ProfessorFate
A very different kind of Western, "The Grey Fox" is set mostly in Canada, moves at an unhurried pace, and stars a senior citizen. Richard Farnsworth didn't make the jump from stunt man to actor until he was well past leading man age, but he was wonderful in films like "The Natural", "Misery", and "The Straight Story". This, however, has to be his best performance. He exudes subtle grace as gentleman train robber Bill Miner, who gets out of prison and is forced to adapt to a world that has passed him by. There's also a very sweet romance between Miner and a feminist photographer. My favorite part of the film is a montage of their courtship set to Miner singing "Betsy From Pike". I also loved the Irish music by the Chieftains, which seemed to fit perfectly with the lovely Canadian scenery. It will be too slow for most audiences, but if you love small independent films that don't pander to teenage moviegoers, this gem will be right up your alley.
James Weinberg (jasarthur)
More of an art film than a western. I bought this partly for the soundtrack, which the Ebay seller claimed was by the Chieftains, my favorite Celtic music group. It had one song by the Chieftains, which I already owned on compact disc, and it was repeated three or four times throughout the movie. Of course I was very disappointed. And the terribly slow pace of the action, made even less bearable by Alvin Straight, I mean Richard Farnsworth's John-Deere-at-top-speed acting, nearly put me to sleep. Good film for a rainy day. If you nod off, you won't miss much. Apart from that, it's a dark, sepia-toned movie sure to depress. This was billed online as a rare treat and hard to find. Well, you can find the copy I donated to the Brentwood Public Library.
OracyMovie
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.
johnce
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.
AD
