My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

Here's a modern Western gem from 1991 that's never been released on DVD.

Scott Glenn plays an injured ex-rodeo rider who returns home a Prodigal Son after years away.

The film follows his complicated relationships with his ex-girlfriend (Kate Capshaw), selfish wealthy brother (a surprisingly excellent Gary Busey playing against type), and aging father, a retired rodeo rider with dementia (real-life champion rodeo cowboy Ben Johnson in a touching performance).

As did many underdog movies of the era, the film awkwardly turns "Rocky"-like toward the end, when Scott Glenn's character mounts his rodeo steed once more for a chance at enough money to keep dad out of the nursing home.

And the end is jarringly abrupt, leaving several plot lines unresolved and questions unanswered.

But those are minor quibbles, when the rest of the movie is just pure joy, watching the characteristically taciturn Glenn navigate from one relationship to the other.

And the movie is peppered with old Western stars like Dub Taylor, to remind you that despite the soap opera drama, this here's a rodeo show at heart.

H D Dalton (Scott Glenn) is a former rodeo champion with his career ruined by a bull that gored him. He returns in his hometown in Oklahoma only to discover that his father is in a nursing home, his sister is now a widow and the farm is now abandoned. After returning his dad in the farm, H D discovers that the ranch would be sold unless he obtains 100,000 $ after participating in a rodeo and ride a bull for 32 seconds. So H D has a gruesome training for winning the rodeo and save his ranch and dad.

While this is now an obscure movie available only on YouTube, it's still great. Scott Glenn gives a great performance as a former rodeo star that tries to win a bull riding context despite his past scars, and succedds. The other cast members (Clarence Williams III, Ben Johnson and Mickey Rooney) are very entertaining and the movie itself is inspiring and gives the message of never giving up on your past passions despite injuries or thoughts of the other people, I nearly cried towards the end when H D managed to ride the bull for 32 seconds.

If you stumble on this movie during a YouTube search, don't miss it because it's one of those films that goes for the say... they don't make 'em like this anymore!

I am always looking for movies set in Texas/Oklahoma, etc. in modern times (post-cowboy days). I expected this one to be little corny, but I was not prepared for just how bad it was. Even though it had some decent actors, they all did a terrible job or were given a terrible script and direction in this flick. Ben Johnson is one of my all-time favorite actors. Compare this to "The Last Picture Show" and he comes off as a crude redneck with emotions that I'd expect in a kids movie. Characters changed moods and attitudes from one sentence to the next. The arguments were totally irrational and disconnected. Unless you're desperate to watch bull riding and wranglers, don't waste your time with this pitiful movie.

I go to the Rodeo every weekend and that HD fellow is the oldest bullrider I've ever seen. That's a young man's game.

What should have been a good story with a capable cast was actually hard to watch for me. Each scene seemed to be performed without any regard to the ones previous or following, and HD actually calls Jolie "Jolly" at one point (and no one caught such a basic mistake, which could have been easily corrected in post production audio work).

The ending was predictable, and disappointing in its execution. Once the final scene was underway, the acting ended, and the audience was never treated to anything like a finale that would've tied up the loose ends.

Unfortunate, given the talent available (and the cameo by Mickey Rooney).

Sheesh.