Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
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90% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(963 ratings)
Although it never quite escapes the pitfalls of pretension, this film was Kirk Douglas's bid for the affections of the art house crowd, and it remains one of his best efforts. The star plays unreconstructed "rugged individual" Jack Burns, who rides throughout the modern west knocking… More Although it never quite escapes the pitfalls of pretension, this film was Kirk Douglas's bid for the affections of the art house crowd, and it remains one of his best efforts. The star plays unreconstructed "rugged individual" Jack Burns, who rides throughout the modern west knocking down man-made fences. Visiting his equally rebellious friend Paul Bondi (Michael Kane), Burns deliberately gets himself thrown in jail to be nearer his pal. Frustrated that Bondi doesn't want to join Burns on the road, Burns breaks out of jail, thereby becoming a fugitive. His trail is dogged by Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), a frustrated frontiersman who secretly admires the freewheeling Burns. Meanwhile, a truck driver (Carroll O'Connor) is ominously driving down the highway with a truckload of toilets. If you think there's supposed to be some symbolism in this seemingly peripheral character, you're absolutely right. Bill Raisch, a genuine amputee who played the one-armed man on TV's The Fugitive, is Douglas' surly opponent in the café brawl sequence. Filmed on location in New Mexico, Lonely are the Brave was adapted by Dalton Trumbo from Edward Abbey's novel Brave Cowboy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- David Miller
- Genres
- Western, Drama
- In Theaters
- May 24, 1962 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Studios
Critic Reviews
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
David Miller builds sturdily on Philip Lathrop's widescreen cinematography, but Douglas and Dalton Trumbo's screenplay are the auteurs here
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Kirk Douglas produced and starred in this elegiac Western, scripted by Dalton Trumbo, which laments the vanishing Old West, its heroes and their mores, replaced by a modern world dominated by progress and technology.
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Christian Toto, What Would Toto Watch?
Kirk Douglas remains the epitome of the rugged individual in the classic neo-western Lonely Are the Brave
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Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Douglas oferece uma atuação curiosamente divertida, mas o roteiro de Dalton Trumbo (normalmente um mestre) fracassa ao se concentrar na longa perseguição em vez de fornecer elementos para que possamos comprender melhor as motivações do protagonista.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
One of only a few Kirk Douglas films where the hammy actor didn't want to make me gag.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Kirk Douglas
as Jack Burns
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Gena Rowlands
as Jerri Bondi
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Walter Matthau
as Sheriff Johnson
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Mike Kane
as Paul Bondi
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Carroll O'Connor
as Hinton
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William Schallert
as Harry Radio Operator
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George Kennedy
as Guitierrez
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Karl Swenson
as Rev. Hoskins
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Martin Garralaga
as Old Man
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Lalo Rios
as Prisoner
- Charles Bronson
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William Mims
as First Deputy in Bar
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Bill Raisch
as "One Arm"
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Dan Sheridan
as Deputy Glynn
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Bill Bixby
as Airman in helicopter