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John C. McGinley, John Cusack, John Goodman

At a time in the West when colonies dreamt of statehood and men forged their own laws with power and pride, a honest rancher is forced to face the injustices of a power-hungry neighbor. John Cusack st...( read more  read more... )ars as Myrl Redding, a just and forthright horse trader who becomes the brutal victim of his wealthy neighbor, Henry Ballard (L.Q. Jones), when he disagrees with him about political issues. After Ballard sets up a toll gate on his property, Redding is forced to leave two of his prized horses with Ballard's men in lieu of payment. When Redding returns he find his horses near death he demands justice. Ballard refuses to restore the horses to good health and denies any wrong-doing, infuriating Redding, who enacts an elaborate plan of revenge. A feud erupts that quickly becomes a deadly manhunt with an army of cowboys fighting for justice. John Goodman portrays the ethical judge who must make a decision in condemning or excusing Redding's actions. Director John Badham's finely crafted western harkens back to classics of the western genre, with Cusack as a modern-day John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

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69% liked it

3,746 ratings

R, 116 min.

Directed by: John Badham

Release Date: August 1, 1999

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DVD Release Date: August 31, 1999

Stats: 149 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (149)

  • bradwest
    September 18, 2008
    bradwest
    Kind of a 70s western. Especially the ending. You have been warned.
  • ileo
    December 12, 2007
    ileo
    Definitely remember this movie!
  • Hellshocked
    April 26, 2007
    Hellshocked
    I hate John Cusack. He turns in the exact same performance in every single role with his blank stare, fast delivery and shoulder-shrugging indifference and somehow manages to receive extreme critical acclaim. He is miscast in the central role here, but surprisingly tries to do so...( read more)mething ever so slightly different. I didn't buy it for one second, but hey, it's John Cusack. I never would have.

    This film is a typical western with some very beautiful photography. It actually feels like Wyoming, the dry land, the snow, the dust, the vegetation. The problem is it is never very engaging. The first 45 minutes are flat while the last hour or so is a morally confused mess preaching vigilantism and overkill.

    Part of the problem is the direction. It is pedestrian, bland, never involving nor, of course, even remotely exciting, and the rest of it is probably the script. It makes very little sense for Myrl to do what he does when there are many other ways he could have achieved the exact same result, his speech on how the law failed him (echoed by John Goodman's character) is ridiculous, and by the end of the film he has done far worse than Henry Ballard ever did to him, despite what the direction and the score would like to have you believe.

    I can't say it was exactly a disappointment (it's a John Cusack vehicle, after all) but it was certainly not very good.
  • chadroesti
    April 13, 2007
    chadroesti
    This was a surprisingly good movie...John Cusack as a cowbow, who'd of thunk it?
  • jam233
    September 17, 2009
    jam233
    A surprisingly effective performance by John Cusack is a bif plus for this movies, as well as a good screenplay and fine cinematography. I liked the old fashioned score too. Nicely done.
  • hanmartin
    February 18, 2009
    hanmartin
    Now the attitude Myrl Redding has is the one everyone should have, Stand for what's right. Cusack, Jones and Goodman are great!
  • midnight20049
    October 14, 2008
    midnight20049
    very good movie and sad
  • kenowliver
    August 9, 2008
    kenowliver
    Not until you witness the obstacles that this country have overcome to become what it is today, you will begin to appreciate what you have.
  • Insania
    July 8, 2008
    Insania
    not a big fan of westerns, they all seems to end up the same, but this one was okej
  • satyricalmale
    June 26, 2008
    satyricalmale
    Interesting move into western territory for John Cusack. Solid, well acted effort.

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