While the acting, the casting, and the photography in this movie made for TV is superb, the story leaves a lot to be desired. There are a number of goofs besides the goofs listed in the IMDb synopsis. Take it from an old timer who grew up on a Wyoming ranch, the movie takes a lot of liberties with reality.
The story line is that an old cow poke (Robert Duvall) buys up a large herd of horses in Oregon which he intends to drive 700 miles from Oregon to Sheridan, Wyoming to sell to a British agent who is buying them for use in the Boer War in South Africa. Makes no sense at all.
First, by 1897, the year that this movie was supposedly set in, the West was no longer a frontier. It was laced with railroads and telegraph lines. There would be no need to drive the horses to Wyoming. Just drive them to the nearest railroad. If the British were buying the horses for use in South Africa, the Brits would have shipped them out of Portland.
The one thing about horse and cattle drives is that ranchers make them as short as possible because the longer the trip the more livestock will be lost so getting the livestock to the nearest railroad was paramount.
Then the drive starts out all wrong. There were at least 400 horses in the herd but even with 200 less, two men could not have possibly made the drive. It would have taken at least six wranglers. The movie starts out with only Duvall and his nephew driving the herd with two pack horses. No one can take care of pack horses and ride herd also. Riding herd requires at least four wranglers at all times, a point man, two outriders (better to have four) and someone bringing up the rear. That would be the minimum for cattle and horses are much harder to herd than cattle. And having night hawks was a must to protect the herd from wolves, bears, and cougars, as well as rustlers requires a bigger crew.
The drive starts out with the wranglers running the horses. Never happen. The worse thing is running the herd, especially horses. Too many prairie dog holes. Horses can easily step in a hole while running and break a leg. In the scene one horse actually falls during the run.
If the drive starts in Oregon, much of eastern Oregon and western Idaho is pretty barren and dry yet the route is covered from beginning to end with grass, which might be true in Canada where the movie was shot.
Because at some point in the journey, the drive encounters fishermen on the Snake River, it must be assumed that the route taken was through southern Idaho and then north though Montana. Montana because the drive crosses the Crow Indian reservation. However, to get to the Crow reservation, the drive would have had to cross a rugged and long stretch of the Rocky Mountains. However, no where does the drive cross those mountains. The drive only uses one mountain pass and because it lies south of the Crow reservation, it must have been in the Big Horn mountains.
Supposedly the drive encounters Crow Indians who demand a fee for crossing their reservation. Only problem is that the Indians used in the movie were not Crow Indians. Speaking of Indians, during the drive, Duvall changes the direction of the drive to avoid Indians on the war path. But in 1897, all the Indians were on their reservations and no longer on any war paths.
The wranglers wore pistols as is typical in western movies. Actually wranglers did not wear pistols while herding livestock. Wearing a pistol was uncomfortable and there was too much of a chance it would fall out of the holster. If they had pistols, they usually kept them either in a saddlebag but more likely in a blanket roll. Nor did they ride with rifles while herding stock because it was hard on the horse and rider. They would carry a rifle usually only when they were night haws guarding the herd. Rifles usually were transported on the cooks wagon.
And it is highly unlikely that there were any Chinese prostitutes by 1897 so that part of the story doesn't wash. And Sheridan is shown as being located next to a forest when it is actually located on an open plain. The sheriff from Sheridan is supposed to have gone to Cody which is about a 100 miles west looking for the same rustlers who were tailing Duvall. Why would he go there when the rustlers were following Duvall? And sheriffs did not leave their counties, and Cody is two counties over.
Another anomaly. When the nephew catches a robber, he hangs him rather than shoot him. Makes no sense. Why waste the time and the rope. Hanging someone is not a one man job but that is what happened.
Otherwise, as stated, the casting was great. Greta Scacchi was marvelous as the old whore and everyone but the sheriff were superb in their roles. Lloyd Ahern, the Director of Cinematography did his usually outstanding job. Obvious why Duvall chose him.
The story line is that an old cow poke (Robert Duvall) buys up a large herd of horses in Oregon which he intends to drive 700 miles from Oregon to Sheridan, Wyoming to sell to a British agent who is buying them for use in the Boer War in South Africa. Makes no sense at all.
First, by 1897, the year that this movie was supposedly set in, the West was no longer a frontier. It was laced with railroads and telegraph lines. There would be no need to drive the horses to Wyoming. Just drive them to the nearest railroad. If the British were buying the horses for use in South Africa, the Brits would have shipped them out of Portland.
The one thing about horse and cattle drives is that ranchers make them as short as possible because the longer the trip the more livestock will be lost so getting the livestock to the nearest railroad was paramount.
Then the drive starts out all wrong. There were at least 400 horses in the herd but even with 200 less, two men could not have possibly made the drive. It would have taken at least six wranglers. The movie starts out with only Duvall and his nephew driving the herd with two pack horses. No one can take care of pack horses and ride herd also. Riding herd requires at least four wranglers at all times, a point man, two outriders (better to have four) and someone bringing up the rear. That would be the minimum for cattle and horses are much harder to herd than cattle. And having night hawks was a must to protect the herd from wolves, bears, and cougars, as well as rustlers requires a bigger crew.
The drive starts out with the wranglers running the horses. Never happen. The worse thing is running the herd, especially horses. Too many prairie dog holes. Horses can easily step in a hole while running and break a leg. In the scene one horse actually falls during the run.
If the drive starts in Oregon, much of eastern Oregon and western Idaho is pretty barren and dry yet the route is covered from beginning to end with grass, which might be true in Canada where the movie was shot.
Because at some point in the journey, the drive encounters fishermen on the Snake River, it must be assumed that the route taken was through southern Idaho and then north though Montana. Montana because the drive crosses the Crow Indian reservation. However, to get to the Crow reservation, the drive would have had to cross a rugged and long stretch of the Rocky Mountains. However, no where does the drive cross those mountains. The drive only uses one mountain pass and because it lies south of the Crow reservation, it must have been in the Big Horn mountains.
Supposedly the drive encounters Crow Indians who demand a fee for crossing their reservation. Only problem is that the Indians used in the movie were not Crow Indians. Speaking of Indians, during the drive, Duvall changes the direction of the drive to avoid Indians on the war path. But in 1897, all the Indians were on their reservations and no longer on any war paths.
The wranglers wore pistols as is typical in western movies. Actually wranglers did not wear pistols while herding livestock. Wearing a pistol was uncomfortable and there was too much of a chance it would fall out of the holster. If they had pistols, they usually kept them either in a saddlebag but more likely in a blanket roll. Nor did they ride with rifles while herding stock because it was hard on the horse and rider. They would carry a rifle usually only when they were night haws guarding the herd. Rifles usually were transported on the cooks wagon.
And it is highly unlikely that there were any Chinese prostitutes by 1897 so that part of the story doesn't wash. And Sheridan is shown as being located next to a forest when it is actually located on an open plain. The sheriff from Sheridan is supposed to have gone to Cody which is about a 100 miles west looking for the same rustlers who were tailing Duvall. Why would he go there when the rustlers were following Duvall? And sheriffs did not leave their counties, and Cody is two counties over.
Another anomaly. When the nephew catches a robber, he hangs him rather than shoot him. Makes no sense. Why waste the time and the rope. Hanging someone is not a one man job but that is what happened.
Otherwise, as stated, the casting was great. Greta Scacchi was marvelous as the old whore and everyone but the sheriff were superb in their roles. Lloyd Ahern, the Director of Cinematography did his usually outstanding job. Obvious why Duvall chose him.