Junior Bonner

This is a really odd film directed by Sam Peckinpah. While there is an almost cult-like aura about him by his fans, this film may upset many of the "Peckinpah-sters" who are expecting the usual Peckinpah style. In essence, the violence is practically gone--no one is killed in the film and the amount of blood shed is very little--though there are a few of the trademark slow-motion shots. In addition, the film is set in the West, somewhat of an obsession for Peckinpah, but in the modern age.

The story is about an aging rodeo star whose better days are far behind. Now he's broke and coming back to visit his home town. The narrative is far from traditional, as not a whole lot really occurs in the film--instead it's like a slice out of the life of the leading man (Steve McQueen) during this small time period of just a few days. Instead, you learn about his rather dysfunctional family--his father (who was also a rodeo star long ago) who STILL needs to grow up, his greedy brother and his long-suffering (and a bit stupid) mother. None of these characters are particularly likable and it's all a bit sad, though it also does seem rather true-life as well. The characters, though horribly flawed, are much more real than you'd find in other films. Too bad, however, that they never do much of anything.

Overall, a very slow-moving film that was obviously a labor of love for the director but which probably won't appeal to most people. Yes, it's a realistic portrait of a strange piece of Americana, but many just won't find much reason to see it--not that it's bad, mind you, it just never rises above the level of "meh...". Still, not a bad little film.

How much you enjoy the film overall depends on your interest or affection for the rodeo but there are some really fine performances. McQueen is excellent, a bruised thoughtful performance, but Robert Preston and Ida Lupino really take acting honors as his parents. The scene between them on the stairs is an example of what great actors can do to make characters live on the screen. Something that helps sell the story is that the two of them really look like they could be Steve's parents. Junior's a rambler who is happy to go his own way but finds the modern world getting in the way. A subtle drama of the kind that is rarely made today.

There are many actors who are willing to go that extra mile to convince you the character which they are playing is genuine. Junior 'Jr' Bonner Steve McQueen is such a man. Playing him with the stoic silence as a 8 second ride on the back of a Brahma bull and with the explosive outcome of the trill, McQueen is a simple but aging rodeo star with little to say except when it comes to what is important to him. One aspect is his father Ace Bonner (Robert Preston) whom he deeply respects and quietly emulates. Ida Lupino plays Elvira Bonner, his mother and Joe Don Baker, his ambitious older brother out to become rich. Even though his brother wants him to quit the rodeo and come to work for him, Jr seeks to remain his own man. A noted old timer to Bonner's ambitions is Ben Johnson who plays Buck Roan, the owner of the dynamite animal called "Sunshine", a huge bull which really challenges Bonner. The movie is a superb vehicle for McQueen who is unquestioningly suited for the part. The story does him well and could easily have been his real trade. Excellent film. ****

I first heard of this film on a trip to Prescott for the 1973 rodeo. Three days of hard liquor, sex and wild livestock (I had sat out Woodstock in an NYC jail and had to make do) Of course the film was all the buzz but the highlight of '73 was an ill-advised visit by a chapter of Hell's Angels who didn't know the locals carried side arms. They had a most humiliating exit. The former territorial capitol, a moribund Prescott sat between the exhausted gold fields in the mountains and the ranches suffering from poor beef prices out on the high prairie. The Palace Bar was the queen of a raucous grouping of saloons on Whiskey Row. A place to rub elbows with crazed prospectors and working cowboys. The town's only nod to modernity was a Western Auto Parts store and Sears Catalog outlet...I don't think they had a McDonalds.

Today the faceless crowd savors its victory. The ranchers cried "uncle" and gave in to the developers or joined them. Whiskey Row in name only the bars have become boutiques and the Palace is a salad bar. The city groans in gridlock under the traffic of her sprawling suburbs. Street widening has obliterated the familiar or bypassed now inaccessable charms. Strip malls and the usual fast food joints line the approaches for miles and miles. A flood of California retirees have raised the costs and codes to push Jo Don Baker's trailers to rural ghettos ranging thirty and forty miles out. Phoenicians have taken the old gold camps for summer homes and condos. The once unbroken mountain views and sweep of prairie are dappled blurs of asphalt shingle, stucco and neon. A straggling herd of antelope (a protected species) are under edict of removal in one housing developement and if Junior Bonner comes back to town he better be driving an Escalade.

The film is a poignant story proven true. I haven't the heart to revisit the rodeo.

The Wild Bunch, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Major Dundee, and many more films are great views because of writer/director Sam Peckinpah. Add in Steve McQueen, and you have the formula for a movie worth watching multiple times.

I had a personal feeling for this movie, and for McQueen's character. he just couldn't stand being at home and putting up with all the drama. It wasn't that he wanted to go from town to town chasing that elusive 8 seconds, he just felt better under the stars and not having to listen to all the crap that goes with family. You could see his eyes roll as the bickering went on. I certainly empathized with him completely.

A great film about old cowboys, but a better film about family.