Wild Rovers

source: Wild Rovers

This movie tried but just didn't make it as a good classic western. The problem with this story is it couldn't decide what it really wanted to be, a comedy or action. The first half of the movie had the comedy and the two good old boy's stuff, but then it drifted off in a different direction that never really fit into the movie. I personally think the movie would have been better if they made it about the sheriff played by Victor French. Victor played the sheriff with a touch of magic and should have gotten at least a nod for best supporting actor that year. I'm not saying he was better than Ben Johnson, but Leonard Frey or Richard Jaeckal, please. This movie is to long and has to many dead spots in the end. It looks like Blake was looking for a ending and just through something in, it could have been a lot better. If you have nothing to do and have a couple of hours to kill, why not, but don't expect much.

William Holden and Ryan O'Neal as George and Lennie, I mean Ross and Frank have big plans. They are going to get themselves a nice, small ranch somewhere in Mexico. The problem is they don't have any money. Frank is 24 and broke; and Ross will be 50 in July but he hasn't been able to save anything, either 'cause "Hell, Frank. You show me a young cowboy or an old cowboy or an in-between cowboy and I'll show you a cowboy who stopped bein' a cowboy and started robbin' banks." So they go into town and rob their local Montana bank. As they make their getaway all along the trail from Montana towards Mexico, O'Neal keeps asking Holden to tell him about the rabbits, I mean cows that he is going to get to tend on the little ranch that they are going to have in Mexico. It's a sweet dream but the best laid plans o' mice and men aft go aglea.

Boy oh boy, I have watched this film several times now and it always feels like the first time even though I know what is going to happen next. The acting by William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Tom Skerritt, Karl Malden, Moses Gunn, Lynn Carlin, Joe Don Baker and Victor French were all born to play such great film roles in what turned out to be a great western film classic. Director Blake Edwards known more for making camp classics such as the 1965 The Great Race, and the entire Pink Panther franchise collection, really showed his mettle as a director in guiding this ensemble of first rate film stars such as Karl Malden and William Holden who seamlessly made this western as real as if we were there in the present day when men worked hard and long for whisky and women money. Ryan O'Neal who plays a handsome fast gun toting cowpoke teams up with William Holden and these two novice bank robbers perform their first bank robbery and then they high tail it out of town with a posse chasing them comprised of the towns local cattle rancher family, the Buckman's. As the chase continues through the mountain terrains young Frank Post (Ryan O'Neal) and seasoned aged cowpoke Ross Bodine (William Holden) form a fun and daring journey that most men would be proud in sharing such a close friendship. Their friendship would be more closely associated with a father and son relationship than with two cowpokes who recently met and quickly form a strong bond that only death could separate these two cow hands and recent novice bank robbers. The film is filled with expansive scenery, men of the wild west with ruggedness, adultery, bar room fights, bank robbery, loyalty, guilt, and misguided beliefs that one bad crime could set these two misfortunate cowboys up for a life of leisure without consequence. It is a western that must be seen....at least twice in a lifetime. The only thing lacking was a great musical collaboration that writer/director Blake Edwards could have used his music director Henry Mancini to complete. I give the film a timeless 9 out of 10 rating.

I found this western to a cut above the run-of-the-mill for a few reasons. 1) The acting, particularly by William Holden and, in a lesser role, Karl Malden, is good. Even Ryan O'Neill is better than one might expect. 2) The dialogue - aside from a couple of rather worn "cowboy philosophy" cliches - is on the whole tersely realistic and often witty. 3) The western scenery, photographed with a sense that might have been David Lean's, is simply gorgeous (a good reason to catch it in letterbox). In the end the movie instills in the viewer a kind of sadness for the two central characters, who typify the rootless, lonely, live-for-today life of the cowboy. One mild criticism is that the first half of the movie seems to be played almost for local color and comedy, looking like a western version of 'The Sundowners.' The tone changes a bit abruptly as our two leads go into the bank robbing business. On the whole, though, the movie - though a tad long - is a good popcorn-burner.

The late sixties/early seventies was a great time for westerns -- McCabe and Mrs. Miller came out the same year as Wild Rovers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid two years before, and, of course, William Holden was just coming off of The Wild Bunch when he was cast here. Alas, this is not a great western. The first problem is that Blake Edwards seems intent on making a grand spectacle, along the lines of Duel In The Sun or The Big Country, rather than the more introspective westerns that reinvigorated the genre. Note, for instance, that the movie has an overture and an intermission, Hollywood spectacle staples. The photography is spectacular -- sometimes -- but poorly handled. For instance, in the movie's opening shots we see a pair of cowboys beautifully silhouetted against a big sky as they come riding, riding... Riding somewhere for a long time. This underscores the poor editing in this film: make your point and move on, don't just pile shot on shot of the same thing -- but perhaps I'm being too harsh here, as the "restored" version may not be true to Edwards' vision. But it is precisely that vision that is the movie's main flaw: there are numerous plot lines (some of which are never resolved) and the focus on the main characters is lost. Rambling and self-indulgent, this could have been a good western; instead, it gets lost in its own pretentiousness. What should have been a tale about two cowboys and their scheme to rob a bank becomes a steaming mess of plot lines. I find it interesting to compare this film to Edwards' comedy work with Peter Sellers or his ventures into the private detective genre, which are far better written, edited, and directed.

Wild Rovers is written and directed by Blake Edwards. It stars William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Karl Malden, Joe Don Baker, Tom Skeritt and James Olsen. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and the Panavision/Metrocolor cinematography is by Philip Lathrop. It's a Western that not only was butchered by cretinous execs at MGM, but has also proved to be divisive among the Western faithful - those that have seen the now thankfully available un-butchered version that is. Wild Rovers is one of those Oaters that is very much concerned with the changing of the West, where cowboys start to find themselves out of place with their era. Think Monte Walsh/Will Penny/Ride The High Country, with a bit of Wild Bunch/Butch & Sundance thrown in for good measure, and you get where Wild Rovers is at. Some critics were quick to accuse Edwards of merely copying Western films of past, but that is unfair. For this is a loving homage to those movies, also managing to be its own beast in the process. The tale is simply of two cowpokes, one aged and world weary, the other a young excitable buck, best friends who want more from life, so decide to rob the local bank and flee to Mexico to start afresh. Of course two men and destiny are quite often not the best of bed fellows... There's an elegiac beauty to Edwards' screenplay, with some of the scripted dialogue lyrical and poetic. And yet even though the harshness of the West, of the life of a cowboy, and the violence that is abound, is deftly pulsing within the story, there's plenty of dashes of humour as well. This is not a perpetually downbeat movie, slow moving? Absolutely, short on ripper action? Also correct. But as the themes of heroism and honour, of friendship and folly, are born out, and the many tender sequences draw you in, a pratfall is never far away. Technically it's high grade stuff. Holden is superb and he drags O'Neal along with him to avert what could have been a casting disaster. They make a fine and beguiling partnership and both men are turning in some of their best ever work here. The photography of the Arizona locations is outstanding, with Lathrop (Lonely Are the Brave) managing to add some ethereal beauty to the story. Goldsmith knocks out a triffic score, part blunderbuss Western excitement, part intimate pal to all and sundry. Skip any version that is under two hours, for that is an MGM crime. The MOD DVD comes complete with overture, intermission, entr'acte and exit music, while TCM shows the uncut version but minus the aforementioned roadshow segments. This is not a Western for those looking for a Magnificent Seven style actioner, for as fun as that great movie is, this is an altogether different and mature beast, and it deserves to be better known. 9/10

I was very surprised when I saw that "Wild Rovers" was written and directed by Blake Edwards. Edwards is more known for his comedies and occasional dramas...not westerns. Was he up to the task? Well, considering what sort of film it is, having a non-western writer/director is actually a very good thing! Why would I say this? Because "Wild Rovers" is a totally deconstructed view of cowboys. Instead of the usual macho theatrics you see in a western, this one is much more like the lives of REAL cowboys....their dull and somewhat pointless lives. In the film, the guys work hard, get paid little, visit prostitutes, fight because they are bored, puke, and die young...like a real cowboy of the era. There's nothing romanticized about the men in this film and, if anything, they are a bit sad and pitiful. In the story, two of these drifting cow punchers, Ross and Frank (William Holden and Ryan O'Neal) begin to question their lives and their futures. To escape this, they consider robbing a bank. After all, better to die this way than to die on the job. But if they follow through with their plan, it's pretty certain that it won't be easy and some folks will come gunning for them. In order to maintain the realistic style of the film, Edwards does not rush the film at all. Instead, it's slow and deliberate. Additionally, the cinematography often helps to convey a sense of loneliness--with wide screen shots of the lonely prairie. It's lovely...but stark. This could make for a dull film (like "Heaven's Gate") but the writer/director seemed to maintain the proper balance of dullness, scope and the story itself. So is it any good? Well, it's difficult to judge based on the IMDB reviews. They run the gamut...from those hating it, the indifferent as well as those who think it's a masterpiece. As for me, I really appreciated "Wild Rovers" because I used to be an American History teacher...and know Edwards' view of the west is far more realistic than 99% of the movies in this genre. Thoroughly exciting? No...but neither was life in the old west. Overall, very well made and well worth seeing provided you have an open mind and don't demand the usual western cliches and plot twists.

Skip it – There are a lot of positives that make this a unique western that's worth a watch. There's good dialogue, a rousing musical score, beautiful cinematography, and a great acting job by William Holden. Unfortunately, this is more of a buddy movie than a good old-fashioned western. I've even heard some comparisons drawn to "Brokeback Mountain," although I personally would disagree. The story is about two ranch hands who decide on a whim to rob a bank, and the chain of events that unfold as a result. It is part "Sundowners" and part "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The two men are an unlikely pair, but they become close friends as a result of their desperate situation. The first half of the movie feels like a comedy. The second half gets a lot better, with a couple gunfights and some Peckinpah-esque slow motion violence. Unfortunately, this western is too long and just too sluggish to keep an action buff entertained. But I believe that it is good enough to be considered a classic. 2 action rating

MY RATING- 7.6 I've just watched this one last night, and it's quite an impresssive western from Blake Edwards, the king of Pink Phanter. Spite the vulgar screenplay, the characters view is fascinating, specially William Holden, without his usual and cynical presence. We really care for that middle aged cowboy and his tender friendship with the young man Ryan O'Neal. Together, they pass throw challenges after robbing a bank, including a scene with a dog, and most important the slowmotion use in the horse scene. The curious thing is that we see two different points of view: from the main characters and from the law men chasing them leaded by Karl Malden. In fact, Malden with his wife seems to be a person a bit far away from the story of the mov. The mov also stars younger Tom Skeritt and Joe Don Baker, Moses Gunn and a yelling Rachel Roberts. Pretty good western, and I'm not a western fan.