Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

zkonedog There are many people who consider "Lonesome Dove" to be the greatest Western saga ever created. While I can't quite go that far in my praise for it, I will say that it was easily worth watching for the iconic characters (bolstered by incredible acting) it cultivates throughout.For a basic plot summary, "Lonesome Dove" tells the story of Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), two cattle ranchers who decide to leave their dusty Texas ranch and move the herd to Montana on the advice of fellow friend Jake Spoon (Robert Urich). Along the way, they deal with the harshness of the Old West territory, Indian warrior Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest), and (more importantly) cultivate new relationships. Lorena Wood (Diane Liane) is a prostitute who wants to turn over a new leaf and start a life with Gus, but first the old cowpoke must deal with his feelings toward old flame Clara (Anjelica Huston). A side plot sees a Sheriff, July Johnson (Chris Cooper), set off with his son Joe (Adam Faraizal) to hunt down Spoon, who murdered another in a dispute and must be given justice.The reason "Lonesome Dove" is such an iconic miniseries is because it creates characters that seem so real. Often, westerns can fall into the "stock character" trap where the participants are a bit too cut-and-dry, or black-and-white. The exact opposite happens here, as pretty much each and every character is given something to do and room to grow.That being said, the whole film pretty much revolves around Duvall's Gus, and fortunately that actor is up to the task. While the surrounding acting performances are also great, everyone else (as characters) are really defined by their relationship to Gus. I don't want to sound like I'm taking anything away from the film as a whole, but I was always invested when Gus was at the forefront (physically or emotionally) and that wasn't always the case otherwise.The only criticism I have of "Lonesome Dove"? I felt that some of the subplots didn't live up to the main emotional backbone of the whole thing. I was underwhelmed by the July Johnson angle, I didn't like Blue Duck's character at all (it felt to me as if he were shoe-horned in because the producers thought an Indian presence was needed), and I felt that a bit too much time was spent on Dish Boggett (D.B. Sweeney), a ranch hand on the drive. The one sub-angle that works in spades? Newt (Ricky Schroder), Call's unrequited son. There was some real emotion there. Other than that though, I felt that those other auxiliary pieces (even if they were still well-acted, for the most part) distracted me from Gus, Call, and the really good material taking place on the cattle drive.So, while I can't put "Lonesome Dove" at the tip top of my list, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to Western film fans. When Duvall, Lane, Jones, Schroder, and Huston were on center stage, this miniseries truly was as good as it gets. The interactions feel real, not derived, and there is real drama, both physical and emotional. It strayed down a few paths that didn't hold my attention (especially in the second and beginning of the third acts), but overall easily deserving of a solid 4-star ranking.

rochesternypizzaguy After reading all these glowing reviews, I rented this. I watched the first hour before I gave up. So I admit, I didn't watch the whole thing, but only because I couldn't take any more. When I stopped it and took the disk out I said to my wife that it seemed like a parody of a western movie. Why? A bunch of things. Some nitpicky, I'll concede. The accents. Like everybody in the Old West spoke like a southern redneck. I wished the DVD had subtitles, because the speech was so exaggeratedly southern. I also started to wonder how these guys earned a living. They mostly seemed to sit around a broken-down ranch house and drink whiskey. Then I found out. Apparently every few nights they ride into Mexico and steal horses. When they do, the light of a thin crescent moon lights them up like they're in a baseball stadium during a night game. As the protagonists are stealing said horses, the nearby Mexicans fire off their pistols into the air, for no apparent reason. Just to express their anger, I guess. Or because, as Mexicans, they're too stupid to aim at the rustlers. And although this appears to be a regular occurrence, nobody on the Mexican side of the border appears to be on the lookout for these guys. What else? Oh, there's the scene where one of the characters hears the bedsprings squeaking from a second-story room, with the window closed, while he's standing outside, making him realize that the prostitute he was sweet on actually takes any paying customer, and wasn't just waiting for him to come back. And did you know that cowboys said "poop" instead of s***? Apparently they did. The little plot development I saw involved a sheriff in Arkansas traveling to Texas to track down his brother's killer. He does so reluctantly because the victim's widow (who is his sister-in-law) bullies him into it. Now I'm not saying that this couldn't have happened, but I think it far more likely that the sheriff would've sent a message, by telegram, post rider, or however they did it, to Texas authorities to watch for this guy. Sure, there were posses, if people thought the guy they were after was nearby, but I doubt that a sheriff would leave his town for who knows how long, to go hundreds of miles to another state to track down one man. Yes, the victim was his brother, but the movie makes clear that his heart wasn't in it; he just wanted to pacify his bossy sister-in-law. And so I gave up. I like Westerns, I really do. But this was just plain bad. Maybe it gets better, but I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

BadgeMcVid I originally watched Lonesome Dove when it was first aired on British TV some 24 years or so ago. I remember thinking "phew, I'm really glad I caught this one" as I enjoyed it so much. However, time fades the memory and twenty odd years passed before I finally got round to buying the discs and watching it again. I had forgot most of the story and how compelling it was, however I knew I was in for a treat when I sat myself down to watch it. What a feast for the eyes and ears, I was disappointed when it finished as I had enjoyed this grand production so much. This is the biggest compliment I can give Lonesome Dove as there has been very few films in my life that have delighted me as much as this. The pace is just perfect, not hurried along like a 2 hour plus movie so it has a lovely feel and gives you a real sense of the bond the characters have for each other and the years they have spent together. The casting director deserves a pat on the back for bringing together such a fine bunch of actors, something you didn't often see in mini series at the time. Duvall; you just cant take your eyes off him here...you can tell he loved playing the part and it fitted him like a glove. Tommy Lee Jones was superb too, as was all the cast. It really was an epic made in heaven, everything married together perfectly. I loved the way the characters spoke (particularly Duvall & Jones),the script and dialogue was absolutely superb and never slipped up once. I love this old feel, all too often modern dialogue and words slip in to films set in the past. I enjoy a good western, there is a fine list to choose from and Lonesome Dove is right up there at the top if you ask me. A great six hours of entertainment and my favourite western of all time.

ShelbyTMItchell A lot of Westerns are out of date these days. But this is an exception. Due not just to the star power headed by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. As both are the lead characters.With the support from Rick Schroder, Danny Glover, Angelica Houston, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, etc. As they face lots of adversity and lots of casualties due to the fact, of moving the cattle of Duvall's and Jones from the South to Montana for a better life.It has a great a script and a great acting along the way. For four nights. It also spawned two sequels in the process. It turned into a ratings blockbuster for CBS when it aired originally in 1989.We now have the tapes to the mini series! You will not be disappointed.