Monte Walsh

The TNT remake of "Monte Walsh" is a wonderfully detailed character study of aging cowboys and their struggle with the decline of the old west.

Tom Selleck, Keith Carradine, William Devane, James Gammon and Barry Corbin are the last of a dying breed and they don't accept the inevitable change that progress brings. "I won't do anything I can't do from a horse" is the condition Monte Walsh demands for accepting a job at a corporate ranch.

There is more than a little humor in this film as the cowboys deal with their own mortality as well as the end of their way of life. William Saunders small but engaging turn as the trail cook Skimpy provides some welcome comic relief to an otherwise wistful and touching story.

This film has great acting, beautiful photography, gorgeous music and a wonderfully understated style of direction by Simon Wincer.

Worth the time and commercial breaks.

Best known for the novel "Shane," Jack Schaefer also wrote the novel "Monte Walsh," a depiction of the life of the itinerant cowhand. There's not a lot of plot, but a hugely detailed and wonderfully described slice of life, tough, tender, and comedic. The first film of "Monte Walsh" was a great little picture, with a nice uncharacteristic role for Jack Palance as Monte's pal Chet. But this TV remake may in fact be a better film. Tom Selleck is just grand as Monte--getting a bit old for bronco-busting, but still full of piss-and-vinegar. And Keith Carradine is swell as Chet, the cowboy who gives it all up to marry the hardware widow. Everything about this film is done extremely well. The costumes are superb--colorful and mythic while at the same time obviously useful and well-used work clothes. This is not a clean-hat Western, one of my pet peeves. The music is really touching and classic and romantic, and the cinematography is, to coin a cliche', stunning. All the performances are really quite good, and the movie left me with the feeling that I'd really spent a few months with a bunch of cowhands. What plot there is is realistic and uncontrived, and is ultimately moving. But "Monte Walsh" really earns its spurs by showing a 21st century audience how wonderful and horrible life on the 19th century range could be.

It's unlikely anyone will ever make another western as good as Wincer's LONESOME DOVE but MONTE WALSH is a good effort. I rated it a 9. This story of an aging cowboy's efforts to cope with a changing world in the late 1800s has a smoothness that seems natural. Tom Selleck is perfect and the supporting cast is equally superb. The spectacular Canadian scenery adds to the enjoyment. It's a well done western that's not just another "shoot'em-up".

Selleck has found his post-Magnum PI niche with Westerns, such as Monte Walsh and Quigly Down Under, among others.

Selleck delivers a quiet, strong performance. He looks like every cowboy ever wanted to look, and fortunately, he keeps his sometimes too high voice in check.

Monte Walsh is a story about times changing and how that impacts the lives of those that need for times to stay the same. It's a character study, not a Cowboys and Indians shoot them up. It does have enough gun play to keep the most traditional Western fan happy, but don't rent it for that. Watch for the great characterization by Selleck, a very good supporting cast, and wonderful cinematography.

While not packed with shoot-em-up action like lots of Westerns, this film really depicts what a 19th Century cowboy's life was like--lots of boredom, bad food, foul weather, and little comforts. But the freedom they enjoyed is also emphasized and the plot line is believable and honest. The prostitute character is a little thin and more along the line of the usual "whore with a heart of gold" character, but her affection for Monte is genuine and touching. The supporting cast of cowboys accurately portray the life of a real cowboy better than most movies of this genre. The scenery is magnificent(Wyoming Territory) and the cast does a credible job of giving accurate performances. It celebrates the "wild west" more like it really was than many of the usual Westerns and I would recommend it unless you want nothing but action.