Broken Trail (Two-disc)
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Movie Reviews of Broken Trail (Two-disc)
Movie Review: Awe Inspiring Scenery, an unusal story, truly GREAT western
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really moving and marvelous western. Robert Duval (also Exec. Producer) said he considers this the third part of his personal western trilogy (Lonesome Dove 1 & 2 being the first parts)... but the story here, and his character is different. (I didn't care for Lonesome Dove, BTW, it was too hard-hearted for me.)
Like most great westerns the real battle here is between corruption and ethics, even if they are wild west ethics. Duval and Church give 100% perfect performances, but Gwendolyn Yeo as the sweet strong mother figure for the Chinese girls is the heart of this piece, and she gives us brilliant moments of heart wrenching confusion, relief and joy. It is her smile which brightens this dark tale, this, and the Director's vision that true goodness does actually exist, and has strength and power. That mindset is what makes any western great.
In the traditional trail drive, non verbal male atmosphere, we have 5 kidnapped Chinese women ( rightfully not dubbed, so seemingly non-verbal as well) and this mix lifts the story far above the ordinary.
Greta Scacchi - looking beautifully her age - later comes in as a woman whose life has let her slip far downhill, and we have a truly great, restrained, mature, romantic scene between Duvall and Scacchi.
Through all of this is really beautiful and majestic cinematography, used to to it's best to highlight and magnify the whole story. Even in a genre known for landscape, this one is near the top for scenes of raw, expansive, natural beauty. We see why Duvall's character feels most alive on the trail.
This is a smart western for men and women, a western that is also a date movie... one of the greats of the genre.
Movie Review: Put Robert Duvall in a cowboy hat...
Summary: 5 Stars
...and you're likely to have a masterpiece on your hands. That was true of "Tender Mercies," "Lonesome Dove," and "Open Range," and it's also true of "Broken Trail," Walter Hill's mesmerizing, exquisitely photographed Western miniseries about a couple of cowboys--uncle and nephew--who come to the rescue of five Chinese girls who were sold into prostitution. Duvall's Print Ritter can't help but remind you of "Lonesome Dove's" Gus McCrae or "Open Range's" Boss Spearman, but at the same time Print is very different from Gus or Boss in subtle ways that only a master actor such as Duvall can make clear. "Broken Trail" is magnificently acted throughout. Thomas Haden Church forgoes his usual goofy persona as Print's nephew Tom Harte, in a thoroughly convincing portrayal of a brave, sad cowboy, downtrodden by life yet beholden to no one. Chris Mulkey--bearing more than a passing resemblance to the late Howard Duff--is properly loathsome as the outlaw "Big Ear" Ed Bywaters, and Greta Scacchi is deeply moving as Nola, a hard-luck woman menaced by Bywaters and enamored of Print. Viewers might complain that the young Chinese women don't becomne very individualized, but--given the movie's realism in showing that the girls can't speak English or comprehend Wild West culture--that was probably inevitable. Alan Geoffrion--who also wrote the original novel of "Open Range"--provides a screenplay that isn't all happily-ever-after, but is satisfyingly poignant and filled with rich dialogue and characterizations. "Broken Trail" is a must-see for Robert Duvall fans and Western fans alike.Movie Review: A Western you can take a date too...
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this film on AMC. This is AMC cable network's first original production starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. It is a fictional story that everyone will want to watch. The background for this movie is based on historical fact of the time. I knew I was going to watch this western as soon as I read that Robert Duvall was involved in the project.
This movie takes place during the late 1800s. It starts with two horse wranglers played by Duvall and Church. Duvall's character, Print Ritter, is Church's uncle. They decide too wrangle horses and sell them to the British Empire who needed them for the Boer War. In the movie we follow this magnificent heard of horses as they are driven east across beautiful country. During the drive they run into five Chinese women who were being kidnapped from the West Coast and brought to the interior west to serve as prostitutes. The story of our horse drive and the story of five Chinese women become intertwined.
What makes this western special is we see the personal growth of Print Ritter from lonesome cowboy to father figure. And what makes this western unique is we see the story from the view of the female characters. Though the movie did not end exactly as I expected, it was close, yet seemed more real.
This is a must see movie. The story line, acting, scenery, background are all top notch. It was hard for me to believe that this was not very large big screen production.
Movie Review: A true classic western
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a western which really demonstrates human values.
Robert Duvall (Prentice Ritter) and his nephew Thomas Hayden Church (Tom Harte) play weather beaten but honest cowboys, along with an educated new cow-hand Scott Cooper, who also plays the violin. These three dust covered cowboys, drive a herd of top notch horses northward in order to sell them to the U.S. Army, but due to sudden adverse circumstances wind up protecting five Chinese girls who were being abused for money by corrupt 'human lice'.
Donald Fong does a wonderful job playing Lung Hay, who also assists the three cowboys with the five girls, and later on a lady caught up with the bad guys, headed by Chris Mulkey, playing a cruel gunmen named Big Ears, who teams up with three other low life gunmen who are after the fine herd of horses plus the Chinese girls.
The actresses playing the Chinese girls are as follow: Gwendoline Yeo as Sun Foy 'aka' #3. Valerie Tian was Ging Wa 'aka' #5. Caroline Chan as Mai Ling 'aka' #2. Olivia Chen played Ye Fung 'aka' #4 and Jadyn Wong as Ghee Moon 'aka' #1 coupled with an older American lady Greta Scacchi playing Nola Johns. All these actresses gave wonderful performances.
This fine western's cinematography was truly magnificent through the entire picture.
A must see for western fans and fans of movies with a purpose.
Movie Review: Good story, great acting and production...
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Duvall can gallop into a western without much in the way of preparation, such is his natural affinity for the genre. Not surprisingly, he delivers yet another convincing and satisfying performance as the uncle who inherits his sister's estate and then strikes a deal with his nephew to set things right. It's not the typical conflict of western epics, but good enough to set the story in motion and bring it to an odd but worthy conclusion. Thomas Haden Church as the rejected son is the real surprise in Broken Trail. While his character is low key, the honesty and humor Church delivers is far from it. In every scene he persuasively portrays a man who responds to his situation with quiet strength and pragmatic acceptance of the outcome.
Beyond stellar performances, the film offers great production which includes beautiful scenery and attention to detail. There are moments when the story seems to noticably slow down, but this strikes me as purposeful. The scenes in between story movement are what give it depth, and contrast the ugliness of human subjugation with the gorgeous landscape in which it takes place. This is a rare film that stands up to many repeated viewings without ever becoming stale.