Paul Newman stars in and directs this adaptation of the Ken Kesey novel (Kesey being best known for "One Flew Over the Cuckoos' Nest"). It's the sometimes compelling and very well made story of an Oregon family in the logging business. They're at odds with folks in town, partly due to their unshakable "never give an inch" motto. Arriving back at the family homestead is long-estranged Leeland (Michael Sarrazin), half-brother of the story's main protagonist, Hank (Mr. Newman).
Newman is a good director telling an entertaining story in capable fashion. The location shooting is first-rate, with excellent widescreen photography and plenty of local flavour. The films' most memorable scene is both incredibly tragic and yet darkly funny, as a character slowly drowns. The many sequences of loggers going about their business are fascinating, as we see these rugged men plying their trade. And the music score by Henry Mancini is just wonderful.
But the main reason to watch is a truly superior cast. Henry Fonda is ideally cast as Hanks' cantankerous, old-fashioned father; he's often very amusing. Newman is solid, but Lee Remick as his wife looks perhaps a bit too glamorous for a housewife living a supposedly simple life. Sarrazin is fine, if not as masterful as his veteran co-stars. Richard Jaeckel, in an Oscar-nominated turn, is the true standout as Joe B., Hanks' born-again, amiable brother. The supporting cast contains some very familiar, top character actors: Sam Gilman, Lee de Broux, Roy Jenson, Joe Maross, Roy Poole, and Charles Tyner.
Overall, this is a fine film, even if it is a simplification of a complex novel. It does drive home some salient points: Would it really hurt that much to "give an inch", for once? And pride and stubbornness can often get in the way of true common sense. That said, it's hard not to give some sort of cheer in the concluding moments.
Seven out of 10.
Newman is a good director telling an entertaining story in capable fashion. The location shooting is first-rate, with excellent widescreen photography and plenty of local flavour. The films' most memorable scene is both incredibly tragic and yet darkly funny, as a character slowly drowns. The many sequences of loggers going about their business are fascinating, as we see these rugged men plying their trade. And the music score by Henry Mancini is just wonderful.
But the main reason to watch is a truly superior cast. Henry Fonda is ideally cast as Hanks' cantankerous, old-fashioned father; he's often very amusing. Newman is solid, but Lee Remick as his wife looks perhaps a bit too glamorous for a housewife living a supposedly simple life. Sarrazin is fine, if not as masterful as his veteran co-stars. Richard Jaeckel, in an Oscar-nominated turn, is the true standout as Joe B., Hanks' born-again, amiable brother. The supporting cast contains some very familiar, top character actors: Sam Gilman, Lee de Broux, Roy Jenson, Joe Maross, Roy Poole, and Charles Tyner.
Overall, this is a fine film, even if it is a simplification of a complex novel. It does drive home some salient points: Would it really hurt that much to "give an inch", for once? And pride and stubbornness can often get in the way of true common sense. That said, it's hard not to give some sort of cheer in the concluding moments.
Seven out of 10.