Reviews

I became a Peckinpah fan through The Wild Bunch, first saw it probably 1980. I never knew he had his own TV show back in 1960. I found out about The Westerner through a guest star overlap with Have Gun Will Travel. (That's a great show too.)

I found a homemade set of The Westerner DVDs on eBay and decided to take a chance. I'm two episodes into the 13 total episodes. In a word, "Wow!"

The director packs so much into the 25-minute run time. Brian Keith is outstanding as the lead, and the supporting characters have depth. Even the dog Brown has depth, and this has been established in only a few quick scenes over the two episodes. There's violence, but it fits the plot lines and isn't sensationalized or made to look operatic as in later Peckinpah works.

Recommended for western fans who value the steak over the sizzle.

This is an outstanding take on the 1970s NFL, back when it was a game of characters and passion, not the current business-like "No Fun League".

Kudos to the writer/director. They smoothly mix bawdy comedy and drama. And they include many minor scenes that help round out the supporting characters. Several characters come across as stereotypes early on, but they are full-fledged individuals by the end of the movie.

John Matuszak's "business or game?" rant near the end belongs in the sports movie hall of fame.

Highly recommended.

Hard to find, but well worth the effort. Fine period piece that is well written and has excellent acting. Saw this on Disney's Sunday night TV show twice back in the 1960s when I was a kid, and was enthralled. Didn't see it again until 2005, and was just as enthralled as an adult.

This is a classic old Walt-era Disney story with ups and downs, several scary characters and scenes, some realistic but not gratuitous violence. Includes classic themes of good vs. evil, loyalty vs. betrayal, respect vs. disdain.

Walt had a famous quote something along the lines of magic not coming from magic, but from attention to details. In the numerous struggles in the movie, the winner was the side that paid more attention to detail. The winner didn't win just because they were good or bad, but because they made the effort to know all the angles.

My only complaint is the overall darkness of the image. I viewed a commercial VHS tape. Maybe it's the tape, maybe it's the technology of the 1960s, maybe it's the director's choice, but in some night-time scenes, it's hard to tell who's who. That's a minor complaint, though.

One last comment: If you were ever a Patrick McGoohan fan (Danger Man, The Prisoner, whatever else you may have seen him in), this is a must-see.