Although this movie came out in 1978 when I was 13 ,I don't remember ever seeing it first run. Tonight on Turner Classic Movies they are doing a Jane Fonda movie night -ho hum. Im not a fan of Ms Fonda rather I enjoy some of the other actors who play alongside her in some of her movies but I do not enjoy watching her ,she is rather annoying in her acting and most times would not surprise me if shes not acting but playing herself.James Caan costars as a cowboy she sells land to and his partner gets killed by Robards henchmen so he joins up with Fonda and Farnsworth. Anyway, the actors who make this movie are Farnsworth and Robards.Two of the sexiest mature stars of that time period ,both of them in their 50's but looking oh so hot. Robards the epitome of evil as a greedy land baron with that killer beard and piercing blue eyes and Farnsworth as Fonda's cowpuncher and friend Dodger-his ruggedly handsome face and western accent just sexy. Farnsworth has some of the best scenes and lines but he is on screen far too short and halfway through the film he dies. The way his death is played out was very upsetting to me and made me wish they hadn't killed him off. The way his death is played out is like this, Earlier in the movie ,Robards greedy oil baron partner starts looking for oil on Fondas land causing an explosion that riles Farnsworths horse causing the horse to fall down the side of a steep hill spilling Farnsworth onto the hard ground breaking several ribs and hurting him badly. In the best scene of the movie ,he is in bed in pain ,Fonda tells him it will be OK and Caan tenderly hands him some chewing tobacco,Farnsworth holds onto Caans hand and tells him what a great cowboy he is ,there is an unspoken bond they share at that moment as if passing the torch. Caan leaves and Farnsworth says to Fonda "Your daddy would be proud "and you know my days of roping and riding are through. She leaves the room upset. Farnsworth rolls over and looks at old pictures of himself and her father ,he looks so sad as if hes about to cry. The next scene has him painfully getting on his horse ,needing a chair to do so - Its obvious he thinks he is no longer useful and is riding off to die.So,He rides off and the next scene shows him lying unconscious on the ground next to a log with 2 riders approaching , fade to a scene of Fonda and Caan filling his grave. This part of the movie really ticked me off, all those years of him playing stunt-men and bit parts and he finally gets an Oscar worthy part and they kill him off.
Robards fares better as a sinister man who not only kills his oil baron rival but also tries to kill Fonda and Caan at the end of the movie by tying Fonda up and knocking Caan out and stuffing them in an upstairs closet while he burns the house down. The movie ends abruptly with Caan and Fonda escaping the burning house and facing Robards and his two henchmen. Caan shoots one of the henchmen and Fonda shoots the other leaving Robards. Caan shoots Robards off his horse but his foot catches one of the stirrups,with his life fading and Caan about to finish him off, Robards horse bolts and drags him across the ground viciously slamming him all over the place and then we see the horse fade off into the scenery. The house burns to the ground and then the scene fades out to black then back in to Fonda driving a old truck back to her burned down house. The camera pulls back to where all you can see is her pull into where her house was and you see two figures in the distance hug and the movie ends. It was disappointing ,youd think they would have had some dialog at the end to wrap it up. Im going to miss Mr Farnsworth and Mr Robards who both died in 2000. We will never see actors like that again. I gave the movie a 6 based on the following points - the scenery and Farnsworth/Robards acting rate a 10 but the movies plodding tone,abrupt and unsatisfying ending and Fonda and Caans wooden performances are barely a 2.
Robards fares better as a sinister man who not only kills his oil baron rival but also tries to kill Fonda and Caan at the end of the movie by tying Fonda up and knocking Caan out and stuffing them in an upstairs closet while he burns the house down. The movie ends abruptly with Caan and Fonda escaping the burning house and facing Robards and his two henchmen. Caan shoots one of the henchmen and Fonda shoots the other leaving Robards. Caan shoots Robards off his horse but his foot catches one of the stirrups,with his life fading and Caan about to finish him off, Robards horse bolts and drags him across the ground viciously slamming him all over the place and then we see the horse fade off into the scenery. The house burns to the ground and then the scene fades out to black then back in to Fonda driving a old truck back to her burned down house. The camera pulls back to where all you can see is her pull into where her house was and you see two figures in the distance hug and the movie ends. It was disappointing ,youd think they would have had some dialog at the end to wrap it up. Im going to miss Mr Farnsworth and Mr Robards who both died in 2000. We will never see actors like that again. I gave the movie a 6 based on the following points - the scenery and Farnsworth/Robards acting rate a 10 but the movies plodding tone,abrupt and unsatisfying ending and Fonda and Caans wooden performances are barely a 2.