HotToastyRag Since it's a well-known tidbit of film history that Lonely Are the Brave is Kirk Douglas's favorite of his movies, I'll try not to be too critical. There are some nice elements to the film, and I'll focus on those, even though this is a movie I'll probably never want to watch again.Kirk Douglas stars as a traditional cowboy: a wandering cowhand with no permanent address, a closer relationship to his horse than with most people, and a wealth of knowledge about his natural surroundings. He stops by normal civilization to check up on his old friends, Gena Rowlands and Michael Kane, and finds out that Michael has landed in a two-year jail stint. Determined to rescue his pal, Kirk gets himself arrested, thrown in jail, and then hopes to escape with Michael. Michael prefers to serve out the remainder of his sentence and return safely to his family, leaving Kirk to "brave" the escape alone.The early scenes between Kirk and an extremely young and pretty Gena Rowlands are my favorite scenes. They have a fantastic chemistry together, and I found myself wishing the entire film consisted only of the scorching pair. Despite their differences, they truly understand each other, and there's a love that runs deeper than any of their written lines. While the audience wonders about the characters' history, when it's finally revealed, their performances are that much more layered. It makes you wonder why they weren't cast in Hud!In the second half of the film, when Kirk and his horse are on the run from Sheriff Walter Matthau, whose addiction to gum and deadpan lines gets old fast, the film has a completely different feel to it. It's incredibly tense, and several times, I pressed pause and took a walk around the house just to shake off my worries. Animal lovers will be terribly affected by the movie, and non-animal lovers will still be on the edge of their seats, hoping that Kirk will be able to escape. The stunts are incredible, and in traditional old-Hollywood style, the long takes allow audiences to see Kirk's face as he wrangles his horse!You know I never spoil any plot points in my reviews, but just ask yourself what you imagine when you hear the title Lonely Are the Brave. If you imagine a cutesy classic, you might want to put this back on the shelf and rent My Dear Secretary instead. If you imagine a sad, tense, stark drama, you're probably ready for it.Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting situations involving an animal, I wouldn't let my kids watch this movie.

Scott LeBrun Kirk Douglas shines in what is apparently his favorite role. Kirk plays John W. "Jack" Burns, a VERY independent minded cowboy who hears that an old friend, Paul Bondi (Michael Kane), is in prison for his efforts to help illegal immigrants. Jack works, and he works hard, to get himself locked up in the same prison. There he appeals to Paul to make like the wind, bringing along some hacksaws to saw through the bars of their cell. But he breaks out alone, spurring the local authorities to pursue him using modern methods of communication, transportation, and surveillance.Right away this fine film struck this viewer as a time honored tale of an old fashioned man out of step with the changing times. The first we see of Jack, he's reclining in the wilderness while jets pass by overhead. He knows that he's something of a dinosaur in this current setting. And since he's far from being a hardcore criminal, our hearts do go out to him. We root for him all the while to make it to freedom, even as he's saddled with a temperamental horse named Whisky.Kirk has some mighty fine moments with both Kane, and Gena Rowlands, who plays Pauls' wife. He just pours out his heart to this people. In this viewers' humble opinion, Kirk never has been better. And he's very well supported by a rich gallery of actors: Walter Matthau as a lawman, Carroll O'Connor as a trucker, the great William Schallert as a comedy relief deputy (he may remind you of Harry Dean Stanton in "Alien", the way that he keeps saying "Right." to requests), George Kennedy as a brutish prison guard, and Karl Swenson as a "reverend" doing time. A young Bill Bixby has an uncredited bit as an airman in a helicopter. Matthau plays the type of pursuer in this type of tale who has sympathy for his quarry but who knows that he still has a job to do.There's a wonderful score by Jerry Goldsmith (one of his earlier ones), and plenty of hair raising moments along the way, especially when Jack & Whisky are trying to make their way up the mountain.Played with real humor and heart, this is a delightful yarn about a man whose well developed sense of loyalty is something to admire.Eight out of 10.

beauzee has Douglas watched too many B westerns and has an uncontrollable penchant to "act out" the players, in his real time? he is not a dumb person, not particularly smart, but very sincere, and convionced that "being a man" transcends any contemporary versions.He is Wayne and Rowlands is Angie Dickinson; but Wayne was a child like man, not a childish man, so ultimately, she does not want him, even with the physical desire.Matthew is excellent as the "Sheriff", but he is not prone to acting out fantasies.../he just wants to be home at 5:00pm. he chases Douglas with helicopters, not deputies.there are many Americans today who seem to enjoy roaming around with their loaded rifles, chip on their shoulder, and "right to carry" attitude. Second Amendment! why *can't* I go to McDonald's on a Saturday with my "Betsey"? no one will get hurt! Clive Bundy has a "showdown" with the Feds..he hasn't paid them for 20 years and he has his whole posse behind him, pointing guns. Douglas similarly engages those he thinks are takin' away his freedoms.great DVD..buy it now.

mark.waltz This is not a "western" as I went into the film thinking. Yes, Kirk Douglas does play a loner cowboy, but in the very first scene, he must cross a highway while on his horse in order to get to the farm of the wife (Gena Rowlands) of an old friend. A fight in the bar with a one-armed drunk results in him being sentenced to a year in prison, and once he gets in (immediately locking horns with guard George Kennedy), he's planning his escape. This takes him back to the widow's house and finally to the mountains where he is able to outwit the law, at least for a while.With tongue-in-cheek, cynical cop Walter Matthau sits back and watches Douglas use his knowledge of the mountains to survive discovery by Kennedy (on whom he gets delicious revenge) and the other insipid lawmen who not only battle him but nature too. Like Stallone did in "Rambo" (a bit more violently), Douglas is stuck between having been convicted of breaking a ridiculous law and trying to remain honorable, and as the showdown reaches into nightfall, you know that disaster is only moments away. The film is never preachy or smug, yet at times, characters come in (like Carroll O'Connor's truck driver) who just seem out of place. But everybody is there for a reason, and the end is really surprising and sadly ironic. Bill Raisch, as the nasty one-armed drunk, is one of the most hideous villains in films and his motives of hate for Douglas is absolutely vile.