Principal Cast: Charlton Heston; Donald Pleasance; Joan Hackett; Lee Majors; Jon Francis; written and directed by Tom Gries

SYNOPSIS

The film features Heston as ageing cowpoke Will Penny who falls foul of a bunch of renegades who seek to exact horrible revenge for the death of one of their number. During the ensuing conflict Will comes into contact with Cathy (Hackett) who is en route to Oregon to meet up with hubby and start a farm. With Cathy is her son Horace Greely (Jon Francis), and Will and HG hit it off famously after Cathy’s initial misgivings. He eventually falls in love with Cathy. After a climactic showdown with the renegades, Will is faced with the decision - will he follow Cathy and HG as surrogate husband and father or follow his familiar path of independence? I won’t spoil the ending for anyone not aware of the climax; suffice to say that I was unsatisfied with it. My opinion was further reinforced after viewing the mini-documentary about the film.

This is a relatively modern western, sadly lacking the `feel’ of (for example) classic Ford and Huston efforts in the same genre. The film had a telemovie feel about it, which wasn’t helped by a rather insipid musical score.

Among the strange - at times annoying - features of the film are the opening 20 minutes or so containing numerous seemingly unconnected events, many of which rather implausibly come together later into the film. Add to that the drifting of the mood of the film from Disneyesque `family values’ qualities to periods of violence and sadism. The whole film seems to waft between sentimentality and aggro with many of the sub-plots being unnecessary to the final outcome.

Most of the performances are competent, if not grossly over-the-top - witness Donald Pleasance in a particularly loopy role as the head of the gang of `baddies’. To be honest it would have been difficult to `fluff’ many characters roles; such was their shallowness. I also could not comprehend the part of the female member of the renegade gang - no speaking part, no primary scene - what was she there for?

This was the directorial debut for Tom Gries, who also wrote the storyline. He directed another half a dozen features after this. Interestingly, Tom’s son, Jon Francis, who was selected unbeknown to Gries, played the part of HG.

EXTRAS

? 12-chapter scene selection index

? Remembering Will Penny - a 13-minute backslapping doco praising the authenticity of the film, and among other things justifying the ending. Everybody seems hell-bent on trying to convince the viewer that this is an important film - I disagree on many counts

? Will Penny’s Cowboys - another 3-minute backslapping affair where everyone says how great everyone else was

? Language and subtitles menu

OVERALL

I can’t be very kind to what appears to be a quite amateurish rendition of the western yarn. If this were a true interpretation of the Wild West, then it would conceivably have been the Wimpy West instead (barring the odd Pleasance-like lunatic)! My dissatisfaction with the ending may well put me at odds with a number of viewers who might find the climax satisfactory and enjoy the film as a result. But in the long run, I think most followers of the western genre will find it disappointing.

105 mins running time