ma-cortes Good and gripping modern western imbued with a deep nostalgia for a vanished world , set in the ranchlands of Montana 1945 , dealing with an old-fashioned cowboy on horseback , an Anzio war veteran resistant to the modern times , called Frank Buck (James Caan) . He is a free-spirited man out of sync with the contemporary age . Buck reluctantly attempts to help and joins forces with a single woman , Ella Connors , (Jane Fonda , who holds an uncanny resemblance to her father Henry as well as her brother Peter and her personality dominates the film) pitting wits against the world progress , oil-rich proprietaries and a nasty land baron (Jason Robards as her previous incestuous cousin) in an attempt to hold their dream of pioneering spirit and freedom . Buck and Connors are supported by a local old timer called Dodger (Richard Fansworth) . Meanwhile , a powerful banker (George Grizzard) attempts to take all the oil rich lands surrounding the wealthy owners . An the end takes place and exciting and moving climax when the main conflicts developing throughout the movie come alive .Romantic , compelling , elegiac and marvelously acted Western with an extreme feel by that time and period . Sorrowfull essay on civilized progress and exploitation of nature , including two main characters out of step with the modern world . The message of Dennis Clark's screenplay is often a little too heavily underlined buttressed by some rather obvious symbols . The film turns out to be rebellious as well as respectful with classic Western mythology , including ordinary set pieces : saloon fights , go riding , rodeo , close range , stampedes and final gun-play , adding some Fordian touches . Although the flick is more interested in the sensitive love story between Fonda and Caan than battles and western action . This ¨Comes a horseman¨ bears certain resemblance to ¨Lonely are the brave¨ by David Miller with Kirk Douglas , Walter Matthaw , Gena Rowlands ; both of them are misfit modern Westerns , share similar issues : ranchers' conflict , open range , confrontations and resistance to the modern ages . ¨Comes the horseman¨ results to be an elaborately designed Western with a slow-moving and persuasive treatment of Western familiar themes such as : brawls in a bar , cattle chase , war range , shootouts , and including a blazing conclusion brings this thrilling picture to a highly satisfactory final . Very good acting from a great cast . As Jane Fonda as the spinster banshee woman who fights off relentlessly cattle baron , she is mercilessly struggling to make it on her own to not have to sell out her lands . James Caan is really convincing as the cowboy who feels empathy and finally love for Fonda . Both of whom are really faced off a villain owner , masterfully played by Jason Robards as a cattle baron attempting to gobble up all Montana land , whose affair with her as a teenager has marked to her father . And special mention for Richard Farnsworth as a Walter Brennan-style old times who steals the show as the veteran who wants to die with boots on .Pakula directs with aplomb and eloquent feeling for landscapes , making magnificent use of outdoors and adding a wonderful cinematography by Gordon Willis who gives a visually superb lighting . Furthermore , it displays a rousing and thrilling musical score by Michael Small . This intriguing picture was compellingly directed by Alan J. Pacula , though being slowly and deliberately realized . Pacula made a lot of nice films , such as : All the president's men , Sophie's choice , The Parallax view , Starting over , Presumed innocent , Pelican brief , The devil's own and this one : Comes a horseman .

tedg Some westerns are carefully designed to emphasize one strong element that makes westerns what they are: the interface of man with the land. Its why we have so many farmers versus ranchers movies, I think. The folks behind this grind this into a potion, grabbing every element that they can. There's the story of course: about loyalty to the land regardless of the sacrifice. Even about the land as woman. We have Jane who understands this with her gait, her face, her body. And Robards who understands less and has a borderline silly plot line to carry that conflates sex with Jane and drilling on the land.She really is fearless, projected more then than now, because at that point she was the prevailing "sex kitten." She is the earth, the land.But much more profound is what Pakula has done with the horsework. The two leads, so far as one can tell, do their own riding. And what riding it is! I doubt if anyone has captured more complex movement of men and animals n terrain, often hilly. There are scenes that today would be done with animated cattle I suppose because they really do control these beasts. Actors! Except that when they do these things, they are doing it full out as selves — there is no barrier in these scenes. We see Jane and James no more acting than the horses are.It has to be one of the most dynamically honest cinematic capturing of human and terrain, surely that I have seen. If you have a chance, See this with "Straight Story." Farnsworth has the type of death in this film that I suppose he would want to be remembered for. Its noble. Its married to the place. Its just how he carried himself in that last movie where he knew he was dying.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

BigWhiskers 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.

Alan Hale (alanco) I only downrated this movie from 10 out of 10 for the predictable script. I was amused by the comment that Richard Farnsworth seemed out of breath. I am not even Farnsworth's age at filming yet, live in the sticks and I am similarly out of breath when doing heavy work. I have had to quit roping at age 60 due to back pain from previous ski racing injuries and occasional horse falls. In any case this is a very accurate description of cattle ranching anywhere. I have visited places in our Big Smoky Valley where real cattle ranches lived, raised kids and worked in mud, snow, very little for conveniences and without the power grid. We will go to a real cattle roundup near McDermitt, NV next fall of 4000 cattle. This is done by a pioneer family with four brothers, and offspring and is a prized invitation. Watching home movies from real ranchers might convince some city people who don't notice things like such rudimentary sparse conditions. One example of a goof in the movie was Fonda putting on a watch which would have been an extreme extravagance in 1945. Had this movie had writing as realistic as the filming, it would have been much better. Robards was just to vicious to be real. This was 1945, not 1875, and he couldn't have gotten away with all the murders. The automobiles used, Fonda's 1928 or 29 Model A pickup, and Robard's 41 convertible, the Sheriff's 37 Dodge, and the Banker's 42 Plymouth were all very typical. In 1945, people didn't have the kind of money that they do now, and drove a lot older cars and there were no new cars between 1943 and 1946, and very few 1942 models due to the war.The simple conversations are typical of cowboys and rural people who work hard and don't play boom boxes and don't say much. They are not driven like city people and work much more quietly. The courting buildup between Caan and Fonda had to do with each adapting to the other gradually and trust forming. It wasn't that Caan was laid back as much as he distrusted Fonda's impetuous reactions at first. The writers really got dialog and realistic conditions right. I am from a rural background, went to college, drafted into the Army, then finished college and lived and worked in bigger and bigger places and did travel to a lot of places including Europe and Asia. I finally got tired of it, knowing I could create my own job in a small place. This is why a lot of people live in simple places and why so many retire in simple places. They don't care that there are no cable systems, malls, stores, or hospitals. That last long ride to a hospital hopefully will finish you off in the time it takes to get there. Simple places with low housing prices, and a simpler more outdoor life allow retirement poor couples to survive with a decent lifestyle which is far divorced from city/suburban pressured lifestyles. When people wonder why anyone would choose such a life, particularly after "seeing the world" some of it is the above. Handshake business, people who care about each other but still fight and argue, and leaving your doors unlocked is real rural culture, particularly in the west, but you always distrust government and you keep your guns ready.I highly recommend this movie, I would have given it 8.5 out of 10, but the software is whole numbers, so it is rounded upward.