I must say I love watching Duvall work and Westerns seem to be his forte. Of course, as an actor every genre matches well with his gifts and commitment to character. Despite having all the elements in place for a great Western, (ie: Great cast, good writing, excellent director, brilliant cinematography), I found myself slightly disappointed by Broken Trail's lack of conflict.
Don't get me wrong, I genuinely liked this film and would recommend it to anyone who loves the old West or enjoys good character films. I think the problem was in the marketing. In all of the trailers and the "Making of..." it was built up as a good, old-fashioned Western with lots of "shoot 'em up action." At over three hours long, there was probably a grand total of five minutes of exciting action and even when dramatic moments did arise they were often resolved in the blink of an eye or off camera!
This film was more of an unhurried morality play, which is fine if that's what you're expecting. One of my favorite Westerns, "High Noon," postpones action until the third act, but there is a tension that runs through the entire film that is not present in Broken Trail. In Walter Hill's defense, I believe that his slow pacing is intentional. It seems he is trying to show the day to day life of the cowboy, plodding along to complete his task and calmly taking in stride whatever hindrances "break his trail." These are men of honor and you very quickly empathize with them but you rarely feel like they are in any imminent danger.
The problem is the promos compare the film to "Lonesome Dove" and "Open Range" and, although it is beautifully shot, "Broken Trail" is a very different film. If you love Westerns and you love methodically paced, character driven dramas, you will love this film. But if you seek a Western with a little more tension, conflict and a stronger, action packed pay off, rent one of the films it has been compared to.
Don't get me wrong, I genuinely liked this film and would recommend it to anyone who loves the old West or enjoys good character films. I think the problem was in the marketing. In all of the trailers and the "Making of..." it was built up as a good, old-fashioned Western with lots of "shoot 'em up action." At over three hours long, there was probably a grand total of five minutes of exciting action and even when dramatic moments did arise they were often resolved in the blink of an eye or off camera!
This film was more of an unhurried morality play, which is fine if that's what you're expecting. One of my favorite Westerns, "High Noon," postpones action until the third act, but there is a tension that runs through the entire film that is not present in Broken Trail. In Walter Hill's defense, I believe that his slow pacing is intentional. It seems he is trying to show the day to day life of the cowboy, plodding along to complete his task and calmly taking in stride whatever hindrances "break his trail." These are men of honor and you very quickly empathize with them but you rarely feel like they are in any imminent danger.
The problem is the promos compare the film to "Lonesome Dove" and "Open Range" and, although it is beautifully shot, "Broken Trail" is a very different film. If you love Westerns and you love methodically paced, character driven dramas, you will love this film. But if you seek a Western with a little more tension, conflict and a stronger, action packed pay off, rent one of the films it has been compared to.