Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo
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Movie Reviews of Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo
Movie Review: Bleak but brilliant revisionist Western
Summary: 5 Stars
A long way from the Hollywoodised version of a Lonesome Dove sequel seen in `Return from Lonesome Dove', this is Larry McMurty's riposte to the way the Studio handled that sequel. Where `Return..' dealt with the cattle barons and themes of redemption and wholesome endings, this is a stark and realistic portrayal of the West. Here, the violent men of the burgeoning West are a dying breed (no pun intended) and that sense of a time in history passing is present throughout the whole movie.
Captain Call is now a bounty hunter - past his best, failing eyesight and getting old, but still with his own inherent sense of what's right intact. The movie is a manhunt, for a young Mexican killer - a boy from a good family who was captured by the Apache and was bad ever since. For the trip, Call seeks the help of his one time corporal, Pea Eye, and is joined by a city man who represents the railroad that hires him. The action scenes are short, and for the most part unexpected in both their appearance and their results. The beauty of McMurty's writing is that the whole thing never once fits any of the Western clich?s, and convinces throughout with its ring of truth. And yet every character however small is drawn as if from life, with details, flaws and occasional moments of glory making sense.
What is truly remarkable is that the heart of the movie lies with the women. They are presented as the real heroes of the West - they suffered, they kept to what is right, and they made a life for themselves and their families no matter what life they had come from. Sissy Spacek playing Lorena, personifies this as the ex-whore who protects her family and loves her husband with intensity and conviction of one who believes that life can and will be better. It's her best performance in years.
Apart from Spacek, good performances abound, from Sam Shephards understated Pea Eye, to James Garner's nuanced Captain Call. It's one of Masterclass performances where by never letting us catch him acting, we feel like we know him as the character - and when his face shows near nothing, we are convinced we know what he's thinking.
It's a sad fact that as a TV movie this tends to fall into the sideline of history, but this is a solid piece of intelligently put together film-making which deserves your attention.
Extras are light - a text only interview with Garner and Spacek, and text only McMurty bio and bibliography. What a shame that no-one thought to talk to anyone about how this fascinating series came to be.
Movie Review: Old Captain Call follows Gus's Leg Demise
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a pretty good video. It is all part of the great Lonesome Dove series. Kind of sad, but at least he lives on, unlike Gus did. Movie Review: Review of Streets of Laredo
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent film! The story is great! Typical Amazon shipping - fast and well wraped.Movie Review: Not a great sequal to Lonesome Dove
Summary: 1 Stars
Very disappointing. Lonesome Dove is one of the greatest movies of all times. I had hopes the follow up would be close to the same but it lacked in every way. The cast is not nearly as good and the movie is just tiring all the way through. It drags and does not live up to Lonesome Dove. Movie Review: A true McMurtry Western
Summary: 4 Stars
I admit after watching Lonesome Dove in the early 90's I neither read or watched any of the other Lonesome Dove movies or books up until this year.
But Comanche Moon mini series stimulated me to read and watch all the books and movies asociated with Lonesome Dove.
As a reader and western genre fan it has been enjoyable. Only McMurtry can create the complex characters in his books and movies that are rich in chacterization and compelling to watch and read about. There are disappointments in the outcome of the main chacters and the directions of the stories, but overall they are great reads and movies are compelling to watch.
I think Garner does not pull off the emotional retardation but endearing loyalty and sense of honor of Captain Call seen in the Lonesome Dove movie. Still it is a credible acting job. I dislike the fact that Call is defeated by modern technology and is not placed on a more even plane with the bads guys. But the movie captures the feel of the west in the 1890's, with great scenery from the American southwest and good dialogue.
I highly recommend all of the Lonesome Dove novels.