The Grey Fox

It's hard to describe the weight of silence. The early 1980s was a strong time for that feeling on film. Frank Tidy's cinematography here is somewhat reminiscent of what he did on Ridley Scott's "The Duellists". It's a world where the most meaningful things seem to happen on foggy mornings, during rain storms, and on cloudy days. It's a very dark film, this one. Not so much for its content, but for its visuals. It's muddy, damp, and late in the season. The story itself is full of hope and longing. Everywhere you turn, there is sadness and joy, and the grand dark feeling of emptiness that fills a late Autumn day. Richard Farnsworth creates a character with a pained and gentle humanity. Bill Miner isn't some angry old man. He's the most calm and collected individual in any given scene. It's a depiction with far more truth and beauty than you would ever expect in the story of a train robber. Farnsworth got far too few chances at a stunning starring role, but this may be the best he ever had. He's something of a wonder to behold. Most of the other performances are adequate, but unspectacular. Jackie Burroughs stands out, though. She is deeply alive and engaged throughout. Phillip Borsos never really got the chance to direct a film this good again, but his grasp of atmosphere turned "The Mean Season" and "Bethune" into something much better than they would have been in the hands of most. What he did here, at the age of 27, is both admirable and life-changing. The depth of understanding he displays about the human race is valuable, and I'm well-pleased to have had the chance to experience it.

There is a DVD PAL version available from the German manufacturer Schroder Media. Unfortunately the print they made it from appears to be a much-played 16mm print, complete with scratched-in cue marks, dust, grime, and the unsteadiest telecine work this side of Frankfurt. The footage itself is so de-saturated it looks like someone left the print out in sunlight. And the art work of the cover features a painting of a bunch of cowboys a' whoopin' n' hollarin' through town - but certainly doesn't come from this film. Save yourself the money and disappointment, and wait until Zoetrope Studios solves whatever copyright problems may be buzzing around it, and gives us a decent, ideally blu-ray, version of the film. And there's a "Making Of..." doc kicking around Vancouver somewhere.

After watching this movie for the first time I was spellbound by this story, and every year or two I have to rent it again. Reflections of an elderly man upon his mis-spent youth, yet, seems doomed to resume his criminal past despite having just finished a long prison sentence. The rugged Canadian scenery and quaint small towns are as spellbinding as the story, and are enhanced by the wonderful music of the Chieftans. The time period is beautifully, and accurately depicted, and adds to the allure of a very well told story.I would recommend this movie to anyone that likes a good western. The violence is not overdone and serves to remind us that there is nothing romantic about a life of crime.

I think this is one of the most flawless and beautiful movies of all time. The acting and casting is impeccable. What I particularly love is the script; so few words but when something is spoken each line has such weight and impact. And the music is amazing. What a brilliant idea, a western with Celtic (the Chieftains) music. The spirit and emotion of the music enhances every scene and is so fresh and unexpected and ultimately, right. And it's such a wonderful love story. Normally I wouldn't care about a romance between two older characters, but I root for these two characters in each and every scene. Richard Farnsworth was nominated for Best Actor and it is a shame he didn't win. Please, watch it if you haven't.

"The Grey Fox" is a very likable character, who just happens to rob trains. Richard Farnsworth plays the gentleman bandit who after serving 33 years in prison for stagecoach robbery, easily converts his talents to robbing trains upon release. Eventually fleeing across the Canadian border from Washington State, he tries to blend into a small mining town. Being an enthusiastic teller of tall tales, he is thoroughly convincing in his new life. The Pinkertons somehow track him down, and once again "The Grey Fox" is on the run. Though enjoyable, the movie is not without fault. The editing seems extremely abrupt, as if the film was originally much longer, and has been severely chopped. Another drawback is the EP VHS from "Video Treasures" in no way does justice to the magnificent Canadian scenery. - MERK

This is a well-acted, well-produced film about a nineteenth century stagecoach robber forced to adapt himself to the dawn of the twentieth century. But am I the only one who has trouble with the math at the beginning of the film? We're told Bill Miner committed his first robbery in 1863 at age 16, committed 26 more robberies in the next 18 years, then served 33 years in San Quentin and was released in 1901. That just doesn't work. If the first two statements are true, he went to prison in 1881 and served 20 years before his release. If the last statement is true, he went to prison in 1868 after only a five year career as a robber. The real Bill Miner was born in 1847, committed his first robbery in 1866 at age 19 and spent most of the rest of his life serving various prison sentences (including a 21-year stint from 1881-1902), punctuated by daring but frequently unsuccessful robberies. Liberties must be taken with the facts to make a good movie, but there's no good reason for not using the factual dates in this case. Richard Farnsworth is perfectly cast as the "Gentleman Outlaw," the dark and misty environment of the film works perfectly, and the transitional period of the turn of the century is one of the most fascinating eras. Bill Miner was a complex and controversial figure, more interesting in many ways than better known outlaws like Jesse James or Billy the Kid.

It's hard to add to the praise of this film others have already stated. A beautifully paced mix of poignancy and action plus a belated realization of reality by a hero from 'another age'. The 'Western' genre the actors and direction and the entire movie production shows film goers is so different and so compelling it shows up the Sergio Leone 'blockbusters' as merely comic book fantasy stories. Maybe because of the films Canadian connection it was never widely accepted as a genuine' western' in the US and consequently received little publicity. Don't be misled.... if you can get a copy you will find an absolute treasure. Why it was never released on DVD is quite astonishing.

Yeah, I agree that shooting the guard was a bit of an eyebrow raiser. But what the hell, he deserved it for being so anal. We are not really worried about the Hollywood spin - - we're not gonna' call up the guy's family. It's just movie BS. I love it. I also think he was dead right to threaten the guy's life and so on. That made my day. He stood up for Shorty, and that's what counts. Don't sell Shorty short. Great movie. Don't expect Christian charity.

This IMHO is the best western movie to come out after Josey Wales and before Pale Rider. It's even much better than that much lauded Dance With Wolves. This is a sort of low key Canadian made movie and it offered Farnsworth arguably his best role as star. The story concerns one Bill Miner, a train robber, since the the Civil War days. He's been locked up in prison since 1868 and is released from prison in 1901 just in time to be delivered into the 20th century. Bill is thrilled and awed by what he sees in 1901. The first motorcars, the earliest motion pictures, the phonograph. They all tell of the future. Although a robber and convict, Bill is a soft hearted guy perhaps mellowed with age and the years spent in prison. But he can still take care of himself such as one scene in a barroom when a bully tries to threaten him and Bill breaks a large bottle over the thugs head and then pointing the muzzle of his revolver in the thugs face. Unable to make ends meet financially he meets with a loser criminal named Shorty and they get into robbing trains and stealing again. Bill & Shorty go into hiding and the Pinkerton detectives are hot on their trail. Shorty & Bill are caught in the woods after Shorty panics while routinely being searched by the Canadian Mounted Police. Bill however manages to escape and goes on the lam. He later meets up with a woman who is an opera & arts enthusiast named Kate(Jackie Burroughs). She plays some Caruso on her phonograph while painting outdoors. She and Bill become lovers. Another person Bill befriends is a young rookie Police Sergeant. The young man, new to his job, tells Bill that the whole town is after Bill Miner. The only thing is that the sergeant doesn't recognize Miner & the older guy he has befriended as being one and the same. Great character study here. Finally, Bill is caught by those unceasing Pinkerton detectives and is led to the train station and to jail in a flamboyant manner for the whole town to see. This scene harks back to those seen in the old time westerns even as far back as to silent film westerns. At the end of the movie, actually behind the rolling of the credits, we see & read that Bill has gone missing or has escaped out of prison as of 1907. We're left wondering if Bill died in the Canadian Wilderness or somehow made it to Europe on the arm of an attractive lady. Quite possibly his lover Kate. Great Story. Nicely shot

Good movie with an old timey look to it. Not a big shoot-em-up western, but filmed more like a real life story would go. Well acted with a believable feel to it, but I objected, once again, to Hollywood putting their spin on a common criminal, building him up as some kind of nice person. This "gentleman" and his gang were armed robbers who shot it out with a guard who was doing his job: this gent also pulled a gun on another man and threatened his life. He also roughed up one of his henchmen for a comment on the "gentleman's" woman friend. A kindly old man doing a service to his community? Hardly. Just a thief who belonged behind bars.