Junior Bonner

Lesser known and underappreciated Sam Peckinpah film. It's a quiet character-driven story about an aging rodeo star who visits his family on one of his stops. There's little of the characteristic Peckinpah violence, but the theme of displacement in the modern world is still the same. Beautifully photographed, and ultimately rather touching.

Another Peckinpah about a man increasingly out of time and at odds with his environment, rapidly approaching extinction. McQueen is fine, but Rosebrook doesn't give him much to work with, and unlike Cable Hogue, its surface is inert and undynamic. The rodeo setting is also a minus, and Peckinpah's use of slo-mo feels gratuitous.

Family dramas are not typically associated with the name Sam Peckinpah, but this uncharacteristic effort is actually one of his best. Not only is it well filmed with spots of creative editing, it also boasts great performances from its accomplished cast and a number of brilliant exchanges between the characters. The film exudes an infectious warmth by virtue of its easy, subdued nature, which makes it an absolute pleasure from start to finish.

Not crazy about this one. I get what Peckinpah is going for here with the themes of the disintegration of the American West and whatnot, but I just didn't find it all that interesting. It's very mellow and I personally did not connect with the characters much, so it didn't really work for me. Great work from McQueen though, and it's nice to see Ida Lupino.

Bonner, like Cable Hogue before it, is praised as proof that Peckinpah also has a soft side. It was ill-received upon its release because audiences were expecting shots to be fired, but is now considered by many to be one of his best. I don't think it is. I think it truly is a minor film, lesser than the thrillers that Packinpah was making during that period. It is, however, very well made for a mellow family drama, and the cast is great.

Minor Peckinpah, but great performances from McQueen, Robert Preston and Ida Lupino, and a great rodeo feel.

Good film.

As big a fan as I am of Peckinpah I have a hard time coming up with a movie that involves the great shitkicker passtime of rodeo that was ever really any good.