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Lonely are the brave (1962) Miller
The last Cowboy
A mediation on individual freedom. Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) rambles into town to visit an old friend. Unfortunately his friend has gotten into trouble and about to be transferred from the city jail to the state penitentiary. Apparently helping fellow human beings in need, has a fancy name in that region of the country; it's called aiding and abetting and carries a mandatory two year prison sentence. Incarceration is the great bogeyman that keeps the gentle populous in line ... but, come to think of it, all these doors swing inwards, so getting into prison isn't that much of an obstacle. An hour later, they're breaking bread together at the courtesy of the county.
A nice supporting cast. Check out the "I'm getting angry" helicopter pilot. In particular, Walter Matthau is good as the police chief; he's a kind of a closet rebel himself, and sort of wishes he was going along for the ride with Jack, instead of coordinating his re-capture.
Also Douglas and Whiskey are a hoot---his horse should be considered a legitimate character. Jack is always scolding or cajoling her. Only a couple of months earlier, this horse was probably wild, so during their frequent pit stops, Jack has to shackle the horse's legs together so she doesn't high tail back to the high country, without him. The horse also hasn't acclimated to the vehicular traffic crisscrossing the landscape, and while trotting across busy highways, She usually panics somewhere near the double lines. Jack is probably as skittish as his horse in this ever expanding world of asphalt roads and faster cars, but he doesn't show it. He may be suffering from PTSD from his war service.
A strong story with a saddle bag full of subtle ideas and nice touches of irony. The invisible tethers of conformity. Heading off the beaten path versus sticking to middle of the road. The price of being an individual in a world where freedom is an advertising logo ... You can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, that is, until you hit that stop sign just a little further on down the street and you cool your heels for 30 seconds, and wait to be free.
Lonely are the brave ~ 8/10
The last Cowboy
A mediation on individual freedom. Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) rambles into town to visit an old friend. Unfortunately his friend has gotten into trouble and about to be transferred from the city jail to the state penitentiary. Apparently helping fellow human beings in need, has a fancy name in that region of the country; it's called aiding and abetting and carries a mandatory two year prison sentence. Incarceration is the great bogeyman that keeps the gentle populous in line ... but, come to think of it, all these doors swing inwards, so getting into prison isn't that much of an obstacle. An hour later, they're breaking bread together at the courtesy of the county.
A nice supporting cast. Check out the "I'm getting angry" helicopter pilot. In particular, Walter Matthau is good as the police chief; he's a kind of a closet rebel himself, and sort of wishes he was going along for the ride with Jack, instead of coordinating his re-capture.
Also Douglas and Whiskey are a hoot---his horse should be considered a legitimate character. Jack is always scolding or cajoling her. Only a couple of months earlier, this horse was probably wild, so during their frequent pit stops, Jack has to shackle the horse's legs together so she doesn't high tail back to the high country, without him. The horse also hasn't acclimated to the vehicular traffic crisscrossing the landscape, and while trotting across busy highways, She usually panics somewhere near the double lines. Jack is probably as skittish as his horse in this ever expanding world of asphalt roads and faster cars, but he doesn't show it. He may be suffering from PTSD from his war service.
A strong story with a saddle bag full of subtle ideas and nice touches of irony. The invisible tethers of conformity. Heading off the beaten path versus sticking to middle of the road. The price of being an individual in a world where freedom is an advertising logo ... You can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, that is, until you hit that stop sign just a little further on down the street and you cool your heels for 30 seconds, and wait to be free.
Lonely are the brave ~ 8/10