The Jack Bull (1999)

if I could go 11 or 12 out of 10 I would. the summary says it all, best western in 30 or more years.. I have to go back in the time machine and pull out Hang Em High to get a decent picture, with the lone exception of Unforgiven of course. Hollywood doesn't seem to care about the western anymore, yeah there were 2 westerns I believe that were similar that came out a few years ago,, 310 to Yuma was one I believe.. which was good but not great. anyway, John Cusack gave the performance of a lifetime,, the storyline,, morals, everything in the movie is so engrossing,, John Goodman's character as the judge was very funny. I loved the scenery the great American west,, wide open plains, all in color too. the storyline was pretty simple straight forward and to the point, our main character is ripped off and he fights in what he believes in now matter what the personal sacrifice he has to make or what cost and risk to his family,, he is wronged pretty much by everyone he turns to,, this is a very sad story,, but a story with so much about morals and the right thing to do,, Hollywood does sorely need to make at least an attempt to do say like 3 westerns a year.. maybe one blockbuster,, one indie, and one just whatever,, so the genre stays alive,, I can't remember seeing 10 westerns since 1983 can you?

Myrl Redding is a horse trader from Wyoming.Rancher Henry Ballard becomes his worst enemy after he abuses two of Redding's horses and Billy, the Crow Indian caretaker.The local judge throws out Myrl's complaint.He tells Ballard to nurse the horses back to health.He refuses.So begins a manhunt where everybody's life is in danger.All Myrl wants is justice.The Jack Bull (1999) is a made for television western directed by John Badham.It's loosely based on Heinrich von Kleist 1811 book Michael Kohlhaas.I bought the movie as a DVD some time ago.John Cusack does terrific job as Myrl Redding.The script was written by his late father, Dick Cusack, and he really wanted to do this film.John Goodman is great as the fair judge Tolliver.L.Q. Jones makes a great villain in Henry Ballard.Miranda Otto is fantastic as Myrl's wife Cora Redding.Same thing with Drake Bell as his son Cage.Great job by John McGinley as Woody.John Savage is very good as Slater.Rodney A. Grant as Billy is marvelous.Ned Bellamy is very good as Kermit Dover.Scott Wilson is great as Governor.Byrne Piven, Jeremy's father plays Tub Weller.Dick Cusack is seen as Jury Foreman.Also Bill Cusack, John's brother is seen in the movie.The soundtrack includes "Ring Them Bells" by Bob Dylan.It looks pretty amazing when Myrl and his posse ride to the spot, terrifying the villains.The Jack Bull is pretty nice modern western.

Wow, having read the good reviews on IMDb, and being a fan of Cusack, I decided to watch this movie with a few friends. I have not seen a movie this slow, boring, redundant, and dull in a long time. It's all about the script - Myrl repeats his "mission" every chance he gets, just as every other character does. It's like the writers were afraid that the viewers wouldn't understand the complicated plot (which can be summarized in one sentence), and so they have the characters reiterate it in every other scene. The characters are as two-dimensional as they come. I guess that's to be expected in a Western, but that adds to the monotony. Every time Myrl opens his mouth, it's the same old thing. Every time Ballard opens his mouth, we know what he's going to say.Eventually we became joking among ourselves - "hey, maybe something will happen in the next scene!" But usually, nothing did. And I don't mean that I was expecting action scenes - I would have been happy with an interesting dialog, a plot twist, a historical introspection. Nothing.I should note that the acting and cinematography were great, but that didn't help the boring script.

I know there haven't been many, but this is the best western since Clint's Unforgiven. The photography was excellent, the acting great and the story as simple as it could be. Proof if ever it was needed that character means more to a film than plot. My only slight surprise about the film is whether it realistically portrays the status of black people. Maybe my pre-conception of the time is wrong, but were black people so well integrated in the America of the Wild West? Did they serve as jurors? Still, I suppose it got me thinking about it. Well worth watching. 8/10