Description

Conagher is both a hard-riding actioner and a character-driven look at Western life. Katharine Ross plays Evie Teale, widowed after coming West and forced to prove her mettle in many ways. Sam Elliott plays Conagher, a cowhand who, when not tracking rustlers, drifts in andout of Evie's life. Something about that frontier woman keeps drawing him back. But can Evie ever keep him from drifting out again? ... Read more

Reviews (21)

MR. AND MRS. ELLIOTT SHINE IN L'AMOUR CLASSIC
While Sam Elliott has become (along with, perhaps, Tom Selleck) the personification of the Louis L'Amour screen hero, it's especially nice in CONAGHER to see him opposite one of the first ladies of western cinema, Katherine Ross.It's especially nice when one remembers that Ms. Ross is also Mrs. Elliott in real life.

The two provide a power-packed performance in bring Louis L'Amour's classic western tale to life.CONAGHER is the story of an honorable cowhand who almost single-handedly takes on a gang of marauders bent on doing all the damage they can to everyone they meet. Yes, a classic battle of good against evil ensues but it's done sincerely and lacks some of the schmaltz that surfaces in similar western sagas.

Add to Elliott and Ross an all-star western cast including Dub and Buck Taylor, Barry Corbin and Ken Curtis and you have an enduring western classic.Great to finally have this one on DVD!

THE HORSEMAN

Top Notch Western!
Outside of the Duke's "Big Jake", Conagher is my favorite western as it is done right. The country is beautiful and Sam Elliot and his beautiful wife Katherine Ross made this movie out of deep respect for Louie L'Amour. This film captures the loney life of ranchers and cowboys in the old west. This is also the last picture that Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke) ever made.
As mentioned in another review, the line "It's a hard country kid" is probably THE classic line of all cowboy movies.

One strange thing concerning the ending though, in the book Conagher finds the remains of Mr. Teal, along with the gold he was taking to buy cattle, and on the outside of the Conagher VHS box there is a picture of Conagher looking at the bones of Mr. Teal, but this scene never made the movie? That would have give more closure but I guess it was cut to fit in to a TNT time slot.

Conagher-The Best
I happen to like all of Sam Elliott's movies, but this one is the best he has ever done!

Louis Alford

"You couldn't hurt Conagher with an axe."

Format: Color
Studio: Warner Home Video
Video Release Date: May 11, 1994

Cast:

Sam Elliott
Katherine Ross
Gavin O'Herlihy
Daniel Quinn
Barry Corbin
Ken Curtis
Cody Braun
Anndi McAfee

Conagher was written by Louis L'Amour (Lamoore) about life in the West around the end of the 19th century, with trouble with the Indians, rustlers, and a widow woman (Katherine Ross) tryimg to raise her children on a hard scrabble farm.Conagher comes to their aid.

L'Amour was a student of Western history.He understood the common man, having worked as a cowboy, circus roustabout, merchant seaman, boxer and served in the U.S.Navy.He was also a prolific writer of Western fiction, among other things.

This is not the first L'Amour story that Elliott has played in.He also performed as Tell Sackett in The Sacketts, which was an amalgamation of several of Louis's stories in that series on that family.

This story of Conagher was one of his good stories, which you will find typical of L'Amour's writing...good entertainment.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

A lover of Western American history
Only a few westerns have become true favorites of mine over the last 40 years. Conagher ranks with the best of them. Why? The movie was not filmed in a movie lot specially made for movies, like Universal Studios or Old Tucson. But rather, you could say it was filmed 'on location' in a rugged, true-to-life environment that honestly represents what it was really like in the Old West. The Teal cabin and the surrounding country, the ranch of Seaborn Tay, the town - all have that authentic realism that lend excellence to the movie. Often in the film the lighting in certain scenes appears lacking as compared to other films in the genre. But actually, this is what gives the film a special feel, a special ring of realism. It's because you feel as though you are really there as a bystander, watching this drama play out right in front of you in the same way it would appear in real life. The direction of the film by Rebaldo Villalobos is superb and the performances by the actors are absolutely memorable. The musical score couldn't have been better because the selections chosen for the soundtrack apply perfectly and leave an indelible impression on the viewer. I don't know what Sam Elliot would think about this, but I believe this film is his best, most memorable performance of his career, bar-none. His rendition of Conn Conagher imprints Sam Elliot on my mind for all time - he IS Conagher. I don't think he has played characters in any of his other films that have struck me the way that Conn Conagher has in this one. But this is not to detract from the other performers in the film: Catherine Ross, Gavin O'Herlihy, Daniel Quinn, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Cody Braun, Anndi McAfee, and the rest - they've all portrayed believable characters that make for a very enjoyable, memorable film that you will want to watch again and again over the years because it brings something special to the heart. Don't pass up the opportunity to see Conagher if you haven't seen it yet - you'll never regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Embittered by his experience working with 20th Century Fox on The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), and weary of the Poe films for American International Pictures, Roger Corman was in dire need of inspiration for his next production. He found it in Life magazine, which featured a photo of the funeral of Mother Miles, head of the Sacramento, California, Hell's Angels. From this picture came both The Wild Angels and the biker-movie genre itself. Peter Fonda, who replaced George Chakiris, stars as brooding Angels chieftain Heavenly Blues. When his pal Loser (Bruce Dern) is shot by police, Blues attempts to bury him in a small town, but the locals resist, and a brawl ensues. Audiences and critics were alternately appalled and thrilled by the extensive drug use and violence, but beneath Angels' leathery hide beats the heart of a Western, especially in its ruminations on personal freedom. Charles Griffith's script (cowritten by Peter Bogdanovich, who also cameos in the film) helped make Angels the sole U.S. entry for the 1966 Venice Film Festival, which irked the State Department enough to try and revoke the honor. Corman's direction, freed from AIP's period pieces, is lean and exuberantly active, aided by Monte Hellman's editing. The film helped give Fonda the counterculture clout to later make Easy Rider, and boosted the careers of Dern and then-wife Diane Ladd; Nancy Sinatra, however, renounced the picture, fearful of its effect on her image. Mike Curb's score features Davie Allan and the Arrows' fuzz-tone-soaked hit "Blues' Theme." --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Pure Kitsch
It's nice to see that Peter Fonda has redeemed himself in recent years ("Ulee's Gold", "The Limey", "The Passion of Ayn Rand" et al.), and even has a couple of Golden Globes and an Oscar Nomination to show for it. But he certainly wouldn't want to be remembered for this awful piece of drive-in drivel (although "Easy Rider" will probably be marked on his gravestone). I gave it three stars for kitsch value. Otherwise, it doesn't deserve any. This movie is bad, but in a very amusing way.

"The Wild Angels" is "Easy Rider" written by Fred Durst. The plot is pretty weak, juvenile, and has plenty of holes in it. The actions the characters make echo the song "Break Stuff"; at the beginning of the film, when Loser's (Bruce Dern) Boss ask Heavenly Blues (Fonda)if he's "one of those dumb angels", Blues replies snidely and restrains him needlessly. And the dialogue is mediocre and poorly executed.

If you're looking for compelling drama, look elsewhere. If you're looking to amuse yourself, then by all means take the plunge!

The original biker movie
I'm not a movie critic, I'm a motorcyclist. I have this film on video and watch it fairly often, along with Beyond The Law, Hells Angels on Wheels and Angels Hard As They Come (the most underrated of biker flicks). Fonda, Dern, Ladd, Buck Taylor and Norman Alden are great. Nancy Sinatra was terrible and totally miscast, if she' repudiating this movie it's due to her terrible acting. I can't see Micheal J. Pollard as a biker (but he was wonderful in Little Fauss and Big Halsy). The star of this movie is Fonda's chopper, to me, it's more beautiful, and subltly understated, than that ultimate movie chopper in Easy Rider, the Captain America Bike. This movie is really about Heavenly Blue's changing values as his friend Loner dies. Girlfriend Sinatra realizes the change that's come over him, "it's like a piece of you went with him". He reveiws his life and sees it empty, without purpose without his closest compadre The Loser, as in the final line "there's no where to go" as he stays to bury his friend while others flee The Man. They go on to continue the life of carousing and hell raising while Blues follows through on a duty to a friend, and to me symbolically buries himself, his up-to-then life, as well as his only friend.

Not just sexist, but racist.....
as exhibited by the comments and attacks on a group of Mexicans. Fonda is about as animated as a cigar-store Indian, Nancy Sinatra is woefully miscast, Diane Ladd is over the top and predictable. In fact, the best performance may be delivered by Bruce Dern.....as a corpse.

A Must Have for Any Biker Video Collection
"We want to be free to do what we want to do without being hassled by the man! And we want to get loaded!" "YEAH!"

What more can I possibly add?

Oh yeah. Theme music by Davie Allan.

People think Easy Rider was good but this movie defined the bikesploitation genre.

Disturbing, yet interesting
Oddly, though the characters in this movie are all dispicable individuals, in some ways, I could still find myself sympathizing with their rebellion against "the man". This movie definitely has more of a '70's feel to it than the '60's, and holds up well today.

I will admit, I did find the use of the swastikas and iron crosses to be offensive. But, I think such individuals in the '60's used them more to shock those who tried to control them, than as a support of what they truly represented...and to have realism, they had to be included.

One technical aspect to the movie...and two to the DVD on which I need to comment:

1. Did the movie always end so abruptly, with no closing credits or even a "The End" caption? Or is this poor editing?

As for the DVD...

2. The print from which this movie was taken was in terrible condition. At some points the picture is beautiful. But others show dirt, hair, and sprocket marks. Worst of all is a tear in the film, patched with tape, which is readily visible. This occurs in the scene in which Sinatra has just entered the door of the hospital, and the camera is panning over to the nurse's station.

3. There also seem to be some areas of the film which are out of focus. I primarily noticed this when Nancy and Peter are talking alone on the boat before leaving for the funeral.

All in all, this picture can be viewed more as a snapshot of an era than as pure entertainment. If taken as such, it proves somewhat interesting. ... Read more

Reviews (183)

Has got to be one of the worst films I have ever seen...
Once again I say, "Wild Wild West" has got to be on of the worst films I have ever seen. I myself have never seen the original TV series starring Robert Conrad but the movie "Wild Wild West" was pretty awful. And the thing which really gets me is, it could have been such a terrific movie!

Two U.S. Marshals, Capt. James 'Jim' West (Will Smith) and Artemus 'Artie' Gordon (Kevin Kline) are assigned to discover why most of the country's leading scientists have been kidnapped. An old enemy of West's, General 'Bloodbath' McGrath (Ted Levine) lead them to the mastermind, a waist-high madman Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Dr. Loveless' plan? To take over the United States government!

The plot is nothing new, a madman threatens to take over the government with the help of a super machine created by kidnapped scientists. The only people who can save everyone are the two main characters. You've heard it before, huh? "Wild Wild West" was extremely interesting in the way they thought up of a way to combine lots of cool inventions and gadgets into a story of the 'wild west'. But it has its many downfalls. One being that the story seemed to lull at some points, like it's just something to fill in the time. There should have been more twists and turns, captures and escapes, or something!

The acting wasn't all that bad, though I must say I much more enjoy watching Will Smith in the "Men in Black" movies. He seems to have the exact same attitude, cockiness, and humor as he does in the movies I mentioned, except he lacks some smarts. He has a tendency to 'shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more and then when everybody's dead try to ask a question or two.' Unfortunately in this movie there really isn't given any chance for ANY of the characters to fully develop, let alone make you like and cheer for them. Kevin Kline for me was the best actor in the movie, him getting a chance to play two roles, one as Artemis Gordon and another as President Ulysses S. Grant. He was extremely charming and likable, a bit smarter and more sophisticated than his new partner. The bad guy played by Kenneth Branagh was nothing new, just your usual crazy madman. And though Salma Hayek is credited along with the main actors as Rita Escobar, you have no chance to see her much and for some reason was a very unlikable character. Though there was some attempt for Will Smith and Kevin Kline to vie for her affections, there is exactly 0% romance in this movie.

And the reason for the 0% romance is because of blatant sexual jokes and innuendos put into "Wild Wild West". For a PG-13 movie, I found it a bit too much, even resulting for me to fast forward and skip some parts. And I believe this is one of the main reasons for the downfall of this movie. There were some moments where there was some good, clean, and fun humor, but the movie seems to mostly rely on innuendos and dirty jokes to make the audience laugh. And I assure you that I did not laugh much. "Wild Wild West" should have had some romance. Even most of the best action and adventure movies have romance, including such hits like "Matrix", "Top Gun", and much more.

But I must give "Wild Wild West" the minimum of two stars for the action and special effects. Some of the action is pretty intense and exciting, especially the end. And the oh so super gadgets are VERY cool! I especially love the President's 'not-so-normal' train. Dr. Loveless's gigantic spider is dynamic, too. And Artie's numerous disguises are ingenious!

To sum it up, "Wild Wild West" had some potential to become a fantastic movie. But because of the empty characterizations, somewhat empty plot, and terrible and sick jokes succeeds in making "Wild Wild West" a flop for me. If you're thinking about watching "Wild Wild West", rent it if you're really serious about seeing it. But here are two other recommendations, "Men in Black" stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones who fight extra-terrestrial and "Silverado" stars Kevin Kline as a gunfighter who saves the town of Silverado.

Here an interesting bit of trivia for "Wild Wild West":
The movie 'won' 5 statuettes at the 20th Annuel Razzie Awards, including Worst Picture. Robert Conrad, who played the original James West in the 1960s TV series, accepted 3 of the awards in person as his way of expressing his low opinion of what had been done with his source material. :)

Jab your eyes out!
Paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa! It's a shame and sad that this movie was made cause it will never have the opportunity to be made right. The TV James West was the perfect wild west secret agent with the gadgets and brawls. Robert Conrad created a wonderful character only to be mocked in this vomitus, stick to the bottom of your shoe movie. Save your money on this and buy some of the real TV episodes. Find "The Night of the Falcon" with Robert Duvall as the foil to James West - perfect example of how this should have been made.

Just Vin

Ambitious work
While numbers continually dropped in the 19th century American frontier due to murder and disease, what truly conquered the "wild west" was technology. The rapid enumeration of product patents and their proliferation throughout the western territories: the laying of railroads, replacement of wooden structures with brick, the development of communications advances, and the personal automobile all transformed the place we know of as the Old West into its modern equivalent.

Sonnenfeld here has cleverly respun this history in the form of a narrative story, sometimes metaphorically accurate, and sometimes hilariously inverted. When gunslinger Captain 'Jim' West (Smith) and master-of-disguise 'Artemus' Gordon (Kline) are paired up to defeat the psychotic Confederate and mad inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless (Branagh), it's an idealistic winner takes all in the battle between the traditional west and the technological Eastern invasion. Of course to throw things further off-kilter, Sonnenfeld has made our protagonist, West, a black Civil War hero. With 20th century concepts of individual vs. corporate control, sexual promiscuity and identity, and racial equality and acceptance, "Wild Wild West" recasts this unique historical period to its modern viewers.

funny
This is one of those movies that make you laugh and have a good time, of course the plot it's bad, and the situations in the movie are absurd. But you can have a good time with the clowninngs that Will Smith and Kivin Cline make. And Kenneth Brannagh looks impressive with just half body.

What Were They Thinking?
Wild Wild West is one of those movies that make you wonder just what were they thinking when this movie was being made. One thing that is absolutely essential for enjoying a movie is the suspension of disbelief. That is, you have to be able to believe that what's on the screen could really happen the way that things on the screen are happening. The things that go on in this movie make that impossible. Example: there is a gigantic steam-powered spider. Even with today's advanced technology, such a contraption would be just about impossible to build and get to operate properly, let alone in 1869.

Once again: What were they thinking? ... Read more

Reviews (9)

It's great to have these on DVD
Just watched the Gunsmoke movie collection and all three movies are excellent. Return To Dodge is my favorite, but Last Apache is damn good too. All three movies hit the mark. Arness had seen better days, but his performance is top notch in all of these. He looks older than the mountains he rides past, but I liked him more as Matt in these movies than on the Gunsmoke show. The show was classic, but Arness' personality and character got better with age. Too bad all five Gunsmoke movies aren't in this set, but Return and Last Apache are the must haves for my collection. I agree with the critic who wished these were all in one box, but I'm glad to have 'em on DVD. This is a fantastic set.

Glad it's released....but
I'm so glad these Gunsmoke movies are being released on DVD. But, can someone tell me why this wasn't released as a 3 DVD set and not indivdidual DVD's. Like the "Sarah Plain and Tall" 3 movie saga. It was released with all 3 movies together in one case. I'm pretty sure most people are going to purchase all 3 movies of gunsmoke. I'm thinking "SPACE", "ROOM" to keep all these DVD's that are being released or have been released. Not everyone has all the space in there home for so many shows being released on DVD. To the manufactures of these movies: Next time do a survey to find out what people would like. I sure would of liked all 3 Gunsmoke movies in one case (jacket).

A Good Start........
I applaud the release of any Gunsmoke-related production on DVD, including this 1987 made-for-TV reunion movie. Gunsmoke, the longest running western, or drama for that matter, in TV history, was complex and textured and dealt with mature themes with unforgettable characters that became part of our culture. I grew up watching the series, which debuted as a half-hour black and white show, then progressed to one hour and eventually was filmed in color.

Gunsmoke richly deserves a serious DVD release of its episodes, not merely a release of a TV movie here or there.

Few need to be told what his western depicted, it's the story of Marshall Matt Dillon (played to perfection by James Arness), who tamed the lawless Dodge City, Kansas, not only with his gun but with his courage, sense of honor, justice and irreproachable integrity behind the badge.

Along the way, we meet Matt's friends, Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), owner of the Longbranch Saloon and Matt's long-time love, Doc Adams (Milburn Stone, and Deputy Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver) and later Deputies Festus Hagen (Ken Curtis) and Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor.) Weekly guest stars represented the cream of the acting crop for decades!

While this TV-Movie reunites Arness, Blake and Taylor, much of the familiar Dodge landscape has changed: Matt has retired and lives as a mountaineer and O'Brien is Marshall. The plot centers around a continuation of a much earlier TV episode, with guest star Steve Forrest reprising his role as the villianous Will Mannon, whom Dillon had previously stopped and arrested.

Now released from prison, Mannon has returned to Dodge for revenge. He holds Miss Kitty hostage to lure the retired lawman back into town to die.

A suspenseful story, Arness' portrayal of Dillon in this TV movie was much less familiar than the TV version, giving Dillon a driven, haunted, almost tragic appearance of a man who had left -- or lost -- everything he had ever cared about. THis is definitely a different Matt Dillon.

The TV movie weaves clips from the episode on which it is based throughout the production.

Best of the return to GUNSMOKE movies
As only a casual fan of the original series I may not be able to compare and contrast this movie as well as some others but the producers of this tv film seem to have covered all their bases.

First of all the story was very well done. By basing the movie on one of the original tv shows the viewers were given a sense of continuity that some movies that are based on previous tv shows don't have. Also, the story itself, while not all that original, was well written and suspenseful. Out of the 5 GUNSMOKE movies that were made I felt that this one was the best.

Secondly, this movie did a fine job of bringing back the original cast members. Amanda Blake as "Kitty" and Buck Taylor as "Newly O'brien" helped to give this movie an authentic feel. Having said that it would have been nice if Dennis Weaver as "Chester" and or Ken Curtis as "Festus", both served as deputy under Marshall Dillon, had made an appearance in the movie.

Lastly, while the movie overall was a good one it seemed to me that James Arness portrayed Matt Dillon less like the character in the original series and more like the mountain man character of "Zeb Macahon" in his other western series HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Still this movie is a good view and those who like James Arness or GUNSMOKE will appreciate it.

A GOOD SAMPLE OF A 20-YEAR INSTITUTION
The "reunion" film only featured a handful of the actors who made "Gunsmoke" a staple for two decades: James Arness as stalwart hero "Matt Dillon," Amanda Blake as enigmatic and beautiful "Miss Kitty," and Buck Taylor as dependable deputy "Newly O'Brian. Flashback sequences feature Milburn Stone as cantankerous "Doc" and Ken Curtis as the always-amusing "Festus."

A rousing good entertainment, the movie also stars Steve Forrest as Will Mannon, a totally conscience-free villain seeking revenge on Dillon and a sexual dalliance with "Red," as her refers to Blake's character.

With exteriors filmed in Canada and a great score, "Return to Dodge" will make one pine for the days when the inhabitants of Dodge City ruled the television screens of America. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jericho
This film shows up about every 3 months on the Starz Western Channel. I have viewed it twice and found something new each time.
whether you like westerns or not, you will find this a new and refreshing take on some old themes.

Good independent western
Jericho is a neat little film that shines despite the low budget that independent films are usually forced to work with. There are not a lot of stunts or special effects in this film, but the plot and character development are first rate and certainly better than much of the crap that the big studios often shove down our throats.

At times it is a bit slow and it leaves you wondering exactly where it is going. The pace picks up near the end, however, and you turn off the DVD player happy that you went out and bought this movie.

veiwers choice
Mark Valley plays an excellent part in this movie as the hero without a past. Although he seems lost without his memory he still retains the good that made him what he was in his past.

A Great Western
Jericho is a great character-driven, classic western. I saw it at the Film Festival in Houston in April 2001. I have been looking for it on video ever since. Mark Valley, as Jericho, and Leon Coffee, as Joshua, make a great team as a man haunted by his past and a cowbory-preacher who becomes his friend. R. Lee Ermey plays the Marshall and Buck Taylor is the trail boss. Jericho is also a mystery with a surprise ending. Don't miss seeing this one. ... Read more