Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Broken Trail (2006) is highly recommended

Dawn and Paul,

I hope you don't mind if I talk about some of the newer westerns. But I have to talk about Broken Trail. Somehow I missed this when it premeired on TNT back in 2006. But since it stars one of my favorite actors, Robert Duvall, who has made quite an impression in the genre of westerns, thanks to his excellent performance as Augustus 'Gus' McCrae in the classic Lonesome Dove mini-series, I had to check it out.

Set in 1898, Duvall is cast as Prentince Ritter, a cattleman who teams with his nephew Tom (strongly played by Thomas Haden Church) to take a herd of horses across the country to Canada. But their journey is sidetracked when they come across five abused Chinese women. They take them on their pilgrimage and care for them like family. But these women were actually bought for by this brothel madam named Big Rump Kate (great name right?) for prostitution. So Kate ends up sending out a ruthless killer named Big Ears (Chris Mulkey) to bring them back. Big Ears is fresh out of prison and his first act out is to promptly kill an old buddy of his who he thought ratted him out. Yeah this guy is mean as they come. He also likes slapping around Nola (a surprising Greta Scacchi) who flees him to take up with Prentice and Tom and the chinese girls.

Tom also picks up this drifter/guitar player named Gilpin who tags along too. Along the way Prentice and company encounters Small Pox Bob, a killer for hire, who goes from town to town spreading the disease of small pox. Prentice goes all hard core on him in a blazing gunfight. Duvall may have been around 75 when he made this movie but he still can get the job done. In the meantime Big Ears and his mates are steadily closing in on our heroes that will culminate in a bloody and brutal confrontation. I enjoyed Broken Trail immensely. I believe it's right under Duvall's other epic tale, Lonesome Dove. The performances are all solid especially Duvall and a surprising turn by Thomas Haden Church. The actresses who play the chinese women don't speak much English but they are very pivotal and emotional in their scenes involving Prentice and Tom. The scenery is breathtaking and the music score is awesome. Check out Broken Trail if you get the chance. Just because it was made for TV, that doesn't take away from it's brilliance.

12 comments:

Paul 2 said...

Monty, funny you should mention this film. I'm glad you like the score as I know the two persons that worked on it. The opening title credit is given to Van Dyke Parks.(if you don't know him just goggle) and Matt Cartisonis(I used to go to a lot of Matts local gigs in SO Cal before I became a dad ans I meet Van Dykes when he was playing with Matt At the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena CA, Matt And I would "get in trouble " at gigs most of the time with him on stage, and having me make "comments from the audience) Anyway it is a great score and I can tell you Matt & Van Dyke are working together on more projects . Also Matt has been doing "gigs with Steve Martin's new 'Bluegrass Band" , and has been "composer in residence "at Sundance . And He's a funny guy.

Dawn said...

Monty , please feel free to post any type of western you want. This is your page too. :)

Monty, I have not seen the made for TV movie Broken Trail yet. My dad really raves about it too. I will look for info. to post on the side bar.


Paul, Awesome !! You really have lead a very interesting life. Love to read about your experiences.

Paul 2 said...

Dawn, Matt is from AZ. He has a "classic underground" Christmas song he wrote Called "Yuletide in the Double Wide", about a type of AZ resident's Christmas. . Matt And I became "pals" when after hearing it in concert for the first time I Said "It's A True Story ... Right?

Paul 2 said...

BTW. I saw that the soundtrack lists David Mansfield( He composed Heavens Gate TCM is running it later this week) as Co Composer, but Matt did work on the film.

monty said...

Hey Paul..that's cool about you knowing Matt. And like Dawn said you lead an very interesting life. Love to hear more.

Paul 2 said...

Monty& Dawn, I don't want to "Name Drop" but in the 70's and 80's & early 90's I've met my share of Music , Film & TV "stars". I was blessed because of my college radio connections to go to private screenings at MGM (when it was still MGM) 20th Century Fox(Newman Scoring Stage, and the "Productors" Theater) The DGA(Directors Guild) Theater) and of Course The Academy Theater
And I "Hung Out" one Saturday a month at RCA's Music Center Of The World On Sunset Blvd In Hollywood (it's gone now) Before I went to Grad School i just about lived at the Encore Theater on Melrose right across the street from Paramount. I got to know the Mgr John very well, and through him I met people like, Buck Henry&, Malcom Mc Dowell, among others.
Because of My Dad (he would "moonlight as a FX trouble shooter) I was able to get on the Disney Lot in Burbank in the late 60's (at the time the hardest lot to get on) and had a free run of the place, heavy stuff for a teen. And on business trip he made a side trip to a friends ranch, as we drove in there was a woman in a work shirt and jeans on the fence watching a white horse. The friend of my dad told me to go down and talk to her, I wondered why I should, but I said OK. When I got there she was very nice, but when I heard her voice I was in a state of shock I knew who she was .... OMG it was Jane Russell. What a sweetheart.

Dawn said...

Paul, You were blessed! Awesome!! How you meet Jane Russell. She used to live in Sedona, AZ.

Paul 2 said...

Jane was a "Class Act". and every down to earth. I always felt that her long friendship with Robert Mitchum spoke
volumes about the kind of guy he was. Waylon Jennings was another Down to earth guy who wanted to turn "all us college boys into rednecks".And When a group us boys crashed a recording sessin at studio C at RCA being produced by the AZ great Duane Eddy, Waylon told him ," It's OK,It's my college boys."

Dawn said...

Paul, Being a huge Waylon Jennings fan. I can see him saying that. Too cool!

Paul 2 said...

Dawn ,Waylon did a "Private Concert' for us at RCA 's Studio A in the early 70's ,and boy was the band tight. He brought in a" Few Ringers" with him. Charlie Mc Coy on Harp and fresh from Buck Owens & the Buckaroos , and Rick Nelsons's Stone Canyon Band Tom Brumley on pedal steel guitar. He played for 90 minutes blew all "Us college boys away.

Dawn said...

Paul, Wow!! That must have been a day to remember.

monty said...

Sorry I missed all the chatter Paul and Dawn. Way cool Paul about the people you have met. Like Dawn said that must have been a day to remember.