Dorathen Better Late Then Never

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

brettalder I will say this is a gripping movie. Kirk Douglas is a fantastic actor and this is certainly one of his greatest performances, but that doesn't redeem this frustrating and contradictory portrayal of "an old-time cowboy supplanted by modernity". When it comes to food, you don't criticize an Indian buffet for being lousy Chinese -- it's not trying to be Chinese. So when critiquing this work, it's important to separate out what the work is attempting from what it is not. It's NOT attempting to be a feel good story of redemption or good guy triumph. It IS trying to portray a rustic and cunning cowboy as he interacts with a modernizing world that can nary afford a glance backward on the society it is replacing. The biggest problem with this work is the fact that they're pretending to, but not actually, portraying a cowboy, when they're actually showing a Hollywood liberal-idealized version that renders an absurdist plot line. Douglas plays Jack Burns, a man who survives by his wits and grim determination in an unsettled wilderness with his horse while occasionally hiring himself out. Burns should be an icon of wilderness practicality, but basically the whole plot line is based on him being an idealistic buffoon. Examples:1) Jack knows nothing about jail, but gets himself condemned to a hear in prison just to see his friend (visitation hours won't do). He sneaks a hacksaw into his cell and starts sawing the first night without taking the lay-of-the-land, determining who might rat him out, the guard rotation, etc. 2) Upon escape, he knows the police will be after him, but takes an excruciating amount of time bidding adieu to his former lover (now wife of his friend) and wandering around pensively. Is this a cowboy or a romantic philosopher? 3) While escaping through the hills he takes a nice rest during the day without having first reached the ridge he needs to get to. 4) Along the way he meets up with the police officer/jail guard that a) he had previously threatened and b) had extra judicially beaten him while in jail -- knocking out a molar. Instead of killing this menace to society, Burns is content to knock him out. Is this a hard bitten cowboy or a wandering Buddhist monk we're dealing with? If he's a legit brave cowboy he shouldn't be making empty threats he doesn't plan on following through on or failing to mete out retribution for breaking the tacit laws of the West. That guard was previously taunting Burns' best friend Paul in jail. Sparing him will have consequences Burns' impracticality won't allow him to consider. "This one's for Paul, you SOB!" 5) All of Burns' impracticality and dawdling is required to set up a final break for the trees after he reaches the ridge where he is being fired at by not one, but three separate groups of officers simultaneously. Overall this adds up to lousy and lazy story telling. Don't pretend to portray a cowboy and then not do it. I know it's hard to mesh realistic acting characters with a gripping plot line. I know it's hard to try to understand cowboy culture and portray it vividly, but at least try. As it is it's modern-vs-modern critique where 1960's romantic ideals in the form of Jack Burns go head to head with 1960's modern realities. Weird.

writers_reign For a journeyman director David Miller had some interesting credits on his CV; Sudden Fear, Happy Anniversary, Midnight Lace, and the outstanding follow-up to this entry, Captain Newman M.D. It's well documented that Kirk Douglas has nominated this as the favourite of all his films but there is, of course, a distinction to be made between the overall film and the individual performance. I for one wouldn't like to say that Brave Cowboy eclipses say Minnelli's The Bad And The Beautiful or even Mank's A Letter To Three Wives, in both of which Douglas turned in fine performances. Be that as it may Brave Cowboy is definitely an exceptional movie surprisingly well cast with Walter Matthau and William Schallert making a fine double act, Carroll O'Connor saying nothing until the end and top-billed Gena Rowlands contributing little more than a cameo. In some ways it remains unique as a study of a man living out of his time and paying the ultimate price for so doing. Excellent.

mark.waltz This is not a "western" as I went into the film thinking. Yes, Kirk Douglas does play a loner cowboy, but in the very first scene, he must cross a highway while on his horse in order to get to the farm of the wife (Gena Rowlands) of an old friend. A fight in the bar with a one-armed drunk results in him being sentenced to a year in prison, and once he gets in (immediately locking horns with guard George Kennedy), he's planning his escape. This takes him back to the widow's house and finally to the mountains where he is able to outwit the law, at least for a while.With tongue-in-cheek, cynical cop Walter Matthau sits back and watches Douglas use his knowledge of the mountains to survive discovery by Kennedy (on whom he gets delicious revenge) and the other insipid lawmen who not only battle him but nature too. Like Stallone did in "Rambo" (a bit more violently), Douglas is stuck between having been convicted of breaking a ridiculous law and trying to remain honorable, and as the showdown reaches into nightfall, you know that disaster is only moments away. The film is never preachy or smug, yet at times, characters come in (like Carroll O'Connor's truck driver) who just seem out of place. But everybody is there for a reason, and the end is really surprising and sadly ironic. Bill Raisch, as the nasty one-armed drunk, is one of the most hideous villains in films and his motives of hate for Douglas is absolutely vile.

Wizard-8 Kirk Douglas has said that "Lonely Are The Brave" is his absolute favorite of all the movies he has done. It doesn't take much thought to determine why he feels this way. The movie's central character, Jack Burns, is a non-conformist, someone who always does things his way no matter what society may tell him differently. There are few other movie protagonists like this one. Other merit found in the movie includes some tense moments while Jack is on the run, plus a gutsy and unconventional ending that you probably couldn't get away with today.If there is a flaw to be found in this good movie, it may be that some modern day viewers may object to the pacing. It takes about half of the movie before Jack is on the run, and some scenes do seem to run a little longer than they should. While every scene DOES provide some purpose, I think the movie would have been improved had several scenes been cut down in length slightly. But even without this correction, the movie is never boring and is always interesting.