Broken Trail

The film opens in Chinatown San Francisco, 1898 where we five exotic virgins from the Celestial Empire are bought by Captain Billy Fender (James Russo) to be sold as slaves and introduced into the brief and violent life of prostitution…

Robert Duvall stars as "Print" Ritter, an old cowhand whose sister left a will inheriting all to him rather than to her own son, Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church) who lives in John Day Country Oregon...

Print ignores why she has done it, or why was crossed between the two, but his sister done it…

Print got the idea to buy a team of tough, high-desert mustangs—three to eight years of age—to take them to Sheridan, Wyoming to sell to the British Empire; the money they'll earn will be to increase their capital… And on the shares, Print figures a 25-75 split on profits after expenses and loan repayment to the bank…

From this point, Hill's Western becomes a road movie, with all kinds of odd characters, from ugly villains to a friendly musician, but the key to "Broken Trail" is that through a series of circumstances, fate has placed the five Chinese innocent girls in the hands of Tom and his uncle… But the reality is another… Their families sold them to that rat captain heading out to the mining camp, where Kate, an odious saloon owner, bought them from an associate in San Francisco…

Our two cowboys save the girls' lives from rape and take them along on their journey…

With great photography, gorgeous vistas, perilous ground, sensible brave girls, good and decidedly courageous men, great action when it is necessary, and a big confrontation at the climax of the movie, Hill's Western is a must see film for the fans of the genre

How does an honest man make his way in a corrupt world? Walter Hill has been investigating this question since his days as a screenwriter, with a couple of stopovers in Dashiell Hammett country (his dauntingly unsuccessful version of Hammet's RED HARVEST, filmed as LAST MAN STANDING), comedies (48 HOURS), but here, in this leisurely western, he has found a perfect vehicle for this problem, and the right actor for the role in the ever-watchable Robert Duvall. And the answer is that you wind up accumulating a pack of people as wounded as yourself, ducking your head against the storm and slogging on through: a nephew estranged from his mother, your sister, a Virginian who can't stop traveling, five Chinese virgins intended for a mining camp's whorehouse... the list goes on. In the midst of a beautiful land -- the magnificent Canadian plains, west of Calgary where they rise to the Rockies -- they slog on, doing their best.

To what end? When death and violence surround you, then the wise man comes to recognize that the effort is all he can offer.

It is a pleasure to watch canny old pro Duvall at work, and to watch Thomas Haden Church, as his nephew, play off against him. And the beauty of moving horses across the Canadian plains is the revival of a seemingly lost art; the westerns, once the myth of America and bedrock of the film industry, are now an occasional production from people nostalgic for the form. But their nostalgia is suffused with a strong sense of film-making and this mini-series should not be missed.

A good Western is a treat, like comfort food for the soul. Robert Duvall is a favorite of mine, and he is wonderful in this movie, as always, but the surprise factor here is Thomas Haden Church, who I remember as a Mechanic in the sitcom, Wings. Watching him playing a 19th century cowboy in this project, well,- he seems made for the part: serious, soft-spoken, and a little too lean from trying to eke out a living in tough times. Wonderful! I hope to see more of him in the future.

The scenery is as beautiful as I expected, and I don't care that it was shot in Canada instead of the U.S. I do wish there had been a little more emphasis on the horses, though. The promos advertised the movie as being about a horse drive, but that was only a premise for the other story lines. They were supposed to be herding 300 to 500 horses, but it sure didn't look like that many to me. But, I guess I'm getting pretty picky there. It was satisfying to watch, regardless of whether there were hundreds of horses, or only about 75, as it looked like to me.

There is one scene in the movie that is almost a reverse "Man from Snowy River"-type scene, where they herd their horses UP a steep hill, and that was interesting. I'm not actually comparing the riding in this movie to the incomparable Charlie Lovick's downhill riding in the most famous scene from Snowy River, but it did bring that movie to mind.

If you like western movies, you'll like this mini series, and it might spark an interest in a part of our American history that is not particularly well known,- the Chinese immigration during the gold rush of the 1800s.

As a Chinese-American, I had no doubt I would schedule my life around the two nights BROKEN TRAIL was airing. Having seen part 2 last night, I am still reeling from the beauty of the backdrop, the vastness and the loneliness--something I remember from the film, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, which was also in Wyoming I believe and definitely featured fly fishing but I digress.

Robert Duvall said in an interview on CBS' Sunday Morning that BROKEN TRAIL represented the finale to his western trilogy (Lonesome Dove, Open Range and now Broken Trail) and that's sad but what a body of work he's left us and countless generations to enjoy! I loved the economy of language because that's how I imagine life was among men in those days. The leisurely pace of the film might have pulled the story down but not in this case. I applaud AMC for going forward with this production and the minimal intrusion of commercials. I truly hope this comes out on DVD because I know I will have to have it. I found the casting to be perfect and disagree with the reviewer who lamented the exclusion of Tom Selleck or Keith Carradine among others. The familiarity I felt for Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church was enough without being overwhelming--they just seemed to lend honesty and truth to their performances--more known actors weren't needed. I appreciated the fact this wasn't a cast of thousands, although there were suppose to be 500 horses or so...

My final comment to all who enjoyed this mini-series and to those who did not know much of the Chinese who came to the 'Golden Mountain' in the 1800's--please look for Ruthanne Lum McCunn's book, "THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD" which is based on a true story (I'm still not sure if Broken Trail is, although I believe the writer was somewhat influenced by this book since there are common threads i.e. Chinese girls sold into prostitution and setting roots in far flung states--Idaho in the book and Wyoming in the mini-series). THOUSAND PIECES...has also been made into a film but is not as good as BROKEN TRAIL.

I can't wait for AMC to show repeat airings--for any of you who didn't get a chance--WATCH IT!!!

The film starts in 1898 , Ritter (Robert Duvall) a veteran cowboy sees declining the ending days of Wild West era and the transition to a new century . Ritter along with his estranged nephew Tom (Thomas Haden Church), and another cowboy (Scott Cooper) transport a herd of horses across the northern , when save five Chinese girls kidnapped by a villain (James Russo). As Ritter along with Tom Harte become the reluctant guardians of five abused and abandoned Chinese girls . The local madame (Rusty Schwimmer) sends a gunfighter (Chris Mulkey) to chase the girls for her own aims . Print Ritter and Harte's attempts to care for the Chinese are complicated by their responsibility to deliver a herd while avoiding a group of enemies intent on kidnapping the girls for their own objectives .

This melancholic picture is acclaimed like one of the best Western TV of the last years with several prizes and various nominations for Gloden Globe . It's an excellent Western with adventures , noisy action , shootouts , breathtaking scenarios ; but also melancholy , friendship , unlovable camaraderie and emotionalism . The movie was shot in Calgary, Alberta, Canada location with marvellous outdoors . Sensitive and moving Western where cowboys must say goodbye to the lives they know and undergo an extraordinary and dangerous travel . Great acting for all casting with magnificent main roles by Duvall and Haden Church . Special mention to Greta Scacchi as an aging prostitute who falls in love . Gorgeous landscapes , reflecting wonderfully the wide open spaces, they are splendidly photographed by Lloyd Ahern II , Hill's usual cameraman . The movie follows the wake the last Television Westerns starred by Sam Elliot or Tom Selleck, such as ¨Monte Walsh¨, ¨Crossfire trail¨ and ¨Quigley Down Under¨. The motion picture was well directed by Walter Hill , a Western expert , such as he proved in ¨Geronimo¨, ¨Will Bill¨ and ¨Long riders¨. Rating : Better than average for the proficient film-making . It's a magnificent movie , and an unforgettable , unchallenged classic TV western.