Monte Walsh (1970)

The idea of the cowboy in the disappearing west is not a new one, but it has rarely been done this well.

Lee Marvin is Monte Walsh, and his best friend is Chet (Jack Palance). They come out of the mountains after a harsh winter and find all the ranches are being bought by a giant corporation. Brennan (Jim Davis) offers the duo jobs on his old ranch, which he sold but still runs. Among the new ranch hands is Shorty (Mitchell Ryan), so named for his short temper. Jobs are scarce, but Monte and Chet are happy doing what they have always done- work with horses and cattle. On time off, Monte sees Martine (Jeanne Moreau), a prostitute who never charges Monte for services rendered. Chet is pursuing a young widow who owns a hardware store in the local dying town. Things begin to get bad. An old Civil War veteran and fellow ranch hand kills himself by riding off a cliff. Brennan must lay off three men, and one of them is Shorty, who has developed a grudging friendship with Monte and Chet. The three are in competition to see who can break a wild gray mustang, which is eventually sold by the troubled ranch. As Monte watches his comfortable, uncomplicated life unravel, he finds the gray mustang penned in a corral in town and determines to break him- a cowboy do what comes naturally to him, and showing the world he is still important in the grand scheme of things.

"Monte Walsh" came out in 1970, in the heyday of the revisionist western. The entire cast is excellent, anchored by Marvin, who has never been better. His Walsh is stubborn, funny- a regular guy caught up in circumstances beyond his control. Director Fraker perfectly restrains Palance, who is laid back and likable. Ryan is also good as the tortured Shorty. He is not the hothead outlaw we have seen before, he regrets his violence, and Ryan's face registers this. John Barry does the musical score, and the music for the half-good theme song by Mama Cass. His orchestral score is great, with grand strings and horns, and a final gunfight is well scored, playing on the suspense. Fraker's direction is also good, he is not obsessed with the pretty scenery, he likes his actors, too. The action is handled well, and his camera loves Marvin's ruddy face. The cast boasts quite a few known faces. It is well acted, well shot, well scored, and well edited. The fact that all the elements come together so well heightens the entertainment factor, and makes this an overlooked gem that should be sought out. The plot is light with many humorous scenes, like Walsh's life. If the story meanders, it is because this is Walsh's life.

I loved what I saw, and I highly recommend "Monte Walsh."

Stats:
(1970) 106 min. (10/10)
-Directed by William A. Fraker
-Screenplay by Lukas Heller and David Zelag Goodman, based on the novel by Jack Schaefer
-Cast: Lee Marvin, Jeanne Moreau, Jack Palance, Jim Davis, Mitchell Ryan, G.D. Spradlin, John Hudkins, Raymond Guth, John McKee, Michael Conrad, Tom Heaton, Ted Gehring, Bo Hopkins
(PG-13)