Red Headed Stranger

I love this movie because I like the music and feel it is probably the best one Willie ever did. Willie Nelson is as good an actor as he is a singer and this movie made me appreciate that all the more. The songs are ones you can sing along to and that is a real bonus. The plot, the scenery is all real. R.G. Armstrong, who is noted for strong performances as a bad guy is exceptional, especially in the bar scene where he wants the young man to kill him. Look into those eyes!!!! Morgan Fairchild and Katharine Ross don't hurt anything either. I have seen this movie several times, never get tired of it. Maybe because beyond the music I feel Willie's pain and can relate to the frustrations of the preacher.

I was surprised this was released in 1986 as watching it the film felt much more like a western from the early 70's in both tone and filming style. I don't know if this was planned or due to the limited budget but either way it perhaps helps and gives the film some more charm.

It opens, and indeed the first hour, is very mild mannered and quite a family friendly western story... I won't go beyond that but I did find the change of pace and tone jarring initially. However by the end of the film it all actually all works well.

There is a great performance by R. G. Armstrong given more room to act here than his normal roles often gave him. Other than perhaps Barbarosa, I've never been 100% convinced by Willie as an actor, that said his charm shines through every scene and he's always very watchable.

I very much enjoyed this film, it is flawed and a tiny bit dated, watching it you do wonder quite how the marriage at the beginning of the film ever came to be. But while the pace is perhaps leisurely as it opens the story does keep moving and there are a lot of great original scenes and great performances. And there is the music too of course.

Not much dialog for a movie that I enjoyed. The music was excellent, I guess because I like Willie Nelson. Sad and reflective. It shows how a person can change not just from good to bad but back again. Willies expressions were always sad and for the most part the movie was to.

Average western drama highlighted by the always welcome presence of charismatic Willie Nelson in the lead role. The story is simple but effective for western style: a preacher (Nelson) became a furious and violent gunman after his wife (Fairchild)leaves him for another man. As a gunman, he must fight against cruel landowner (Dano) and his violent sons for the right of use of a water fountain in a distant and poor town.

Good scenes of fight and a decent photography made this one really watchable. A bit too predictable and slow at same points. But the good cast (R.G. Armstrong, as Nelson' old friend is terrific)is another great background.

This independent western has generally been dismissed by critics. It certainly has some big faults - some terrible direction (some key scenes are shot *at a distance*), and yes, Morgan Fairchild is indeed awful in her role.

I would say that one of the biggest faults of the movie, however, is with its pacing - this is a *very* slow-moving movie, and with a total running time of about 110 minutes, this slowness becomes even more deadly. The other big fault I had with the movie is that we never know what's going on in the head of Willie Nelson's character. His preacher character doesn't have that much dialogue, and what he says doesn't really give us that much insight into him. The explanations to the big decisions the character therefore decides upon remain a mystery.

Nelson isn't a great actor, but he manages to be watchable here by keeping his performance low-key. And even though the movie has its deadly slow pace and all those other problems, I did find it watchable - though in the sense of something being watchable during a boring weekend. Plus, there is occasionally some good stuff to see. For instance, the production values are dead on - all the weathered and rickety buildings look like they were indeed built in the middle of nowhere over a century ago. The cinematography is pleasing as well.

Verdict: Will do the job... but only for those who love westerns, have a high patience level, and have nothing else to do.