Comanche Moon
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Movie Reviews of Comanche Moon
Movie Review: We all miss Bill Wittliff
Summary: 3 Stars
We all miss Bill Wittliff. He was the writer on the teleplay on LONESOME DOVE, and did a masterful job of bringing Larry McMurtry's book come alive on the screen. I have read all four books of the Lonesome Dove epic and have seen all of the TV adaptations.
Like other reviewers I was looking forward to COMMANCHE MOON on TV. It was a wonderful read, with great characters, such as the Skulls. But unless I was dozing during the second episode, none of that seemed to lead anywhere.
The New York Times was in my opinion a bit harsh calling the roles of Gus and Woodrow miscast. I think they did their best to mimic how these characters would have acted 15 years earlier in their lives.They did their best to inform the development of the characters over the years. But the reality is that Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones made these roles impossible to follow.
I was surprised that McMurtry who is generally very careful in his research chose to stage a Commanche raid on Austin, especially when there actually was one on Galveston, that was the whole point of what Bear Hump was talking about in "driving to the sea."
So I wound up showing the original to my friends once again on my 60 inch
Pioneer Elite. We will always have Ogollola. Thanks Bill.(and Larry)
Movie Review: sick of you
Summary: 4 Stars
Im so sick of all your review's ya its not as good as lonesome dove but everone knows that you dont have to say that anymore its been well over a decade just stop stating the obvious. i know you all say this mini series in historically incorect well whatever as long as larry mcmurty has something to do with it i dont care. Im not usually one to make a review but you people piss me off. I thought all the characters acted similar to how they should.You people are so stupid "Its to bad to add to my collection" I have over 700 vhs , you guys act like you have 3 movies that you think are really great but apparently you probably dont have a collection to add anything to. i will happily add this one to my lonesome dove collection. I wish the rest of you would stop critiqueing and live.Movie Review: A WEAKER THAN EXPECTED FINALE
Summary: 3 Stars
A few years back I stumbled onto a used copy of the book, COMANCHE MOON, on sale at my local library. I bought it, eagerly read it, thoroughly enjoyed it and anxiously awaited what I assumed would be the inevitable excellent television release of the final film installment of the LONESOME DOVE saga.
Now that the movie version of the book has been released, it's time to sort things out. First the good things.
Simon Wincer, the director of the original LONESOME DOVE, is back with this video prequel. Wincer's eye is evident everywhere here as he paints panorama after panorama of a gorgeous western landscape. Wincer has become the consummate modern Western director and proves it again here.
There are some wonderful surprises in the cast. At first I was skeptical about casting Steve Zahn in the role of Augustus McCrae. I assumed that Zahn, an actor famous for his airheaded portrayals of every character he has played, wouldn't have the ability to arise to a role defined, originally by the inimitable Robert Duvall. But as the miniseries played out I found Zahn to be, not only believable in the role, but also extremely credible and charming. It was easy to see him as a young Duvall or, more to the point, a young McCrae.
Karl Urban does an equally fine job of portraying a young Woodrow Call. He's dry and straightforward, all business, with a stern approach to McMurtry's famous hero. Moreover, the chemistry between Urban and Zahn is just what it should be.
We get a brief glimpse of Maggie Tilton's tragic character in DEAD MAN'S WALK. COMANCHE MOON develops her, as she becomes a key figure in the LONESOME DOVE story. Here Elizabeth Banks does a wonderful job of portraying a woman of feeling and tenderness, one who rises above the horrible life of a frontier whore, seeking a life of respectability but not apologizing for what she has had to be in order to survive.
McMurtry is famous for including an array of nutty characters that bring an air of comedy as well as insanity to his works. This is especially true of his LONESOME DOVE quartet. In COMANCHE MOON the main players fitting this description are Inish and Inez Scull, portrayed, respectively, by Val Kilmer and Rachel Griffiths. The book is replete with the adventures of these two, describing their doings and what is done to them, especially on the part of Kilmer's character, Inish. And sadly, for me, the miniseries falls unforgivably short, and I am not blaming Kilmer or Griffiths, when it comes to the Sculls. Yes, it may be that the TV medium wouldn't allow an accurate and graphic portrayal of what befalls Inish in the book (even though there is plenty of gore in Ahumado's encampment). Yes, it may be that Inez's antics were equally racy and, therefore, the stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor. But, frankly, I was surprised that McMurtry, being a co-writer on the project, would allow the whitewashed portrayal of these two that ensues in the movie. Accordingly, a star is, of necessity lost for skimping here.
An additional star has to be lost for the weakness of the remaining cast, a bumbling bunch that is so unbelievable that the story is nearly lost. Many are misportrayals of various key characters. McMurtry's Blue Duck, portrayed masterfully in the original LONESOME DOVE by Frederic Forrest, is the personification of evil and carries the half-breed chip on his shoulder with sinister accuracy. In COMANCHE MOON, Adam Beach, though a fine actor in his own right, is far too Indian to be believable as a half-breed and falls considerably short of Forrest's portrayal.
A weak three stars for me. Yes, it completes the set and is a necessary watch for any follower of LONESOME DOVE. But COMANCHE MOON could have been far better. It's as though McMurtry simply succumbed to the temptation to get this one out of the way and pocket his money and, so, skimped on the details that made LONESOME DOVE the classic that it remains in the Western genre.
THE HORSEMAN
Movie Review: finally
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished watching Comanche moon, and I have to say I thought it was very good. Not nearly as good as lonesome dove, but that is like comparing apples to oranges. The original Lonesome dove is hands down one of the greatest westerns of our time. The actors were phenominal, the story was awesome, it pulled you in, and made you hold on the whole time. Most of Lonesome Dove's appeal in movie form was due to the great actors, Tommy Lee Jones is Woodrow Call, no one will ever play that part like he did. Gus is Robert Duvall, and no one will ever play that part as well as he did. However I thought these actors Steve Zahn and Karl Urban did a fairly good job at playing the parts. It is a hard act to follow, and they definitely did a better job then any other actors I have seen in any of the other Lonesome Dove series after the original. Watching the others, dead mans walk, streets of laredo, return to lonesome dove, was just uncomfortable watching the actors trying to portray the characters that Tommy lee Jones and Robert Duvall brought to life on the screen.
I will defnitely buy this movie to add to my lonesome dove collection. To the review that said it wasnt historically accurate, it is a fictional series of books, not a historical one.
Movie Review: A great tie-in
Summary: 5 Stars
I think this was an excellent prequel to Lonesome Dove! Granted... IT IS NOT LONESOME DOVE. They will never top that series... or even match it... who even expects it? When I say Steve Zahn playing Gus I thought, "This is going to be terrible! How did they select him?", but I was plesantly surprized! He was excellent as Gus... mimicing Duval I thought was great... irritating... not at all... this was a young Gus, just as I would have expected him to be. Steve did an excellent job! I did expect a little more from Karl. He could have opened up a little more, studied the character Call a little more. I just didn't find much in his character other than being stiff. The other characters: Deets, Pea Eye, and Jake Spoon where not developed in detail, but it did make connection... it was a short series. Maybe if it were as long as Lonesome Dove... Technically correct... probably not, but you can be just as critical to most all movies. I will certainly add it to my collection as it fills the gap. I do wish it were longer or that they would add another series prior to Lonesome Dove for further character development. I loved Val Kilmer's role, but I wished they would have developed or explored Gus and Calls' relationship with him more. His character was weird, but I suppose that he was a source lending to their qualities and his wife supporting Gus as a playboy.