Product Details

• Actors: Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Michelle Forbes
• Directors: David S. Cass Sr.
• Writers: Diana Ossana, Frederick Manfred, Larry McMurtry
• Producers: Brian Gordon, Diana Ossana, Frank Q. Dobbs, Larry Levinson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006FDA4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,346 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Johnson County War" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The year is 1891. Wyoming is in it first year of statehood. The three hammett brothers cain harry and dale find themselves in the middle of a rapidly escalating range war when they resist big-time cattle ranchers who want to run them off their land. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/20/2003 Starring: Tom Berenger Rachel Ward Run time: 180 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED LONESOME DOVE? YOU'LL LOVE THIS!, September 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Johnson County War (DVD)

Cut from the same hide as classic western dramas like Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, Monte Walsh, and Crossfire Trail, The Johnson County War is a well-told story that is loosely based on actual historic events.

It's the age-old conflict: Big Business vs. the small entrepreneur. The big cattlemen employ the tried and true strategy of the west for dealing with their small time competitors: if you can't beat them kill them! But one man stands up for his beliefs and is ready to pay the ultimate price for them.

Tom Berenger heads a stellar cast that includes Luke Perry, Burt Reynolds and Rachel Ward. The script by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana is along the same lines as their Lonesome Dove masterpiece.

I actually bought and watched this one on the merits of the cast and writers alone and never looked back.

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Western Saga, September 28, 2002

By 

John G. Gleeson Sr. (Frederic, Mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johnson County War (DVD)

When I saw this title come up as a "pre-release", I had to check the movie data bases to see what it was all about. It is based on a book called "Riders of Judgement", which is, in turn, based on actual historical events involving rich land hungry bad guys and small ranchers, farmers and homesteaders, who, in reality, were not quite the good guys you see in this film. It is really well written, acted and filmed, and it never drags, despite the nearly three hours that it runs. Luke Perry and Tom Berenger are the brothers who try to resist the efforts of the rich members of the "Cheyenne Social Club" to run them off their ranches. The film script was written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, and what a fine job they did. Berenger, an actor who generally delivers a good performance is realy in top form here, as are most of the cast. Casting Burt Reynolds as the bad guys' hired gun/corrupt marshal is the only weak element in the cast; I find his work overall to be generally light weight, and here, he isn't a "bad" enough villain. The original TV rendition was a Hallmark work, which is usually a plus for me because those folks take their sponsorship seriously, and the transfer to DVD is first rate, including some spectacular scenery. If you like a good adventure film, you can't go wrong here.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Western, December 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Johnson County War (DVD)

Larry McMurtry has once again crafted another timeless western. Thought not as good as Lonesome Dove, this film does stand it's own. One reviewere said that certain scenes would never happen in a Lousi L'Amour novel, and that is correct; mainly because L'Amours novels are not realistic; they are just stories. Everything that happened in this movie, at one point on another, actualy happened in real life (though not necessarily in the Johnson County War). The story revolves Berenger's character, Cain and his fight against the cattle barons of wyoming. Cain, incidently,is a parallel of the real life figure Nate Champion, who fought in the Johnson War.
The script leaves one reminded of the Lonesome Dove series in that there is plenty of character driven dialouge, and the movie superbly paces itself to the climax (which is an awewsome scene). There are plenty of funny moments too, such as a converstaion about jello. The cinemtography is great, and the movie feels likes a western. It does not look modern, as the other reviewer said. (note: the war took place in the 1890's, so rich places like the Cheyenne Club were indeed well furnished).
Some say that Burt Reynolds was not a good choice, but I thought he did a good job, as did Luke Perry and Adam Storke. Overall, this is one of the best westerns I have seen, and trust me, i have seen many. It is a shame that only television is producing quality westerns (unlike the theater where films such as the horrible Texas Rangers & American Outlaws were made).