Boy oh boy, I have watched this film several times now and it always feels like the first time even though I know what is going to happen next. The acting by William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Tom Skerritt, Karl Malden, Moses Gunn, Lynn Carlin, Joe Don Baker and Victor French were all born to play such great film roles in what turned out to be a great western film classic.
Director Blake Edwards known more for making camp classics such as the 1965 The Great Race, and the entire Pink Panther franchise collection, really showed his mettle as a director in guiding this ensemble of first rate film stars such as Karl Malden and William Holden who seamlessly made this western as real as if we were there in the present day when men worked hard and long for whisky and women money.
Ryan O'Neal who plays a handsome fast gun toting cowpoke teams up with William Holden and these two novice bank robbers perform their first bank robbery and then they high tail it out of town with a posse chasing them comprised of the towns local cattle rancher family, the Buckman's.
As the chase continues through the mountain terrains young Frank Post (Ryan O'Neal) and seasoned aged cowpoke Ross Bodine (William Holden) form a fun and daring journey that most men would be proud in sharing such a close friendship. Their friendship would be more closely associated with a father and son relationship than with two cowpokes who recently met and quickly form a strong bond that only death could separate these two cow hands and recent novice bank robbers.
The film is filled with expansive scenery, men of the wild west with ruggedness, adultery, bar room fights, bank robbery, loyalty, guilt, and misguided beliefs that one bad crime could set these two misfortunate cowboys up for a life of leisure without consequence. It is a western that must be seen....at least twice in a lifetime. The only thing lacking was a great musical collaboration that writer/director Blake Edwards could have used his music director Henry Mancini to complete.
I give the film a timeless 9 out of 10 rating.
Director Blake Edwards known more for making camp classics such as the 1965 The Great Race, and the entire Pink Panther franchise collection, really showed his mettle as a director in guiding this ensemble of first rate film stars such as Karl Malden and William Holden who seamlessly made this western as real as if we were there in the present day when men worked hard and long for whisky and women money.
Ryan O'Neal who plays a handsome fast gun toting cowpoke teams up with William Holden and these two novice bank robbers perform their first bank robbery and then they high tail it out of town with a posse chasing them comprised of the towns local cattle rancher family, the Buckman's.
As the chase continues through the mountain terrains young Frank Post (Ryan O'Neal) and seasoned aged cowpoke Ross Bodine (William Holden) form a fun and daring journey that most men would be proud in sharing such a close friendship. Their friendship would be more closely associated with a father and son relationship than with two cowpokes who recently met and quickly form a strong bond that only death could separate these two cow hands and recent novice bank robbers.
The film is filled with expansive scenery, men of the wild west with ruggedness, adultery, bar room fights, bank robbery, loyalty, guilt, and misguided beliefs that one bad crime could set these two misfortunate cowboys up for a life of leisure without consequence. It is a western that must be seen....at least twice in a lifetime. The only thing lacking was a great musical collaboration that writer/director Blake Edwards could have used his music director Henry Mancini to complete.
I give the film a timeless 9 out of 10 rating.