Lonesome Dove

I remember the first time I saw Lonesome Dove I watched all six hours in one sitting. Big mistake. You need to take this one in doses. Watch two hours an evening for a couple of nights. That said, this is one of the most powerful films on love and friendship. The movie starts out in Lonesome Dove, Texas where Woodrow 'Cap'n' Call (Tommy Lee Jones) and Augustus 'Gus' McCrae (Robert Duvall) run a small outfit called Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium who's sign proudly states "We Don't Rent Pigs! Goats Neither," and in Latin "Uva uvum vivendo varia fit." In the interest of not telling you everything, you'll have to watch the movie to see if it means anything. Gus and Cap'n Call used to ride with the Texas Rangers years earlier with Joshua Deets (Danny Glover) and Jake Spoon (Robert Urich). Together these friends get the idea to have one last adventure and decide to take cattle ranching to the Montana Territory. They get together a herd of cattle and a ragtag bunch of cowhands, including young Newt (Rick Schroder) the orphan son of a woman whom both Cap'n and Gus had been in love with. Two of the finest performances ever given were in Lonesome Dove. Tommy Lee Jones has never been more effective in a part, and Robert Duvall's Augustus McCrae is probably one of the greatest performances ever. This is a sad movie. Full of love, loss, friendship, hope, and commitment, there has never been a better movie that embraces so many of the greatest aspects of the human experience. Definitely a must see.

Lonesome Dove has the uncanny ability, at a 6 hour length, to flow by as quickly as a 60 minute episode of "24". You never find yourself bored or looking forward to the next scene, as each scene you view is thoroughly engrossing in and of itself. Even without the tour de force performances by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, the remainder of the all-star cast is fantastic. With the 2 leads, you have an absolute western classic which stands up to any piece that John Ford put out.

The bonds of friendship and camaraderie displayed in this movie are those born of deep, abiding respect. The central characters earn the respect of their friends over and over through sacrifice and courage, attributes which seem in short supply in these days of PC and hand-wringing hysteria. I found this movie to be both inspirational and heart-wrendingly true to life. "But yesterday's gone and we can't get it back...", words from a man so shaped by his past but not controlled by it. The loss, the personal sacrifices all made out of a sense of honor and deeply held convictions. It makes me take a look at my own friendships and cherish them the more for having experienced so much of life with those few that are truly my friends. I found one aspect of this movie particularly poignant. Gus' evaluation of Woodrow and his 'inhuman' ability to avoid his humanity. Woodrow's promise of a 3000 mile trek to bury his friend was honored but the promise to tell Newt that he was Woodrow's son was not fulfilled. Even as Woodrow cursed Gus' pride he continued to hold his own with unflinching tenacity. It is a terrific movie with a wonderful cast, I can always overlook some bad acting in the overall context of a great film (Anjelica's accent was fleeting at best) and this is a great film.

Larry McMurtry's wonderful story is beautifully and amazingly brought to the screen by director Simon Wincer. It assembles together one of the best casts in movie history. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are nearly perfect. Duvall has been quoted as saying that Gus McCrae was his favorite character he ever played. He is certainly mine. Angelica Huston is the perfect person to play Clara. It is almost like Larry McMurtry had some of these actors and actresses in mind when he wrote his novel. The only exception is Frederic Forrest as Blue Duck. He does a fine job with what he's got, but the man just isn't big enough or scary enough for this role. The story is incredible. The scenery is beautiful. Lonesome Dove is, in my opinion, the best western ever made. A definite must see for everyone.

Lonesome Dove tells the story of friendship, love, tragedy, life, change, the frontier, the passing of generations. Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are retired Texan Rangers, holed up in the small, dusty south Texas town of Lonesome Dove, a town with less going on than the nearby Rio Grande. Some prodding by a former partner gets them off their front porch and up in the saddle again, guiding a herd of cattle and of horses, a passle of men, a boy, and a lady of the night. They off and go to Montana, along the way meeting death, life, former loves and new loves, and witnessing the closing of the American frontier. This film is six hours long, if you think of things that way, but really, it's far too short. You want to stop the film and get on your own horse to ride along with Gus and Woodrow. Yeah, it would be tough, but you know that Gus and Woodrow would be faithful friend who'd have the gumption to tell you the truth, even if it hurt a bit or a lot. You'd miss a lot if you think of this film as simply a `show' or even entertainment. It captures your imagination, and helps you see what life was like 120 years ago - in some cases nasty, brutish, and short, but in other cases full of love, wonder, tenderness, compassion, and hope. The film doesn't dwell on the gore, but it doesn't hide it. Life on the frontier was tough, wearing on the body and mind, and relentlessly unforgiving of the weak, mistaken, and mislead. You -died- on the frontier, and death wasn't always easy. But along the way you live in breathtaking beauty. You get to see the world your hands make - you build your life from the dirt on the ground and the trees on the hill. Gus and Woodrow ARE Texas Rangers, two men as different from each other as can be. Gus enjoys life, and seeks to chase buffalo just for the fun of it. Woodrow sees life as something to fight, to prepare for its certain triumph, but still manages to be a loyal, faithful, and loving friend. They interact with each other and the grand sweep of people along the way to Montana. As far as performances, Robert Duvall is an American treasure. I've seen him in many movies, but never knew he was Augustus McCrae until I watched this show. There are just some roles that are designed to fit a particular character. Tommy Lee Jones is cryptic, laconic, guarded, and yet completely tender. You believe he believes he's tough, and you know he knows he's not. Ricky Schroeder plays Newt, Woodrow's unacknowledged son. Diana Lane is Lorena, the 'lady of the night,' and does a good job with her limited role. Anjelica Huston is fine - but of the main players, she's the one I had the least empathy with, mostly because in her other roles she plays someone with a darker and richer voice - in this show she is a tight-voiced soprano with a twang. Had I not seen her in shows, I think I would have believed her better. Chris Cooper plays the dithering sheriff who grows up a bit through the film; his wife, played by Glenne Headley, is very guarded in whom she loves, and it's not Chris Cooper. Robert Urich is Jake, the former saddle-mate of Gus and Woodrow, and Danny Glover is Deets, another partner. Sure, it's a sad film in some ways. Some major players die, and some other players do not rise to the level of their situation. You want to reach in and simply -shake- some of the characters. But they reflect more closely what real people are like, and not so much what people are like when forced to play along with a happy ending. But even with its sadness, it's a film full of life. Gus McCrae simply enjoys- every bit of what he goes through. Get the DVD so you can appreciate the backstory.

I'd been looking forward to watching Lonesome Dove for years, having heard rave reviews from countless people. There's a 22-part remake from 1995, but when I finally settled down to watch it, I wanted to see the original. Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, Ricky Shroder, D. B. Sweeney, Fredric Forrest, Chris Cooper, Steve Buscemi, and Anjelica Huston made up a pretty irresistible cast especially when you consider their various ages. Tommy Lee sported a ridiculous white wig to make him look ancient, Robert Duvall looked exactly the same as he does now, and Chris Cooper looked like a teenager! But as much as I was looking forward to it, I didn't end up sticking with the 4-part miniseries all the way through. It was just too violent and upsetting. In one scene, a man gets attacked by dozens of poisonous snakes while crossing a river on his horse. In another, Diane Lane gets kidnapped and promised to be passed around a group of bandits. Some of the grit and violence was realistic given the setting (the Wild West is definitely not glamorized here) but it was too visceral to be entertaining. I was also surprised by the slow pace of the first two episodes. In the first episode, nothing happens! A friend of mine read the book and loved it, so I have to believe that a large chunk of the novel was dedicated to character development and the slow pace of life on the ranch. Because of the heavy violence and dramatic plot points, you can expect some good acting to go along with it - but you're going to have to wait a long time. In the first episode, Tommy Lee just stares out at the sunrise and sunset for an hour, Bob just flirts around with Diane, and Danny barely has any screen time. In fact, Tommy Lee doesn't get any opportunity to act until the third episode! Danny continually gets shafted by his lack of screen time, but again, I'll credit that to the original novel. I was pretty impressed by Diane's performance, though. Although far too pretty to look like a prostitute in the Wild West, she had some great subtle expressions that kept up with all the powerhouse actors around her. If you loved No Country for Old Men, you'll probably love this miniseries. I was also bored to tears during that modern western. I normally love westerns, but I just couldn't stick with this one. Oh well; you can't win them all.

I have never really been big on westerns, which I considered Lonesome Dove to be before I saw it. A friend had it and told me I had to see it, I kept her movie for three months before I watched it. When I did though I loved it. I've always loved Tommy Lee Jones but this was his greatest role. Robert Duvall was also fantastic. He makes you fall in love with Gus McCrae. After I saw the movie, now so many times I can quote it, I bought my own copy and read the books. This is by far the best book to movie I have ever seen. Lonesome Dove is a classic whether you like westerns or not.

This six-hour television mini-series was as good as advertised, which is saying a lot. I don't prefer long movies but this is very watchable. It's such an interesting story and so-well photographed that you don't mind the long length. The acting is top-rate, led by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, with a deep cast that includes many well-known actors. As a male, I really enjoyed ogling Diane Lane and I've always liked Glenne Headley, too, although more for her voice. Fredric Forest is absolutely brutal as the half-breed killer, one of the most unremorseful murderers I've even seen on film. Angelica Huston, Rick Schroeder, Danny Glover, Robert Urtich, D. B. Sweeney and Steve Buscemi all were superb, too. The story has a great mix of drama, romance, action, sadness and just plain realism. The characters are bold and unrelenting and you find yourself getting wrapped up in this story and with these people, what they went through. It's just great storytelling but - as in real life - it isn't all roses; there's a lot of sadness here.

In the end it's how a movie touches your heart that is its measure. The characters must touch you. The story, interesting in itself, must seamlessly direct those characters to be revealed for why they matter. The actors playing those characters need to be right. Or, as here, just damn perfect. Robert Duvall once said something like: sure the British can play Shakespeare. But they can't play Gus McCrae. He's right. You can have the Hamlet DVD any day you want; I'll watch Lonesome Dove. Robert Duvall is the anchor and the soul. Name a better performance. Anjelica Huston is the beauty. And somehow Tommy Lee Jones steals the movie. A great story about great characters played by great actors. The Godfather movies, as good as they are, have not the legend or the nobility of Lonesome Dove. Forget the usual suspects like Citizen Kane. This is the great American movie. Helluva vision.