1953 cowboyRating: 16/20 (Jen: 18/20)
Plot: The gayest-looking cowboy ever rides into town with a checkered past and an excessive amount of fringe. The Starett family--Joe, Marian, their son Joe, their dog Joe, a horse named Joe, another horse named Joe, a hopping bull named Joe--is trying to live happily on their farm, but some mean bullies are trying to push them off the land. Tensions mount! Joe gets snippy. Shane and Marian probably "do it" more than once. Joe ain't gonna like that. Ohhhhhhhh, snap!
So, I'm named after the gayest-looking cowboy ever. Thanks, Dad! This is a really good traditional western, a little something for the squares. A bit Disney-fied with some oppressive music, but there's also some grittiness, good acting, and dialogue. I'm not sure how the kid playing Joe (not that Joe; the other Joe) didn't completely ruin the movie. I like the underlying sexual tension with the hero and the guy's wife. There's also a great moment during a fist fight that involves a bull trying (successfully, it seems) to jump over a fence. My favorite scene, however, is a funeral scene that works as a turning point in the story.
First time I watched this, by the way, was in my 8th grade English class. I can't remember why. It's odd that my dad didn't force me to watch it since it's what I'm named after. Of course, he never forced me to listen to Bob Dylan either.
3 comments:
maybe your dad didn't want to expose you to a world of guns and sexual tension...
No, he did. That's not it.
An all-time great movie marred by that insipid kid yelling "come back, Shane" over and over until one feels as though one's head is going to explode. Jack Palance is one of the great heavies in movie history. An 18.
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