Run, Simon, Run (1970)

Burt Reynolds restrained performance as an Indian framed for murdering his own Brother, is the only surprise in this tedious time waster. The uneasy culture clash between the upper crust and the poor Indians is played for all it's worth. The problem is this comparison does not elicit sympathy, but instead comes across as nothing more than padding for an over simplified revenge story. The Arizona scenery is fine, including several surprisingly effective wide, wide angle zoom shots. Creative camera work cannot save "Run Simon Run" however, because the romance seems unrealistic, the eventual confrontation between Reynolds and his Brother's killer is poorly staged, and the credits roll, leaving the viewer rather dissatisfied. - MERK

Continuing my plan to watch every Burt Reynolds movie in his filmography in order, I come to "Run Simon Run"Playing an Indian (Again) Burt Reynolds (Without a hair on his chest) plays the lead character, and is the only reason to watch this. Plot In A Paragraph: Simon Zuniga (Burt Reynolds) returns home from a sentence in prison (for a crime he didn't commit) to find his brothers killer. I think the quality of the DVD I was watching this on seriously hampered my enjoyment of it, as I never really got on to it, despite a good performance from Reynolds, Inger Stevens final performance and Solid support from James Best.

I think Leonard Cohen said it best: "I've seen the nations rise and fall, I've heard their stories, heard them all, but love's the only engine of survival"A movie that has a love story for a baseline, along with a side story (revenge in this case, same in John Woo's "The killer"), is the best representation of movie making.While looking like what it is, a 70's movie (without a cheesy soundtrack), "Run, Simon, Run" is driven by great script, subtle acting, and on-the-money editing.Still, by far, my most favorite film of all times.(Closely followed by "The Killer" :D)

On its own terms, in its context, Run Simon Run is meant to tell the story of an unrepentently angry loner seeking dignity for himself and his tribe. But, he has so alienated is fellow tribesmen, the white authorities, and well-meaning social workers, small victories exact terribly high consequences. The dialogue is rather Spartan, so Reynolds's performance must carry the film for it to work. he stretches his acting muscles to deliver a brooding portrait of a committed, volatile, and tortured soul. Inger Stevens, on the other hand, for the most part, is just brooding -- a rather one-note performance that doesn't qualify high in her gallery -- a more hopeful counterpoint to Reynolds' virtuoso angst would have served this TV movie better. I'm not saying her performance is bad, but it leaves Run Simon Run as a very good made-for-TV movie in lieu of a great one. This is also slow at spots, but the overall running time is so short, it's not that problematic. Certainly worth seeing once.