Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Dern, Helen Shaver, Gordon Lightfoot
• Directors: William A. Graham
• Format: Color, NTSC, Full Screen
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Vestron
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000638PIA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,324 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The most thrilling man hunt America has ever known. Early on June 9th, 1902 Harry Tracy, murder and convicted burlgar, escaped from prison after killing three guards, wounding a fourth, and shattering the leg of a fellow prisoner who attempted to subdue him. He then found himself hunted by thousands of armed men through some of the most densely timbered country on earth, with a reward of $8000 on his head, dead or alive. Tracy defied capture for months, leaving a trail of dead and wounded men behind him. This Canadian film stars Bruce Dern as real-life American criminal Harry Tracy, who escaped from prison in Oregon in 1902, killing three guards and a fellow inmate in the process, sparking one of the biggest manhunts in American history to that time. He evaded capture for a couple of months, eventually making his way to Seattle. This is a low-key film about this outlaw which seems to be fictionalised for the screen. While the basic facts of his escape are true, there is a female character who appears in none of the accounts of this event that I have read. Dern gives a very good performance as the title character. The film also features the one-and-only acting debut of legendary folk singer Gordon Lightfoot as the sheriff which for his fans should not be missed but for everyone else should probably be avoided! The portrayal of the Old West of the turn of last century looks quite realistic, as the production is mostly outdoors and has a grimy, dirty look to it. The clothes of the characters look lived in and their behavior is mostly idiomatic, unlike westerns of the 1950s and earlier.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For Lightfoot fans ONLY!, January 29, 2006

By 

L Salisbury (Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harry Tracy (aka "Harry Tracy, Desperado") (VHS Tape)

Gordon Lightfoot described his performance in this film as "I'm so awful, I'm good!" He underestamated himself. Granted he wasn't given a good script to work with but his performance is one of the few highlights of "Harry Tracy". (His rare song one the soundtrack was another.) Other than that no reason to forfeit two hours of life on this watered-down Sam Peckinpah/ Butch-n-Sundance wannabe!