesn’t hesitate to openly criticize his son.

Although some scenes are played for laughs, everything feels realistic here, from the quarry where the “cutters” (a.k.a. townies) go to swim:

… to the exciting closing bike race at Indiana University.

Barbara Barrie — so memorable many years earlier in One Potato, Two Potato (1964) — earned an Oscar nomination for her performance here as a supportive mother and wife who seems willing to put up with just about anything.

Equally noteworthy are Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley (each with a highly distinctive personality) as Dave’s close friends; their unwavering support for one another is a refreshing throughline.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Dennis Christopher as Dave (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in Alternate Oscars)
  • Jackie Earle Haley, Dennis Quaid, and Daniel Stern as Dave’s friends
  • Barbara Barrie as Evelyn Stohler
  • Paul Dooley as Ray Stohler
  • Fine location shooting in Bloomington, Indiana

Must See?
Yes, as a unique little film. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book, and nominated as one of the three possible Best Pictures of the Year in Alternate Oscars.

Categories

  • Good Show
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Getaway, The (1972)

Getaway, The (1972)

“We’ve come a lot of miles, but we’re not close to anything.”

Synopsis:
After making a deal with a corrupt parole officer (Ben Johnson) to help release her husband (Steve McQueen) from prison, a woman (Ali MacGraw) joins McQueen in conducting a required payback heist involving a double-crossing felon (Al Lettieri) who is nothing but bad news for all involved.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ali MacGraw Films
  • Criminal Couples on the Run
  • Ex-Cons
  • Fugitives
  • Heists
  • Sam Peckinpah Films
  • Steve McQueen Films

Review:
Just after her star-making turn in Love Story (1970), Ali MacGraw was cast for her bankability as the lead in this heist-adventure flick, directed by Sam Peckinpah and based on a 1958 novel of the same name by Jim Thompson. Thankfully, the role suits her well, and she gives one of her best performances (though she didn’t think so). It’s easy to imagine this woman so in love with McQueen that she will do anything for and with him — and while there are significant plot twists related to what exactly this entails, it feels believable enough to stay engaged.

In addition to following the rocky travails of McQueen and MacGraw’s on-the-lam romance, we’re watching to see what will happen with a rogue henchman (Lettieri) who has captured the attention of a bored doctor’s wife he’s holding hostage (Sally Struthers).

Given that this is a Peckinpah film, viewers can expect plenty of stylized action and violence taking place across a range of settings — including (of course) a bank, a veterinarian’s office, a shady hotel, a train station, an electronics store, and a dump. If it’s hard to believe the characters can escape so many close calls with death, you’ll just have to suspend judgment.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Ali MacGraw as Carol McCoy
  • Al Lettieri as Rudy
  • Lucien Ballard’s cinematography
  • Quincy Jones’s score

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links:

Missouri Breaks, The (1976)

Missouri Breaks, The (1976)

“Why don’t we just take a walk and we’ll just talk about the Wild West and how to get the hell out of it?”

Synopsis:
A rustler (Jack Nicholson) and his men seek revenge against a local rancher (John McLiam) who has hung one of their teammates, but must deal with an eccentric “regulator” (Marlon Brando) sent to take care of them.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Arthur Penn Films
  • Frederic Forrest Films
  • Harry Dean Stanton Films
  • Jack Nicholson Films
  • Marlon Brando Films
  • Outlaws
  • Ranchers
  • Randy Quaid Films
  • Westerns

Review:
Titled after “a forlorn and very rugged area of north-central Montana, where over eons, the Missouri River has made countless deep cuts or ‘breaks’ in the land,” this unique western — directed by Arthur Penn — is perhaps best known for Brando’s highly improvised, off-script performance as Robert E. Lee Clayton, a “regulator” (I hadn’t heard that term before) hired to take care of rustlers. Lang Thompson of TCM refers to him as “one of the weirdest characters who ever prowled the Wild West,” noting he “has an Irish brogue, takes baths at the oddest times, recites love poems to his horse, occasionally dresses in drag…, and has a knack for ingenious murders (he commits one with a harpoon in the shape of a crucifix).”



Nicholson is a fine foil for Brando, and is given a lovely, unexpected romance with Braxton’s conflicted daughter (Kathleen Lloyd).

The rest of the supporting cast is excellent as well — including Harry Dean Stanton as Nicholson’s right hand man:

… Katherine Lloyd as Nicholson’s love interest:

… and Frederic Forrest as Cary, who meets an especially undignified death.

While it’s not must-see viewing, it’s well worth a look by western fans or fans of the stars.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Strong performances by the cast

  • Many oddly quirky moments
  • Fine period design
  • Michael Butler’s cinematography
  • John Williams’ interesting score

Must See?
No, but it’s definitely worth a look as a unique western. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links: