Bad Company (1972)

A young man dodging the Civil War draft falls in with a group of runaways heading west. This is a Western in name only. It has little of the elements that one associates with the genre. Making his directorial debut, future Oscar winner Benton does little to enliven this comedy-drama. The script is too rambling to hold one's interest. The characters are not compelling enough to care what happens to them. The attempts at humor are somewhat forced. The shift between comedy and brutal violence is jarring. Bridges does OK in what was his first starring role. It is sad watching Brown, a talented actor who committed suicide six year later at the age of 27.

I'm a huge fan of Jeff Bridges. Great all around actor who is a pleasure to watch and the Big Lebowski is an all time favorite of mine.But the movie is still just not worth it. Its just a rambling, meandering story with little story spine and a lack of any true drama. If you are on the edge of your seat it will probably be from dozing rather than from any gripping sort of suspense or interest. I believe it was given kudos by some critics for being a different type of western: more gritty, real, less glamorized and all that. Honestly, just because a film does something different, doesn't mean it was good entertainment and that's the most important criteria for a good movie.So, if you want to then watch it but you can definitely do better.

This first feature directed by Robert Benton sets the tone for all the good work he followed it with. While there's little in common between this darkly funny western, and say 'Kramer vs. Kramer' on a story level, the underlying style and themes – a genuine appreciation of the complexity of human nature, a refusal to judge characters in simplistic terms, a sense of humor off-setting even heart rending situations, a subtle visual strength that never overwhelms the story, but always strengthens and feeds it – are all already in place. Here he creates a western not quite like any other, as a rag-tag group of young boys, most on the run from conscription in the Civil War (clearly a Vietnam-era reference) try to make it on their own as 'outlaws', or at least their romantic notion of such, The main conflict is between Brian Brown's straight arrow Christian boy, aping the ideals and notions taught him all his life, and the very young Jeff Bridges equally acting out his schoolboy idea of a tough guy. Along the way, as they encounter a series of real adults, dangerous, hardened, seemingly with no ideals left, both young men are slowly forced by circumstance to examine and change their own self-image. There are a few cheats here or there on a story level, and not every episode is as good as the next in this episodic tale, but this is a unique, creative and terrific use of the 'old west' to explore modern morality with wit, humanity and complexity.

A gang of little thieves meanders West to dodge the Civil War draft. On the way they lose their innocence, their dignity and most of their lives.Stars Jeff Bridges as a rural Artful Dodger, Barry Brown his Oliver Twist, and David Huddleston as Fagin. Features harsh dialog, decently drawn characters, the always excellent Gordon Willis behind the camera, and a jackrabbit shot to death with large-caliber revolvers.Like its early-70s revisionist brethren, BAD COMPANY immerses the viewer in an unglamorous Old West - there is some cursing, sudden brutality, and dirty clothing. Any of your companions could rob you, kill you or die any time. You will meet oddball characters on the trail. You will not take a bath for weeks. A jar of stolen peaches is your reward for a hard day's looking over both shoulders. That, or a load of buckshot in the back of the head. Unlike better works of the genre and period, here there is no paean to friendship lost, no elegy to changing times, no growth from boy to man, no story even. It's just a slice of life. This can be fine, this no-journey journey thing, but in BAD COMPANY point A is so close to point B, you will not have time to gain any insights. You will not learn any lessons, except perhaps a fatalistic impulse to steer clear of other people. So ultimately this movie, though competent in every element, is little more than a bummer.Too bad about Barry Brown - he shot himself in Silverlake before Silverlake, or he, was really fashionable. Too many movies like this and one gets a little depressed, I guess.