Johnson County War (2002)
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55% of users liked it
(1,359 ratings)
The backdrop for this epic Western, which aired in August 2002 on the Hallmark Channel, will be familiar to fans of the genre and students of Western history. The Johnson County War took place in northern Wyoming in April 1892, growing out of the familiar story of big-money ranchers who suspected… More The backdrop for this epic Western, which aired in August 2002 on the Hallmark Channel, will be familiar to fans of the genre and students of Western history. The Johnson County War took place in northern Wyoming in April 1892, growing out of the familiar story of big-money ranchers who suspected homesteader neighbors of rustling. Screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana adapted Frederick Manfred's 1957 novel, Riders of Judgment, which used some of the events and people but changed the names, including the county (which becomes Bighorn) and the main town (from Buffalo to Antelope). Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1981) also employed elements of the Johnson County War in its story. Manfred's book and this film center on Cain Hammett (Tom Berenger), a lonesome cowboy who hankers for Rory (Michelle Forbes); she has married his younger brother Dale (Adam Storke) in spite of the fact that she really loves Cain. A third Hammett brother, Harry (Luke Perry), unlike his honest, homesteading siblings, is a rustler who runs afoul of Marshal Hunt Lawton (Burt Reynolds), who is in the employ of wealthy Lord Peter (Christopher Cazenove), an Englishman in cahoots with the owners of big ranches to exterminate all of the homesteaders, guilty or innocent. Cain Hammett's real-life counterpart, Nate Champion, was a prime target of mercenaries hired by the big cattlemen, and the siege of Cain's cabin, which was the opening salvo in the war, provides the film with its climax. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
- Directed By
- David S. Cass Sr.
- Genres
- Western, Television
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 24, 2002 Wide
- Studio
- Artisan Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
I suspect that supporters of this film are also fond of watching ice melt--which, long about the middle of the second hour, you'll either believe is what you're doing, or wish you were doing instead.
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Cast
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Tom Berenger
as Cain Hammett
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Luke Perry
as Harry Hammett
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Michelle Forbes
as Rory Hammett
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Adam Storke
as Dale Hammett
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Burt Reynolds
as Marshal Hunt Lawton
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Jack Conley
as Jesse Jacklin
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Silas Weir Mitchell
as Mitch Slaughter
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P. Adrien Dorval
as Timberline
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Christopher Cazenove
as Lord Peter
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Rachel Ward
as Queenie
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William Samples
as Arthur
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Kirk Jarrett
as Jim Albert
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Thomas Heaton
as Sheriff Sine
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Fay Masterson
as Clara Jager
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Stephen Bridgewater
as Dencil Jager
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Blu Mankuma
as Hambone
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Tim Koetting
as Bat Waldy
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Ken Pogue
as Wally Tascott
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Jimmy Herman
as Sam the Wolfer
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Henry Beckman
as Gov. Barb
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Ron Hartmann
as Sen. Thorpe
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Hal Kerbes
as Irv Hornsby
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David LeReany
as Allen Stone
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Paul Coeur
as Claybourne Rodney
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Doug Lennox
as Texas Ike
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Joe Shaw
as Bobby
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John Dodds
as 2nd Horseman
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Stevie Mitchell
as Joey
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Bunk Duncan
as Butcherknife
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Steven Warner
as Spade
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Lyle St. Goddard
as Avery
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John F. Parker
as Russell
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Steve Shayler
as 1st Bad Cowboy
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Billy Morton
as Ringbone
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Tom Carey
as Texas Cowboy
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Peter Strand Rumple
as Telegraph Operator
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Shawn Orr
as Texas Gunman
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Chris Ippolito
as Nightherder
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J.C. Roberts
as Tom the Granger
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Jerry Wills
as Skunker
