Bite the Bullet
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.93 You Save: $6.06 (61%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.00 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Bite the Bullet
Movie Review: Loved this!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Forget all the rambling connecting this flick to the "ultra left", "revisionists" and "analyzing". *This is a great Western*
Horse owners will enjoy it.
'Nuff said.
Movie Review: A Classy and Classic Western
Summary: 4 Stars
Somehow I managed to avoid this movie when it hit the theaters in 1975; my mistake. However, I was not into westerns in 1975, and only recently did I give this movie the chance it deserved. This movie is more than a mundane western with rehashed themes. There are traditional western themes in this movie, but the movie has much more to offer to a viewer.
We meet Sam Clayton (Gene Hackman) early in this movie. Gene is kind to animals, children and women; especially animals. I wondered why Sam was involved in a horse race given his love of animals. However, Sam's concern for animals is an important part of the story. As the movie evolves we learn that a newspaper has sponsored a 700 mile horse race. We meet the principals in a way that allows us to gain an initial impression of each person's character. Candice Bergen is Miss Jones, a lady with a sordid past. James Coburn is taciturn cowboy Luke Matthews, who apparently had an interesting past that involved Sam Clayton. Jan Michael Vincent is the brash young upstart Carbo who learns that Sam will tolerate no mistreatment of animals. Ben Johnson is a former Pony Express rider.
Any movie about a horse race must have a hook, and this movie has several subplots, which I leave you to discover for yourself. The movie also has at least a couple of themes. The less subtle theme is the changes that the West and the United States were going through. We see aspects of those changes that were slowly making gunslingers and cowboys things of the past. We also see a variety of social conditions that would lead to societal upheavals well into the latter half of the last century. While some reviewers may laugh at the poignancy of this movie and the changing way of life, perhaps those same reviewers will feel differently in several more decades.
The only theme that was a bit too subtle was the treatment of horses and other animals. Cowboys have always had the greatest respect for their horses, as Sam did for his. Conversely, the non-cowboy riders mistreated their horses terribly. I think the point in this was that people who rely on animals as part of a team treat them with respect. People who see animals as a tool or a means to an end may use or abuse them in a way that we identify as cruel. Perhaps the director was also trying to equate cruelty to animals with modern life. In any case, Sam Clayton was there for the horses!
"Bite the Bullet" is a complicated movie with a lot of character development. Some of the development is stereotypical to move the story along, but the lead actors get a good chance to define themselves. The story moves along very quickly, with steady pacing from beginning to end. The result is a classic action-adventure western that deserves a bowl of popcorn and a couple of hours of your time.
Movie Review: A horse ride through hell
Summary: 4 Stars
In the 1970s when westerns were typically cynical, dark and violent, Bite the Bullet went for a more traditional movie, and it works because when it comes right down to it, it's a good story. In the early 1900s, saddle tramp Sam Clayton is out of work after delivering a horse to the start point of a 700-mile horse race. At first, Clayton wants none of the race, but comes around and ends up joining the competition. One of nine riders, Clayton sets off through hellish terrain with little water. Can the riders tread that fine line between pushing both themselves and their mounts too far, and who will win? Not much action here, but I never found myself bored. Great location shooting, a good score by Alex North, and a strong ensemble cast make this 70s western an enjoyable one.
At the height of his popularity, Gene Hackman leads the ensemble cast as Sam Clayton, the cowboy looking for work who joins the 700-mile race. Clayton wants to win, but not at a cost of his own beliefs and morals. If someone's in trouble, he'll help. Candice Bergen stars as Miss Jones, a former prostitute who joins the race to earn some much-needed money, but there may be more going on than she tells. James Coburn plays Luke Matthews, Clayton's old friend who has bet every cent he has on the most reliable rider...himself. Hackman's scenes with Coburn make their past friendship more realistic and believable, you like both characters. Ben Johnson is great in a small part as Mister, an ex-Pony Express rider who's tried everything in life but believes he won't be remembered, winning the race on the other hand would immortalize him. Some of the other riders include Ian Bannen as Sir Harry Norfolk, a British sportsmen who loves competition, Jean-Michael Vincent as Carbo, a youngster trying to prove himself, Mario Arteaga as the Mexican, and Robert Hoy as Christie, the early favorite.
The DVD seems like it was just thrown together. No special features, not even a trailer, and a fullscreen presentation of a movie that would look great in widescreen. Even more frustrating, the credits are in widescreen, but the movie goes to pan-n-scan immediately after. Too bad, but the movie's a good one, an old fashioned western with a great cast, check out Bite the Bullet!
Movie Review: A valedictory for the western and a celebration of America.
Summary: 4 Stars
Westerns were falling out of favor as a genre when this movie came out in 1975. At the same time, the U.S. was preparing to mark its bicentennial. According to the new book "Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks" (available from amazon.com), writer-director Brooks wanted to make a movie that looked back at what had made America great. That was quite different from so many movies of the period, which took aim at what was going wrong in the country.
Brooks had made only two other westerns in his career as a screenwriter and director, but he had managed to make an impression with both. "The Last Hunt" focused on how buffalo fell victim to racism against the American Indian, and "The Professionals" was a solid action movie anchored by a great script and solid direction.
For "Bite the Bullet" he wrote an original script (those other two westerns had been based on novels) about a 700-mile horse race, the kind of endurance race popular at the turn of the 20th century. Along with Gene Hackman and James Coburn he cast western veteran Ben Johnson for the movie's most poignant character.
Some people consider this movie a bore. I have yet to talk to a western fan who didn't like it, particularly for its cinematography. Its music got an Oscar nomination for Alex North. If you can, watch the widescreen version instead of the pan-and-scan format.
Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks (Wisconsin Film Studies)
Movie Review: Little conversation, long time in the saddle
Summary: 4 Stars
Unfortunately, the film offers little acting or much of a story line. If you read the other reviews, you will learn about the plot, which is a 700-mile horse race that follows a railroad line. The actors include Gene Hackman, James Coburn, and Ben Johnson which are hardened cowboys hoping to win the prize. The race begins and will we see it end? Also, this movie is lacking in conversation, most lines the actors use are short. To the movies credit, there are a couple of good points, one of them is the scenery, which is spectacular. There is a lighter moment when James Coburn and Gene Hackman need to ride a motorcycle with a sidecar because they care chasing some escaped criminals that stole their horses. This is the good laugh of the movie.
Now you should be asking yourself, why should I watch this movie? If you like horses and horse stunts, you will enjoy this movie. This movie has horses being ridden at the walk, Horse being galloped by their riders. There is a scene of horses being run in slow motion, contrasting the strength of a fresh horse and a horse that has been ridden too hard. I donft know if this scene was studio magic or the real thing, however, I felt sorry for the horse. The horses earned their oats in this movie-one falls in the desert; another falls off a clip;another gets shot. The horses should be the focal point of this movie. If you feel anything for the animals, this movie will give you a definite reaction to this movie.