Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Scott LeBrun Forget "Cat Ballou". THIS is the performance that should have netted Lee Marvin a Best Actor Oscar. He's simply wonderful as the title character, part of a romanticized Old West that can see that times are changing. There's not as much need for veteran cowboys like him and his good friend Chet Rollins (Jack Palance), so they have a hard time finding work. Finally latching onto some gainful employment with rancher Cal Brennan (Jim Davis), he finally feels ready to settle down with Martine Bernard (a radiant Jeanne Moreau), the love of his life. But making the acquaintance of short tempered Shorty Austin (Mitchell Ryan) will prove to be quite fateful indeed."Monte Walsh" is scripted by Lukas Heller and David Zelag Goodman, based on the novel by Jack Schaefer of "Shane" fame. It marked the directorial debut for noted cinematographer William A. Fraker, who handles the material with incredible sensitivity and poignancy. It's an often beautiful, lyrical film, if rather manipulative at times. It's quite bittersweet, so viewers should be prepared for some very sad moments. Still, it's got so much heart, and so much humor, that it just pulls you in and keeps you watching. It looks glorious, with production design by Albert Brenner and cinematography by David M. Walsh that is just perfect. The music by John Barry is lush and romantic.The film also shows us just how great Jack Palance can be. Far too often during his career he was locked into villain roles due to his looks, but he's just a joy, in one of his rare good guy roles. He and Marvin make for very believable friends, the lovely Moreau has much appeal, and Ryan (who's clearly playing younger than he actually was at the time) is a vivid antagonist. Ryan even gets an official "introducing" credit. And they're supported by many of the cream of the crop of American character actors: G.D. Spradlin, Michael Conrad, Bo Hopkins, John McLiam, Matt Clark, Billy Green Bush, Eric Christmas, Charles Tyner, Jack Colvin, and Richard Farnsworth.Well paced, with some good action, and violence that is effective without being particularly gory, "Monte Walsh" rates as a must see for fans of the cast and the Western genre.Filmed again in 2003, with Tom Selleck in the lead.Eight out of 10.

TheLittleSongbird Whether Monte Walsh is one of the all-time greats of the Western genre I'm not sure. But it is certainly a personal favourite, and has a big emotional impact in a way that few other Westerns have, with the exception of perhaps The Shootist.It's beautifully photographed with an appealing graininess reminiscent of something like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Some shots are also almost painterly and the costumes are sets are equally handsome and evocative, maybe lacking the grandeur of Monument Valley for example but no less striking. William Fraker may have felt he was more comfortable as a cinematographer and he is perhaps more well-known for that, but his directing(his first and best) in Monte Walsh is most credible and does reiterate that he should have directed more films. John Barry, one of the greatest film composers who rarely put a foot wrong, couldn't have been a more ideal choice for composer, and his score here is wonderful, sweeping and elegiac. The film's song The Happy Times are Coming is a hauntingly beautiful song with a touch of irony and Momma Cass Elliot's singing of it is deeply felt and affecting.Also great about Monte Walsh is how well-written it is, with none of it feeling too wordy or meandering. The very poetic in tone script is both light-hearted and heart-wrenching and some of the metaphors really makes one contemplate afterwards. It also develops the characters remarkably, the characters could have been just stereotypes but here they just felt so real and easy to identify with, and I completely believed in the agreeable chemistry between Monte and Chet and the subtly touching one between Monte and Martine. The story, which is easy to follow and beautifully told, has a warm-hearted, poetic touch at first but becomes very elegiac that is both haunting and poignant, not in a manipulative or cloying way but in a genuine way and it does not feel like two different films. The acting is great, Lee Marvin commanding, noble and cool with a touch of steel, while Jack Palance has never been more restrained or moving with Chet being the most likable character of his career. Jeanne Moreau is very touching, her eyes conveying a devastating effect.Overall, a wonderful film and you'd be hard pressed to find a Western with as much emotional punch(to me only The Shootist comes close). 10/10 Bethany Cox

nedeljkodjukic88 This is really a top western. The thematic is similar to the one in Man Without a Star, but here - there's nowhere left to run. The sad twilight of the wild west is everywhere in this one. It depicts wonderfully the end of the cowboys, open plains, saloons of the time (saloon girls especially)- the end of The Old West. It is also pretty much the end of Marvin's and Palance's careers in western (with exceptions of very good 'The Spikes Gang' and 'Chato's Land') and the golden era of western genre. The only thing that starts is the career of Fraker as a director! The horse taming scene is simply incredible, the only one close to it is Yul Brynner's rampage in 'Invitation to a Gunfighter'.

harelik-1 The cowboy way-of-life is quickly coming to an end, and Chet and Monte try to carve out a new life - with great difficulty.This movie has it all - authenticity, love, loyalty, and desperation. Treat yourself to one of the best movies ever made starring Lee Marvin and Jack Palance. This part of our U.S. history is accurately and lovingly recreated in this cinematic wonder. The cowboy has never been underrepresented in film, but this masterpiece shows us with thrilling detail the personal struggles that came with the end of their way of life. Monte Walsh is also an amazing allegory of the American way of life. Do Not pass this one up.