Customer Reviews

Conagher [VHS]

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 bringing 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.

THE HORSEMAN

I'm a fan of westerns but I don't believe there are very many good ones. But this is a good one, it's a good movie besides being a good western. One relief I got from it was I finally got to see a modern western without it making a political statement. All the actors in this show are good. Made me feel like I was really there. I missed "Johnnie" though, the guy who was Chris Mahler's partner and decided to stay with Conagher when Mahler rode off. I wish he had been in the movie longer. Conagher is a tough cow puncher who doesn't have to look for trouble, it has a way of finding him. His life begins to change after he meets Katherine Ross (Evie) and her two kids. Her husband is killed in an accident unbeknownst to them while he goes to buy cattle. Months go by and they know its been too long and he's not coming back. Elliot looks his part, a man who's had a hard life but survived it through thick and thin, mostly thin. Filmed in Colorado, the location and the music match the story well.

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.

This is a well done, made-for-TV Western based on the Louis L'Amour novel of the same name. There is so much to like in this movie. This is not some grand epic like `Dances with Wolves', the scale and scope of the action are small, and the plot straightforward. The casting and acting are great. Sam Elliot was put on this Earth to play the role of L'Amour's quiet loners. He has such a great voice and presence. Katherine Ross, his love interest in this movie and his wife in real life, is also outstanding. Conagher has some great lines in this movie, as other reviews have alluded to. Ken Curtis (Festus!) also has an important role in this movie. Any Western with Festus can't be bad. The cinematography is terrific. Beautiful shots of the wilderness, the badlands, and the open sky. This movie is also full of atmosphere. Without trying to describe what atmosphere is in a Western, the best Westerns (such as John Wayne's Rio Bravo, and including this film) have it. There is also a certain gritty realism to this movie that is lacking in many Westerns made in the past twenty years. The characters get dirty and tired. One small point about this film that I really found compelling was that the shots and lever actions of the Winchesters sound as they really do. Most gunshots in movies don't sound like real gunshots. This is a small but important detail for realism, and it really adds to the experience of being part of the action, not just a distant observer. The only reason that I don't give this movie five stars is that the editing and transition between scenes are horrible. Perhaps this is an artifact of TV (commercial breaks) or perhaps it indicates that there were more scenes initially shot that were cut from the finished film, I don't know. Scenes just abruptly end, and there are discontinuous, seemingly random jumps, in time and space in the film. It makes the final product somewhat choppy in my opinion. This is a great (and underappreciated) Western in any case, and a worthy addition to any collection.

This movie is an absolute must for any devotee of Westerns. The adaption is very close to the book and Sam Elliott is a cowboy's cowboy. He is natural and does not over play his parts. The film jerks a little as it was originally made for TV and you can pick up the commercial breaks in the flow. But the story is classic - a hard man living a hard life with a simple, strong moral code that translates well to the present day. The love interest, Katherine Ross is a great cast here and the interplay between Ross and Elliott is subdued, but powerful. This is Western film the way it ought to be. I could actually see this happening 125 years ago, just this way. It is a rare film - combining excellent, but definitely not gratuitous action and using actors, wardrobe and story line that transport you back to that time.

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.

Much has been said by others about how perfect Sam Elliot is in the title role of Conagher, and I join them. Not since the late Ben Johnson has there been an actor so real and so accurate in his all-around "cowboy" portrayal. What a glorious interpretation of one of the very best westerns that Louis L'Amour ever wrote. The dirt floors, the rocky, backbreaking soil, the cramped bunkhouses, and the very real dangers from nature and from man that frontier men and women faced in their day are all here. And when the kid in the bunkhouse looks at Conagher and blurts out, "You're a hard man, Conager" and is answered with the prophetic words, "It's a hard country, kid" I cheer every time! That's exactly the message that L'Amour constantly conveyed throughout so many of his books--life was doggone hard, and it took a hard people, a "special breed" to get us to where we are today! This is an excellent depiction of a slice of the "real" west, and is a must-see for anyone just starting to get interested in the old west, or for those who may consider themselves experts and simply love an authentic western. Elliot, Katherine Ross, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis and company are simply outstanding. Those responsible for casting and approving the actors and actresses in this masterpiece are to be commended as well. Watch this one and you'll smell the dust, feel the rain, heat, aches and pains, enjoy the few comforts that were available in those days, and learn to love the sound of the wind through the cedars! This is one of the very few occurrences where reading the book first will not make the movie a disappointment! It will prepare you for one of the best and authentic westerns ever put out. Hollywood needs to take a long, hard look at this gem and shape-up it's act! Louis would have been so very proud of this one!

One of the top five westerns of all-time. I am so glad the original version has now been released on DVD !! DO NOT BUY THE VHS VERSION--IT HAS BEEN EDITED AND SOME OF THE BEST SCENES/CHARACTERS CUT. Great professional cast. Check out the detailed production and supporting cast like Jeff Meyer as "Beaver" Sampson's -- his outfit and hat---feel like you stepped back a 150 years.

I have seen this movie 12 times and each time it leaves me breathless. No man can equal Sam Elliott in any film that requires a no doubt, all man role. His real life wife, Katherine Ross, is perfect as his love interest in any role as the chemistry between the two is fabulous.

Conagher is classic western penned by the phenomenol Louis L'Amour. It's a movie my husband and I have watched every time it came on tv. It was a must have movie to own so I was delighted to find it on Amazon. This is a movie you simply cannot forget about a hero who believes in right and has the courage to support his beliefs, despite cattle rustlers who threaten his livelihood as well as his life. Then crank up the excitement with adding a beautiful widow (Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott's real life wife)whom Conagher tries to resist, yet cannot forget and you have western romance at it's finest.