This charming "art" Western is a great example of what can be done with a small budget and a terrific idea. Richard Farnsworth plays real-life train robber Bill Miner, released from prison after 30 years. The old West that he knew has disappeared, but knowing no other trade, he goes back
to train robbing.
An ex-stuntman and character actor who was suggested for the part by Francis Ford Coppola, Farnsworth is dignified and charismatic in his first starring role as the Gentleman Bandit. No young pretty boy, Farnsworth has a leathery face that looks well lived in, but his beautiful blue eyes,
sparkling impishly over his snow white handlebar moustache, help make him the most appealing old codger in modern movies.
Phillip Borsos's direction is fine in his first feature, after a career as a documentary filmmaker. The marvelous photography of the unspoiled Canadian landscape is by Frank Tidy, who also did the moody lensing on Ridley Scott's underrated THE DUELLISTS. leave a comment
