Customer Reviews

Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

This is the real, Larry McMurtry written, sequel to Lonesome Dove (not Lonesome Dove II), and it has all of McMurtry's specialities: well-drawn characters, absolutely viscious and unredeemable villains & murderers, and complex protagonists with a hell of a tale to tell.

Tommy Lee Jones was the perfect physical embodiment of hard-bitten Texas Ranger Woodrow Call. A small man, ramrod straight with a ferocious temper and will of iron that made him SEEM like a bigger man. But TLJ didn't make this trip for whatever reason. Instead, we have James Garner taking over as Woodrow, and he IS a big man and inately likeable. No matter, Garner is too good an actor not to win you over, and we quickly adjust to him as an older, more tired, laconic, but still mean as hell Woodrow Call.

Peaeye is now Sam Shepard and Lorena is Sissy Spacek and she has passed by all her would-be suitors and married the taciturn Ranger, become a school teacher, and together they have 5 children. Peaeye is called out of domesticity by Woodrow to chase down a teenage psychopathic killer, Joey Garza, with a sidetrip to chase down another bad bad man named Mox Mox whose specialty is burning men, women, children & animals alive for the fun of it.

And so it begins, with much emphasis on character and wild "characters" and with a casual understanding of the hard lives and brutality of the Texas of that time.

If you liked Lonesome Dove, you will like this. The cast changes were made with excellent people stepping into the familiar roles, and you will soon accept them and be caught up in the story. If you didn't like Lonesome Dove, too bad for you, and you definitely will want to skip this.

Granted,both the original Lonesome Dove novel and film were unique works of extremely fascinating classic story-telling. Streets of Laredo obviously has a great deal to live up to and, when viewed or read in conjunction with Dove it does suffer in the sense that our familiarity is slightly snubbed. Obviously this is something that cannot be helped so I must say that Streets of Laredo as a film stands firmly upon its own merits which are quite impressive.

Firstly, the cast is sublime. James Garner, always a vastly underrated actor creates a stoic, yet tragic Call.His final scene (don't worry I won't give it all away)is at once heart breaking and filled with a quiet hope. His performance is all about what film acting aspires: he moves mountains without words. The rest of the cast is on equal footing with Garner (who deserved at least something of an Emmy nod) Playwright Sam Shepard's Pea Eye, although losing much of Tim Scott's Bentonesque forlorn rube, is filled with earthy heroism and poetry. Sissy Spacek as the whore re-encarnated as a schoolmarm Lorena produces the tough backbone needed to survive the Texas prairie. Comedian George Carlin's finely drawn panhandle scamp solidifies the theory that the border between comedy and tragedy is narrow at best. These are just a few of the excellent standouts in a sound ensemble.

Secondly is the very narrative itself. It plays like a Sunday funeral dirge- ever aware of the passing of an era, yet peering on into a glimmering future of optimism and hope. In McMurtry's world everyone has a shot at redemption. Grace isn't free but it is availble to all willing to run the gauntlet who have at least a pure heart. The evil villians are evil and deserving of damnation and the good, although pure of heart are not pure of deed.

This film is already mostly forgotten by the minions,but richly deserving of an audience. Enjoy and savor.

I only wish "Lonesome Dove" had been spared its sequels and prequels (After all, what could possibly measure up to the original masterpiece?), but if any chip off the old block bears watching, it's STREETS OF LAREDO. This mini-series revives Larry McMurtry's imagery, dialogue, and savagery of the Old West: a place that was bleak and brutal, where death comes as easy as the pulling of a trigger.

The cast is solid, if not spectacular. James Garner is a poor substitute for Tommy Lee Jones' Captain Woodrow F. Call, but has enough range to make the role believable. Sam Shepard brings a quiet dignity to the character of Pea Eye Parker, while Sissy Spacek as the prostitue-turned-teacher/housewife Lorena Parker nags and gripes through the entire film. Sonia Braga is brilliant as Maria Garza, a complex woman whose hatred for Call and concern for her outlaw son cannot overcome a true heart of gold.

Yet it's the second tier of characters that makes STREETS OF LAREDO entertaining (much like the book). George Carlin does a wonderful job as Billy Williams, an aging, almost blind frontiersman; Wes Studi as Famous Shoes, the Kickapoo tracker, delivers delightful one-liners; Ned Beatty is hysterical as the grizzled old coot Judge Roy Bean; Kevin Conway totally evil as Mox Mox, the manburner; and Randy Quaid steals the show as John Wesley Hardin, a cold-blooded, whiskey-sippin' gunslinger with a philosophy all his own.

STREETS OF LAREDO recreates McMurtry's harsh, compelling story and delivers it with the all the vigor of a runaway mare. While it doesn't come close to "Lonesome Dove," this film still stands admirably on its own.

In almost every way, Streets of Laredo, the Larry McMurtry-written sequel to Lonesome Dove, is superior to Return to Lonesome Dove, the sequel cooked up by the producers of the original Lonesome Dove miniseries. It also is considerably darker than the already bloody original or the other sequel. Because of the casting of Streets of Laredo--and because of some of the plot choices McMurtry made--I personally find it easier to accept Streets of Laredo as an alternative Lonesome Dove universe than as the true sequel. For example, McMurtry has Lorie marry Pea Eye. The original Lorie and Pea Eye, Diane Lane and Timothy Scott, would make a ridiculous couple, but their counterparts in Streets of Laredo--Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard--are a perfect couple with loads of screen chemistry. (Of course, McMurtry was not bound by the casting of the miniseries--only by his own imagination.) James Garner, as Woodrow Call, is about equal to Tommy Lee Jones in the original and slightly superior to Jon Voight in Return to Lonesome Dove. The new characters have the fascination of the original ones, and are played brilliantly by a great cast including Sonia Braga, Wes Studi, Kevin Conway, Charles Martin Smith and Alexis Cruz. The mostly horrific narrative sweeps us along, and the story's final vision of forgiveness and reconciliation is genuinely moving.

Not only is Larry McMurtry an excellent storyteller, but he's also somewhat of a literary genius. He could've written a sequel to Lonesome Dove that would've been satisfying and cliché, but he left that to Hollywood. I don't know if Streets of Laredo happened because of or in spite of the farce that is called, Return to Lonesome Dove, but Streets is definitely the better offering. McMurtry took the story in a completely different direction. In doing so, he cheated us out of certain things that we'd hoped for after finishing Lonesome Dove. There is no final conversation between Woodrow and Newt about Newt's heritage. The fate of July Johnson is a tragic and useless one. The Hatcreek Ranch in Montana goes bust and that's why Call becomes a bounty hunter. Those who enjoyed the book won't be disappointed in the film adaptation. Many have stated that James Garner's interpretation of Woodrow Call doesn't live up to that of Tommy Lee Jones and I cannot disagree. But Garner is a talented actor and he stayed true to McMurtry's character of Call. McMurtry wisely chose not to do "just another Lonesome Dove." Again, he left that to the shallower Hollywood crowd. While Lonesome Dove was a sweeping epic of a cattle drive, Streets of Laredo was simply the story of a chase to track down a young, brutal killer. McMurtry is a master of authentic dialogue and character development and he doesn't fail to deliver with his vast cast. Judge Roy Bean, Brookshire, John Wesley Harden, Billy Williams, Mox Mox and Famous Shoes all add to the texture of the movie. The most tragic figure is the long-suffering mother of Joey Garza, Maria, who defends her son in spite of his misdeeds. There are some details that are hard to swallow, such as the marriage of Lorena and Pea Eye, but the overall story still stands. This is certainly a darker offering than its predecessor considering that Gus supplied most of the mirth in Lonesome Dove. Still, it's worth watching for those who appreciate McMurtry's ability to tell a good story. The DVD is desolate when it comes to bonus material, but the sound and picture quality are far superior to the VHS version. It's also worth noting that the DVd version is uncut, offering scenes that do not appear in the VHS. No, Streets of Laredo does not live up to Lonesome Dove, but I don't think McMurtry meant for it to do so and the story stands on its own as a good one.

This movie is based on the book by Larry McMurty of the same name. James Garner plays Captain Woodrow Call who was once a Texas Ranger but is now a Bounty Hunter on the hunt for train robber Joey Garza.Every character in this movie is well played by a fine cast which also includes Sissy Spacek , Ned Beatty ( as Judge Roy Bean) and Wes Studi who plays the Native American Tracker Famous Shoes. There are a few unexpectd twists in this film and thankfully it does not have the usual "happily ever after" Hollywood ending. I LOVED the book and I loved this movie.

I own and have seen all the "Lonesome Dove" films at least three times. I have also given reviews on all except this one. I might as well give my opinion on "Streets of Laredo." Of all the "Lonesome Dove" series, this one probably takes the viewer away from the original story the most. One can pretty much forget "Lonesome Dove", "Return to Lonesome Dove" and "Dead Man's Walk" and go it alone with James Garner as Call. Once the viewer does this, he/she will find an excellent western. As in the other three,the harshness of the land, the people and the times are all here. The realism and authentic scenes makes us glad to be in the present time period. I gave this film only 4 stars for two reasons, one;-- it is recorded in EP, making for poor video quality. Two;-- for some reason the film maker chose to include a useless foray into a snippet of real life Judge Roy Bean's life and totally botched it. To say that the film maker didn't let Roy Bean facts get in the way of making the film is an understatement.The judge did not die the way depicted, we've known it for almost 100 years,it's probably written in 100 books, people in Pakistan know how the Judge died, don't these film makers look into the facts? Why do they do this? Aside from the above, I recommend the film to anyone who enjoyed Lonesome Dove for its realism, settings and harshness, because this film is "a la Lonesome Dove." I particularly liked Wes Studi's character, going about his life and ways, oblivious to the violence and harshness around him. I got myself fired up here, I think I'll view this film tonight.

STREETS OF LAREDO has taken considerable heat for missing Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow F. Call. Yes, the film would have benefited from a reprise by Mr. Jones in the role that he created but don't write it off because of that. There are aspects of this adaptation that are actually stronger than LONESOME DOVE.

After reading the book and watching STREETS OF LAREDO numerous times, I have to admit that, in his own right, James Garner does well as Captain Call, bringing his own enterpretation to the part and departing from most of the mannerisms that Jones brought to LONESOME DOVE.

Sam Shepard as Pea Eye Parker is a considerable improvement over Tim Scott, the original Pea Eye. I like Shepard's honest performance as a simple man rather than Scott's as a moron. Shepard's Pea Eye, while simple and slow is nonetheless tough and steady.

Sissy Spacek is terrific as Lorena (Wood) Parker. In fact I find that she fits the role far better than Diane Lane, the original Lorena from LONESOME DOVE and provides a tough and gritty performance as Mrs. Parker here.

Ned Beatty stars portrays the crochety, self-appointed Judge Roy Bean and Randy Quaid is darkly hilarious as the western outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

Other stars include Wes Studi as tracker Famous Shoes, George Carlin as Billy Williams and Sonja Braga as Maria Garza, a good woman trying to keep her world from coming apart while hoping to love her son-gone-bad back into the fold.

STREETS OF LAREDO is a great film. Don't miss it just because it lacks Tommy Lee Jones.

THE HORSEMAN

Like most Lonesome Dove followers I looked forward to this sequel with considerable interest and was more than a little disappointed when it was announced that Tommy Lee Jones would not star as Captain Woodrow F. Call. Still I watched and bought the DVD when it was released.

Now, after hundreds of watchings, I find that I am as comfortable with James Garner as the venerable captain as I was with Tommy Lee Jones. Rather that trying to mimic Jones' style for the part Garner is his own man and creates a believable Call in his own right.

Other nice surprises in Streets Laredo include Sissy Spacek as Lorena (Wood) Parker. Diane Lane was totally unbelievable in the role in the original Lonesome Dove and would never have been able to pull off the tough and legitimate Mrs. Parker here. Let's leave Diane to the ridiculous roles that she has recently assumed.

Sam Shepard as Pea Eye Parker is absolutely priceless and I wonder why he wasn't considered to create the part in the first place? Tim Scott, the original Pea Eye, was just too stupid and bumbling and, again, could never have been expected to believably stand up in a face-to-face showdown with Laredo's villain, Joey Garza.

Ned Beatty stars wonderfully as a credible, though historically inaccurate, Judge Roy Bean and Randy Quaid is a scene-stealer as the outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

Wes Studi is magical as the loner, wandering tracker Famous Shoes, George Carlin is terrific as Billy Williams and Sonja Braga rounds out the main cast as the hapless Maria Garza.

In its own right Streets of Laredo stands up nicely to the Lonesome Dove tradition and I find that I watch it even more than I do the original Lonesome Dove.

A marvellous film, I enjoyed it so much that I ordered it from the USA. James Garner's performance is impecable, but the production of the actual DVD itself leaves much to be desired!
No background information on the making of the film, no interviews, nothing, and whoever did the research for the packageing should be stood infront of a wall and shot by Joey Garza,SLOWLY! The frontpiece of the DVD shows James Garner, good, but the reverse, the inset, and the actual DVD's show scenes of John Voight et al in a totally different film "Return to Lonesome Dove", which wasn't even written by Larry McMurtry!! To me this is unforgiveable, and heads should roll for this sloppy work.
I've given the film four stars, the DVD gets a big fat zero.
Ed Martin