Lonesome Dove. La gran aventura

As a boy, I never liked western films. My father loved them all, all the John Wayne classics, the Spaghetti Westerns, the whole lot.

I despised them all. They were all the same. Same plot. Same rotten cinematography. Same unbelievable characters. Couldn't understand the attraction.

Then I saw Lonesome Dove. This film (actually a mini-series) is an absolute masterpiece.

It starts with the cinematography and locations. It was not your stereotypical Utah-canyon photography, it was the great plains, the Texas deserts, the wide rivers, the mesquite groves. Not marvelous vistas, but simple, real, gritty scenery. You can taste the dust of the panhandle and smell the Kansas plains.

Then there's the action. There's lots of it. Flooding rivers, driving rains, realistic fights, thundering cattle drives, horrible scenes of rape and torture (just under TV censor radar), plenty of death and sadness. All of it believable. All of it heart-tugging. All of it amazing.

But above all of these great features are the characters and the writing. Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call have become two icons of pop culture, polar opposites who work well together and, in the end, are incomplete without one another. The supporting cast as well is fabulous, well written, patently interesting, and tremendously played. Even the evil characters are fascinating.

This is what television and film should be. It is very, very rare for anything of this quality to ever appear on the small screen, and with today's "reality TV" craze, it is even rarer still.

Buy the DVD set. You won't be disappointed. 10 out of 10.

Barky

Larry McMurtry's wonderful story is beautifully and amazingly brought to the screen by director Simon Wincer. It assembles together one of the best casts in movie history. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are nearly perfect. Duvall has been quoted as saying that Gus McCrae was his favorite character he ever played. He is certainly mine. Angelica Huston is the perfect person to play Clara. It is almost like Larry McMurtry had some of these actors and actresses in mind when he wrote his novel. The only exception is Frederic Forrest as Blue Duck. He does a fine job with what he's got, but the man just isn't big enough or scary enough for this role. The story is incredible. The scenery is beautiful. Lonesome Dove is, in my opinion, the best western ever made. A definite must see for everyone.

I usually shun mini-series. Sooo long, sooo boring. Lonesome Dove is anything but. It's one of the most realistic, best character driven films ever made. Everyone is good, even Ricky (sorry, RICK) Schroeder, but Robert Duval is AMAZING. His Augustus McCrae is so perfect, that one would swear that Robert Duval is that character! He makes this film for me and I was really happy to hear that it was Duval's favorite character out of his long, excellent career. Lonesome Dove, which is so brilliant, should be on the list of anyone who likes westerns, and anyone who likes good filmmaking in general!

Little did I realize when I picked up the videotape of `Lonesome Dove' that I would be pitching a tent myself, camped out in front of the tube for most of my Saturday (6 hours, not including pauses for bathroom breaks, meals, letting the dog out, etc.). It certainly rearranged all my weekend priorities, but it was well worth the sacrifice after all the hoopola I've heard regarding this movie. It is a must experience.

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones top-line an outstanding cast in this epic-proportioned western which should have been worthy of a cinematic release for it captures beautifully the look, the feel and the time of the Old West as never before.

In a nutshell, it relates the tale of two former Texas Rangers, Woodrow Call (Jones) and Gus McCrae (Duvall), both getting on in years, who manage a dusty but comfortable living running a cattle company just outside rundown Lonesome Dove, Texas. A third ranger, Jake Spoon (Robert Urich), returns from up north, on the lam for an accidental murder, and perks Woodrow's interest in being the first to take a herd into the mostly unsettled northern region of Montana, while laying claim to an area considered `perfect cattle territory.' He convinces relaxed old-timer Gus, who is content these days with a bottle of whiskey and a whore, to join him for one last thrill to recapture their old "Texas Ranger" glory days and shake up their too sedentary lives.

Re-stealing horses and a herd from Mexican bandidos, they sign on a team of men to undertake the arduous journey eventually braving about every type of adversity imaginable. When it's not windstorms and snake-infested waters threatening life, limb and livestock, they have murderous horse thieves and vengeful Indians to contend with.

What makes `Lonesome Dove' stand out proudly is not only its rich, panoramic beauty and intriguing story-lines, but its caring, sharply-defineated characters that keep this six-hour plus movie from ever wandering off. These are people you become fascinated with; people that you want to know as much as you can about – even minor characters stay with you here, such as the desponding, thick-accented bar-owner who carries the torch for one of his whores, or the spiritual cook who passes out whittled amulet-like carvings to the cattle team. When asked why he doesn't ride horses, he simply responds, `We are all animals. How would you like it if someone rode on you?'

An intricate, finely-tuned subplot weaves in and out of the main Woodrow/Gus narrative. A northern sheriff July Johnson (Chris Cooper), accompanied by his stepson, reluctantly takes off to Texas after Jake Spoon for the accidental murder of the town's mayor, but gets sidetracked halfway when he learns his new wife Elmira (Glenne Headley) has abandoned him and the boy in her obsession to find the no-account man she left behind.

The acting is superb all around, especially by those mentioned above. They give this movie such heart and scope. Also contributing greatly are Diane Lane as the town whore who seeks a better life; earnest Ricky Schroeder as the youngest member of the team whose family tree is questioned; Danny Glover, the wise and dedicated team scout; Barry Corbin as the slow-thinking undersheriff; Frederic Forrest as the murderous redskin Blue Duck; Angelica Huston as Duvall's kind-hearted former flame; Steve Buscemi and Frederick Coffin as a pair of lusty lowlifes; Nina Siemaszko as a scrappy backwoods waif, and others too numerous to name. But Tommy Lee Jones and, especially, Robert Duvall are the heart and soul of this piece. They limn characters so fascinating and complete, they just stand apart from the rest. Gus McCrae, in particular, will be remembered as one of Duvall's proudest creations.

So, if you are into all-day campouts that will make you feel you yourself have been on a trek, `Lonesome Dove' is your ticket. It is wondrous entertainment that now lies in the miniseries Hall of Fame along with "Roots."

I was about 10 years old when I first watched Lonesome Dove.

My parents were away, working hard to provide for our family, and I was left at home with a few channel. To my blessed luck, Lonesome Dove aired in one of those channels. I watched the first part, and counted the days, hours, moments, for next week's part. I was only 10, but I knew I was struck by something meaningful... Among all the junk that was being aired in between, all the TV reporting of wars in my country, all the political corruption I cared nothing about... I will tell you this: Lonesome Dove gave me faith in humanity.

To this day, I can say this was the only cinematic film to ever truly touch my heart. I have seen many films/series since, but none has made an impact as beautiful and true as Lonesome Dove.

Gus and Call's friendship in this 4part masterpiece, has defined my very idea of what friendship could look like in real life.

Today I have a couple of dear friends. People I enjoy sharing my life with. People I'd follow to the ends of the earth if asked. And remembering dear old Gus and Call's journey, is something that brings tears to my eyes. For me... it was real. For me, their friendship was a lighthouse of hope. It was shining the words: "Never give up on your brothers and sisters, they are your light in the darkness".

To friendship!