The Grey Fox

A very different kind of Western, "The Grey Fox" is set mostly in Canada, moves at an unhurried pace, and stars a senior citizen. Richard Farnsworth didn't make the jump from stunt man to actor until he was well past leading man age, but he was wonderful in films like "The Natural", "Misery", and "The Straight Story". This, however, has to be his best performance. He exudes subtle grace as gentleman train robber Bill Miner, who gets out of prison and is forced to adapt to a world that has passed him by. There's also a very sweet romance between Miner and a feminist photographer. My favorite part of the film is a montage of their courtship set to Miner singing "Betsy From Pike". I also loved the Irish music by the Chieftains, which seemed to fit perfectly with the lovely Canadian scenery. It will be too slow for most audiences, but if you love small independent films that don't pander to teenage moviegoers, this gem will be right up your alley.

This really is a masterpiece of film - and, unfortunately, largely unknown to the greater film-watching public in the United States. It is beautiful to watch, to listen to (with its soundtrack including both original work by award-winning composer Michael Conway Baker, of Canada, and the Chieftains), and to examine as a chronicle of the period that concluded the Wild West's grasp on the 19th Century and its reach for the 20th.

Bill Miner, the "Gentleman Bandit," was a historical figure whose long prison term for stagecoach robbery left him entirely unprepared (vocationally) for his release back into society - a society that was now devoid of stagecoaches, and beginning to discover the wonders of motorcars and moving pictures.

The 29-year-old director, Phillip Borsos (1953-1995), made this film tribute to the last outlaw of the Wild West and to the region that he lived in. While others might have gone heavy-handed and clichéd in such a production, Borsos' eye and ear both figure significantly in the film's direction, and its numerous examples of originality:

• a senior citizen star (the late Richard Farnsworth - whose Hollywood career had started as a stuntman, in Westerns - playing Bill Miner as a thoughtful and kind gentleman) who even gets to look hunky;

• a respectful treatment of an early 20th Century feminist (played by Jackie Burroughs);

• cinematography that highlights the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, rather than some anonymous California desert;

• a soundtrack that ISN'T Coplandesque (or Morriconesque);

• a 'cowboy picture' where the hero gets the girl, but doesn't get vulgar or trite or even testosterone-driven; AND

• an accurate look at the turn-of-the-century a hundred years ago in a landscape that hasn't entirely disappeared. Yet.

I have hummed the music from its tuneful soundtrack since the first time I saw it in its initial U.S. theatrical release, and have wanted to visit Kamloops, BC, ever since. If you can stand movies without gratuitous pyrotechnics or violence, don't let another day go by without checking out this film classic.

When Richard Farnsworth died a few years ago, among the films cited were his Oscar-nominated roles in Comes a Horseman and The Straight Story, and his supporting roles in hits like The Natural and Misery. The Grey Fox rarely got a mention which is a shame because it's one of Mr. Farnsworth's most compelling as we follow his portrayal of the real-life stagecoach robber Bill Miner after being freed from jail and his attempts in living a straight life with his sister and her husband. But times have changed the last 33 years and so in the early 20th century, Miner goes back to his old habits and robs trains (he got the inspiration watching The Great Train Robbery), then poses as George Edwards in a British Columbia town with his cohorts in tow. He also later falls for a feminist who takes pictures...I'll stop there and say while Miner does bad things, he gets some admiration for the gentlemanly way he does them, hence his "gentleman bandit" moniker. If you're interested in western rarities and are a fan of Farnsworth, I highly recommend The Grey Fox.

What's not to like about Richard Farnsworth? He was one of the few actors that received nothing but compliments during his acting days, an extremely likable "old man." Hey, few people every remember seeing this guy as anything but old, since he spent his younger days as a stuntman, rather than as an actor.

So, he was a very good choice to portray a likable thief: Bill Miner, the last of the stagecoach and train robbers. "The Gentleman Bandit," I believe, was his label. This is a nice low-key adventure, with almost no bad language and the British Columbia and Washington state scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It would look great on widescreen DVD. What's the holdup? (pun intended)

The only bad news of this tale is the usual filmmakers' twisted message to root for a man who simply was a crook, nothing else. The film also - especially to get the younger audience - needs more action. It will be too slow for them, but I liked it, if for no other reason that I can listen to Farnsworth's voice all night. What a "cool" guy he was, and it''s always a pleasure to see him on screen.

Surely one of the most direct, honest and accurate depictions of life in the "Old West," the Grey Fox does not resort to violence, bluster or machismo to present its story. Instead, the film comes across as a story of a man whose life has gone wrong as the result of carefully thought out and well-reasoned choices, though nevertheless bad choices. This alone is particularly refreshing in a Western movie and makes the film a worthwhile experience.

The late Richard Farnsworth relies on his considerable skills as an actor and makes his character sympathetic and heroic, never losing sight that he is in fact a thief. The costumes, setting, dialog and yes, even the miserable weather are true to the historical period and makes the viewer feel as if they were there alongside the characters in this elegant story.

It's a wonderful film and a visual feast!