Bite the Bullet (1975)

71% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(1,569 ratings)

An excellent cast, featuring Gene Hackman, Ben Johnson, and James Coburn, highlights this entertaining Western that came and went at the box office, barely noticed by audiences. That doesn't stop the exciting story from capturing the viewer's attention as a disparate group of riders assembles to… More An excellent cast, featuring Gene Hackman, Ben Johnson, and James Coburn, highlights this entertaining Western that came and went at the box office, barely noticed by audiences. That doesn't stop the exciting story from capturing the viewer's attention as a disparate group of riders assembles to participate in a marathon 700-mile horse race across the American West at the turn of the century. The standard mutual feelings of distrust give way to respect and grudging admiration as each rider is put to the test. Stunning cinematography and locations, plus a gripping pace set by director Richard Brooks, set this Western apart at a time when the genre was in decline. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 11 min.
Directed By: Diego Munoz, Richard Brooks I
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1975 Wide
On DVD: Apr 2, 2002
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
An excellent, literate action drama probing the diverse motivations of participants in an endurance horse race.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
In spite of all the care, the money and the hardships that apparently went into its production, the movie looks prefabricated, like something assembled from other people's earlier, better inspirations.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A finely crafted, epic Western about a cross-country horseback endurance race.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Unusual, big budget western concerning horse race to deathly finish.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Spendid period piece about an endurance horse race.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
I wish I had a bullet to chew down on to kill the pain this pic gave me.
, Time Out
Any random thought ever committed to paper about the intrinsic 'messages' of the Western genre here turns up as a line of speechifying dialogue: the result is a folly stultified by its own seriousness.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Offers a fresh twist on winning out and gives us pause to think about our way of being in the world
, Film4
The result is that the film's message about sportsmanship decency becomes thoroughly anodyne. Entertaining nevertheless.
Patrick Byrne, Apollo Guide
Bite the Bullet may be many things, but boring it's not.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Stephen M

A slow, unusual western with some interesting background detail. Watching the likes of Gene Hackman, James Coburn and Ben Johnson could never exactly be called a chore, but listening to the film's relentless moralising speeches did try my patience at times. I saw this on TV and… More
A slow, unusual western with some interesting background detail. Watching the likes of Gene Hackman, James Coburn and Ben Johnson could never exactly be called a chore, but listening to the film's relentless moralising speeches did try my patience at times. I saw this on TV and it felt very choppy, almost certainly having had some horse-falls cut out of it; ironic for a film which preaches kindness to and respect for animals, amongst other things.
Keith M

A good ensemble western. I like the idea of a bunch a people in a race across the west