Pistoleiro sem Destino

If you're into film that has to have a cut every 3 seconds to stay interesting, skip this one. But if you're into film as an art form, this is a must see.

The photography is masterful by Vilmos Zsigmond. From the deeply rich silhouettes made with the natural light of a sunset to the shading and textures of lamp and fire light, this film is a profound lesson in painting with light.

The montage scenes blend the beautiful images into a pensive and graceful passage of time. The editing creates a deliberate pace that recreates a time when a horse trot was the natural speed. But when the gun battles begin the pace quickens to a gallop.

The delicate music is perfect blend of instruments for the visuals and provides the emotional depth that music should.

Under Peter Fonda's creative direction the film's elements deliver a story of a man who returns home to make things right because he had the courage to change. And just when the man and his wife restore their love and trust in each other, he had the courage go away again to save his longtime friend.

I'm surprised at the maturity Peter Fonda the director displays with THE HIRED HAND. It'll be a fruitless search to attempt to find a western resonating with the ambiance and themes of THH in its time. It would take quite a few years for the American western to embrace this new take on the mythos of the old west - far removed from the works of John Ford, Anthony Mann or Howard Hawks.

THH relates a small but intimate drama about three men travelling west for California - the gold, the ocean, the cold beer, it's a promised land of sorts for drifters like them. After a deadly incident in a small, rundown village where they bury the younger companion, the other two, Harry (Peter Fonda) and Artch (Warren Oates) decide to turn back and instead of California return to Harry's wife - whom he abandoned six years ago to become a drifter.

Upon their return Harris finds a frigid and distant wife, reluctant to have him back. She satisfied her natural sexual frustration over the years by sleeping with the men she hired - and that's exactly how she takes Harry back, a hired hand to do work around the house, until he can earn his way back as her husband.

This little vucolic drama unfolds in some neck of the woods, unpretentious and stripped of all fat, laconic as much as it is melancholic. A simple story superbly told, with small nuances and glances and full images that stand in for a barrage of dialogue and the actors hitting all the right notes, underplaying it enough to suck you in the heart of it all.

It is only natural then that Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography matches the tone of the script. Beautiful exterior shots turn the landscape, in turns rugged and comforting, into another character. The only misstep, in my opinion, in the visual aspect of THH is the overuse of montages - Fonda superimposes image upon image as a transitory device which doesn't always work that well. I prefer full, clean images as far as that goes.

I can't find any major faults with THH - apart from that it's not what many western fans might be looking for which is of course not an inherent flaw of the film. The third act builds into a gritty and violent revenge subplot that includes a short but terrific shootout whose outcome is suffused with bitter irony. Apart from that however THH doesn't have anything in the way of action, no wild galloping through the prairie, no robbers holding up banks and no cavalries chasing away injuns.

As much sombre as it is elegiac, heartfelt and poignant, THH might be little seen but remains one of the best westerns of the 70's. Fans of UNFORGIVEN, OPEN RANGE and the recent THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES will find something to appreciate.

Another in the great string of Oates movies to finally come out on dvd. He's flawless as usual, Fonda is great, the old weathered wife does a good job too. Wonderfully shot. The best thing about Oates is his facial expressions, the way he frowns and gestures, he would have been a great silent actor. I'll take Oates over Nicholson any day, I love Jack too, but Oates was the best of his time....

You know a film has impact on you when you remember it 30 years later. Those that are mediocre all merge together and fade from memory quickly, but a good one you're still thinking of a week later --a great one, years later. The Hired Hand is like that. I saw the movie in 1971 and thought it mesmerizing. The other night I was delighted to see the remastered copy in Blockbuster, and I had to rent it right then and there! It was even better than I had remembered. The cinematography was nothing less than stunning -- especially the sunsets. It has the most unusual and haunting soundtrack of any movie I've seen.

I have to laugh at the reviewer who thought Verna Bloom was ugly. Verna was perfect for the role of the quintessential pioneer woman -- strong and direct, with an amazing presence and an inner beauty. I guess that "beautiful Hollywood people" have been playing the guys and gals next door for so long that average looks have become "ugly" to us. Heaven help us all.

Some of the scenes in the movie are quiet but powerful. One is strangely erotic -- Verna Bloom is sitting in her rocker on the front porch and Warren Oates on the step near her. As she explains to him that it wouldn't really matter who she slept with that night (either he or Harry would be interchangeable), Warren Oates character is visibly moved and caresses her bare foot for a few seconds before the scene fades to black. This is a example of a how "less can be more" in an erotic scene -- it was brillantly done.

I give this movie my highest recommendation.

I'll echo the sentiments in (most of) the other comments. A quiet and deeply poignant movie that drew me in powerfully. Fonda's more recent movie, "Ulee's Gold", had much of the same feeling about it. Highly recommended, if you can find it.