A Fistful of Westerns

[Wayne]

I'll probably chip in with a few comments on the ones that i can still remember.

[Wayne]

Return to Lonesome Dove

This sequel has it's good points and it's bad, so let's get the bad out of the way first; on occasion it feels like an episode of a tv series rather than having the epic scope of the original. And to begin with it feels as if it's simply going to be a retread of the original, with survivor Woodrow Call deciding that if he's going back to the ranch in Montana he would this time take a herd of wild horses with him, causing him to enlist the help of an old friend. And of course he heads out on his own and soon has an encounter with some pesky injuns...

But that's where the similarities end. The story soon heads out in new directions with new characters and villains. The hardest thing to get used to is the recasting of two major roles...Jon Voight and Barbara Hershey take over the roles of Woodrow Call and Clara Allan It's not quite so hard to take in the form of Hershey, but in Voight's case the recasting of such a main character was a bit of a distraction at first; however after only a few scenes I had easily accepted him...Voight's portrayal, while not identical to Jones' , was a faithful interpretation of the role and he brought something new to the role. A harsher edge.

We also have a splendid supporting cast once again, with Rick Shroder excelling as Newt and Tim Scott returning as Pea Eye. New characters include another former Texas Ranger Gideon Walker who is along with the ride, along with Louis Gossett Jnr; but it's the villains who are the most interesting. Dennis Haysbert makes an excellent nasty, Cherokee Jack...he's almost unrecognisable here from his role of President Palmer from '24'. And Oliver Reed is in excellent form as the powerful cattle baron Gregor Dunnigan, landowner and neighbour of the newly created Hat Creek Ranch in Montana, who is afraid of losing all his land to newcomers and decides to take action. There are many layers to his character and you can see the reasons behind his actions...he's simply a flawed man rather than an out-and out bad guy.

I meant to get back to you on this 2 or 3 weeks ago when i watched it, but it was somewhat eclipsed by my enthusiasm for other stuff.
Apologies for being brief, but in a nutshell, it didn't grab me as much as the original 'Lonesome Dove'.
Robert Duvall was a bit part of the appeal of the original for me, & although obviously i knew he couldn't possibly be in it, with his character being dead n' all, It still didn't feel the same without him.
That said, i did think that Jon Voigt actually did a really good job, & i found him the most engaging on screen to watch. There were good performances also from the more than competent Barbara Hershey, & yes, referring to the discussion a few pages back about Oliver Reed, i admit he was good as well. Definitely one of his better roles, even if his irish accent was 'interesting' at times. And yes, what about Dennis Haysbert? A world away from his role in '24' as you say!
Overall it wasn't bad, but it just didn't seem as engaging as the original. Perhaps some of it was down to the writing as you say Mac, because to be fair, i thought the acting was good. I'd give it 6.5/10.
I'll be taking this one for my Dad in about a week's time, & before then i'm also gonna watch 'Streets of Laredo'.

[Ralph]

ahhh there's still life in this thread yet

[Wayne]

No thanks to you.

[Ralph]

Well I don't think there's going to be any further progress until late September - so no change there then!

[Wayne]

no change there then!

Quite.

When's your holiday again?

[Ralph]

I depart next Saturday for two weeks

[Wayne]

I'm away for a few days to my folks' caravan at Skeggy a week tomorrow as well. Not quite Canada, but i'm not as rich as you.

[Ralph]

As long as you have fun who cares about the destination - just you get that Goldwasser sorted for my October visit

[Wayne]

[before then i'm also gonna watch 'Streets of Laredo'.

Hmmmm....... I've got some mixed feelings about this one. Whereas 'Return To Lonesome Dove' didn't live up to the original perhaps more because of the writing rather than the performances, which were good, - I felt the some of the performances didn't do it for me in 'Streets of Laredo'.
James Garner is one of the culprits. I don't think his portrayal of Woodrow Call matched up to the previous actors. He seemed a bit indifferent, & it fostered a feeling of indifference within this viewer at least.
I thought Sissy Spacek was good as Lorena, but unfortunately the most unconvincing portrayal for me, came from Alexis Cruz as Joey. I just found his character really difficult to believe in, & as he was quite an important character it damaged the production as a whole to some extent. Still at least the likes of Randy Quaid & Sam Shepherd put in decent performances.
The story as a whole was ok, but it still didn't seem to have the spark that the original Lonesome Dove had, even though written by Larry McMurtry.
Sorry to be brief again, but overall i'd say this was a notch down on 'Return To Lonesome Dove', largely because of a couple of key characters/performances that i thought were weak. At at the of the day though, it's perfectly watchable, & above average entertainment, but probably not something i'd watch again to be honest, so i'm also giving this one to my Dad next week, as he likes this kind of stuff. I'd give 'Streets of Laredo' 6/10, compared to 6.5/10 for 'Return to Lonesome Dove', & 8.5/10 for the original 'Lonesome Dove', which IMO is easily the best of the three productions in all areas.
Thanks for the loan of these, Mac.

[Ralph]

To get myself kick started on this thread I've ordered a copy of the 1957 classic "Gunfight at the OK Corral" starring Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. Just felt in the mood for an old classic

[Dirk Gently]

I prefer the Bun Fight at the OK Tearooms.

[Wayne]

To get myself kick started on this thread I've ordered a copy of the 1957 classic "Gunfight at the OK Corral" starring Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. Just felt in the mood for an old classic

[Ralph]

still sulking because I didn't get to the end of the original order...

rules are made to be broken

[Wayne]

Nah, Bin there done this thread. It's just a shit film.

[Ralph]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, miserable git

Besides I like a variety of genres - it's not all or nothing for me matey!!

[Wayne]

Just don't send me a copy. It was bad enough that you foisted El Cid & Mutiny on the Bounty on me when i'd already told you i wasn't interested.



I hope Kenny enjoys them.

[Ralph]

Stop being such a grumpy git! Did you fall out of bed this morning?

That pic matches perfectly

[Wayne]

I think the pic conveys it all.

Two Ronnies S4 & that scottish sit-com please. You can keep the rest.

[Ralph]

By the way matey if you think this thread is dull... I'm spoiled for choice

[Ralph]

Open Range (2003)

Robert Duvall appears to reprise the essentials of his "Lonesome Dove" character in this one which adds greatly to the enjoyment factor. Kevin Costner is excellent too as is Michael Gambdon in a supporting role - indeed it's the performances overall that make this film. You really care about the characters and their fate. The finale is excellent too and makes for great viewing - modern techniques show the victims of bullits actually being blasted by the force which works very well. The film has a gritty realism about it like "The Unforgiven" that takes the glamour out of the gunfights and make them feel more the bloodbath they actually were.

Good stuff - 7/10 Thanks Wayne for lending - albeit sometime back

[Wayne]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. It made my shelf. Infact, i've enjoyed almost all the more 'modern' westerns by and large, compared the hit and miss of the older ones.