Les rebelles viennent de l'enfer

It is no coicidence that one of the characters in this film is named Hobbs (Geoffrey Lewis), for this film dramatizes vividly what happens when you refuse to defend civil society. After escaping conscription into the Union army, the protagonist Drew Dixon is dumped out into the state of nature, a struggle for mere subsistence, joining a band of boys that die or drift apart as soon as they perceive their interests to be opposed those of the others. Drew perceives himself as a Christian man, but slowly realizes, thanks to the man he thinks is least moral (Jake), that he has been an amoral man all along. For Drew set out to meet only his own interests, ever since he joined Jake and the boys. In the end, we are left with a pivotal ambiguity: have we just seen the story of a young man molded by his environment, or a story in which evil begins with the choice to rebel?

A young Jeff Bridges stars in this thought-provoking Western. A well-brought-up boy finds himself alone in the world. He soon discovers that survival without friends is difficult and reluctantly joins a group of boyish outlaws whose morality at first seems questionable. As the film progresses, however, it seems that whatever their backgrounds they are all in a profound sense victims of circumstances. Their journey across the country seems increasingly to be leading nowhere as the film moves towards a poignant finale.

This is one of those films that you put on not expecting much and are nothing but impressed by what you see. In short it's the story of a group of young men setting off to try their hand at a life of crime. It turns out to be a harsh lesson in just how tough the old west could be.

Shot in muted colours this is an impressively filmed western which evokes the real character of the period. The cast is led by a young Jeff Bridges who is hugely charismatic in this role. He is ably supported by Barry Brown as the fundamentally decent young man not suited to the role of an outlaw.

Although fairly slow to get going, this film has a number of memorable episodes and the tone of the film changes between light and dark at regular intervals making the sporadic violence all the more shocking and unpredictable. This fits in nicely with how life must have been during this period.

I am surprised this film hasn't got a much higher profile as it is one of the more memorable westerns I have seen. Well worth watching for western fans.

Another reviewer said that this film has been widely ignored and that is a crying shame. I've only seen the once in ten years, it's not on TV/satellite and is unavailable on video in the UK.

But I never forget watching it and being captivated by its charm and depiction of the real, sometimes very brutal West (I cannot forget one of the young gang getting shot for stealing a pie). The two leads are excellent, perfectly balancing the other, Bridges as the streetwise tearaway and Brown (RIP) as the well educated, mother's boy lead astray after dodging the draft (Vietnam echoes?).

The final scene is a gem as the two partners, shaped by their experiences in a lawless West, turn to crime.

People who put down westerns have probably never seen Barbarosa, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, One-eyed Jacks, or this fine film. Released in 1972, Bad Company reflects some of the values of its day (thus proving the value of the western genre). Our heroes begin by dodging the draft in the Civil War, then proceed across the plains in a manner true to history if not to romance. But the basic theme is that of parentless youths set adrift to discover their own values. Superb acting throughout -- veteran Jim Davis, for instance -- and excellent production on a small budget. My favorite quote: an outlaw about to be hanged demonstrates some fancy gun-work with an unloaded revolver. He wows the audience, hands the gun back to Jim Davis, and mutters,"Hell, I'm the oldest whore on the block."