Les cavaliers de la mort

Most of the new westerns being made these days (i.e. Unforgiven, Tombstone, etc.) are exceptional, but this may be the pick of the lot - the characters are real, the plot is believable, the photography is superb. I've never read the book, but I may now.

Where can I start? I've heard/seen the title "Riders of the Purple Sage" for as long as I can remember, but never read the book, nor did I ever see any of the previous versions of this Zane Gray novel. It wasn't until I became a big Ed Harris fan that I started looking for more of his films, and ended up buying "Riders." I knew it was going to be good, but wow!, I couldn't have imagined it would be teriffic -by far the best western, and one of the best films, period, I've ever seen.

There is so much to this story. . . the two love stories of course; the hypocrisy of the "righteous", and the redeeming qualities of those who on the surface may appear to be "evil" or "bad guys"; the power of love between the most unlikely couples; and the spiritual power of love and trust, just for starters.

I don't know if the script was taken directly from the book, but the dialogue was magical in many scenes. Amy Madigan and Ed Harris were magical too, partly due to their personal relationship I'm sure, but their work together in this film was unforgetable. I couldn't help but notice how they kind of look alike! Common among some married couples.

The supporting cast was excellent, and the scenery unbelievable. This is one of the films I will be watching over and over again. It should be released in the theaters! See it.

For any fan of a good western and Zane Gray this movie is well worth the viewing time. I had read the book several times over the years and found this movie lived up to my expectations. The movie was as true to the book as any movie of this nature can be. The action will draw you in, I had to go back and reread the book to see if I missed something. The authenticity of the scenery as well as the beauty really helped make the movie. Lassiter starts out as a somewhat questionable hero but quickly you realize that he is one of the quiet good guys. Reminded me of some of the older western movies like "Shane" or some of the newer ones like "Tom Horn" or "The Sackets. Read the book, see the movie, and then read the book again it will be worth your time.

Having read the original novel after seeing the film, I was most impressed how well it adhered to the original plot line from the Zane Grey novel.

Ed Harris, an actor that I usually do not care for, was very, very impressive in this film. As Lassiter, I loved his delivery of the line to the bad Mormons: "Where I come from, a woman's word is law." Harris conveys the right portion of menace and due respect when necessary in his role.

I saw this on TV; I wish it had been on the big screen

Too bad Zane Grey never saw this version; I sure he would have been very happy with this production.

I was an avid Zane Grey reader as a teenager in the forties & have not re-read the book since. However,when viewing the movie, I felt the same aura of old west romance that I remembered from many years before. I have always felt that, in spite of his rather blatant racism, Zane Grey wove exciting and entertaining stories. I wish there would be additional efforts to bring more of his books to either the small or large screen, and that they would be as well made as "Riders of the Purple Sage".