After being left to die in the middle of the desert, a prospector miraculously finds water and with the help of a prostitute and a wayward preacher, does well for himself. This does not sate his thirst of vengeance on the men who left him to day and he waits for his chance encounter.This is considered Peckinpah's most underrated picture as well as his favorite. It is helped with a wonderful Goldsmith score and great cinematography as well. Jason Robards plays the very stubborn prospector as well as augment David Warren and Stella Stephens as well. the script, which is a tribute to the entrepreneur as well as the end of the West, is very well constructed.
What really gets me though is that it feels reeeaaallllyyyy llloooonnnggg. You get to feel like you're sitting for three hours watching this thing. As much as I like Peckinpah, I think I paused the movie at the hour thirty mark just to get circulation in my legs again and get some food. Again, much love for Sam, I love his work, I think he could have brought it together a wee bit tighter. Maybe it's me though.
The DVD is tight! Audio and visual is great. The package includes an interview with Stella Stephens and commentary from Peckinpah biographers Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle (that's a lot of biographers. I hope I get that many.). Hardcore Western fans need to pick this up.
Three and a half stars.
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