wendellfountain

When I read the paltry sum of money this film made. I was disgusted. What a shame! This is one of the best western movies I've ever seen. The action, intrigue, and suspense filled the screen from beginning to the end. Old Henry (Blake) was superb. In fact, all of the acting was stellar.

Those of us who have aged along with Clint Eastwood fully understand the ravages of aging, and he is not exempt. He has tremendous moviemaking skill and knowledge and now is the time to retreat to behind the camera. If he had wanted to be accepted as a young 90-year-old, makeup could have improved the believablility of the film. He is old to begin with and presenting himself as even older on the screen is a huge mistake. There was even a flirtatious theme in the film with a woman who appeared to be 30 years his junior. I'm not as old as Mr. Eastwood, but apparently, I'm wiser. Time to put the ole ego in check. The story is too simplistic and predictable. I'm sorry that he has, apparently, finished his career in front of the camera, at least I hope so.

The acting by true professionals in this film is worth every minute. Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Kathrine Ross (Sam's real life wife), and Ben Johnson are a delight to watch in addition to several other highly skilled actors. The way Civil War brothers, who fought on opposite sides, came together was well portrayed. This really did happen during the Civil War. The interweaving of crime in the U.S. with Mexico is intriguing. A great story with superb acting by popular actors was icing on the cake.