131 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique, unforgettable classic, March 12, 2002
It is difficult to imagine a film like "Lonely are the Brave" being released today. Everything about this near-forgotten 1962 semi-classic seems unconventional. A bittersweet ending, a flawed hero/protagonist, quirky law enforcement officials, character-establishing scenes which move slowly though perceptibly, underlying brutality (during a vicious barroom brawl) and a thematic mourning for a time long since passed. And of course the film is in black and white.
Like great poetry, the film "Lonely are the Brave" must be savored several times, it's taste acquired, it's ideas earned through thought and contemplation. Quite simply, the film is one of the finest westerns ever made.
A simple tale, though with crisp dialogue and underlying substance, "Lonely are the Brave" tells the story of the modern-day loner cowboy Jack Burns, brilliantly played by Kirk Douglas. Upon his horse, Burns rides into a dusty New Mexico town to visit old friends, dodging speeding cars on a highway. He soon discovers his best friend, a childhood chum he used to carouse with, has been jailed for transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico. In the blink of an eye, Douglas has himself arrested in an attempt to help his buddy break out of jail.
But his friend refuses, instead choosing the life of a family man, wishing to return to his wife and child as soon as possible. Douglas promptly breaks out of jail, deciding to cross the mountains into Mexico and wait for "things to blow over." A chase ensues, with a relaxed sheriff (superbly played by a young Walter Matthau) trying to cut off "the cowboy." The chase contrasts the loner (Douglas) on horseback in the mountains versus the modern-day technology of radios, helicopters, the U.S. military and jeeps.
But it is the small scenes in "Lonely are the Brave" that truly give the film its depth and status. A quiet moment as Douglas pauses at the bedroom door of his friend's son, perhaps imagining what his life could have been under different circumstances; a firm hug and kiss with his friend's wife (Gena Rowlands in one of her earliest roles) insinuating past love; a conversation with a mountain squirrel while waiting for a helicopter to fly past; a humorous soliloquy while washing his hands discussing the variety of signs hanging from a barbed wire fence; and other telling, comfortable scenes creating a character of fierce independence trapped within a shrinking land of convention.
"Lonely are the Brave" harkens back to a time of literate drama and well-written dialogue born of the theater and literature. It is also a film that, like its protagonist, slowly moves along the trail until its inevitable, heartbreaking conclusion. But that's the way it should be. Kirk Douglas' character wouldn't have it any other way.
"Lonely are the Brave" is an unforgettable film. If you have not seen this gem before, you are in for a western treat.
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66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Individuality Can Be Lonely, January 2, 2003
I grew up in N.M., where the story takes place (Albuquerque), and my dad took me to the Route 66 Old Town Bridge where we watched the filming of Kirk crossing the Rio Grande on horseback. At that time, it was just neat to see a movie star.
I didn't truly appreciate the film until I grew up. Now, I see in it an individual very much like cowboys who were around in my childhood; fiercely independent, hard-drinking, hard-working men who, because of their disdain for fences, rules, and conformity, are themselves responsible for being alone. They are men who were born too late, who are old fashioned cowboys in a West where round-ups are now by helicoptor and ATR vehicles. A man on horseback, as a way of life, is rapidly fading away. You can see that sadness and loneliness in this film. That the hero in the film could actually believe that he could out-run modern police pursuit on horseback only adds poignancy; he is really trying to out-run modern times and loss of individuality. That is truly a lonely effort.
This film is wonderful; I agree with the reviewer who said this was kirk's best film, and his favorite. It is , for me, one of the best American films ever made. Discover this gem.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If there was ever an under-rated classic, this is it., December 27, 2000
I saw this movie at a drive-in theatre with my mom and sister in late summer of 1962. It was the second bill for a feature that I have long forgotten. I was already a big Kirk Douglas fan, having seen him in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Spartacus, and other big-budget projects. What impacted me most was not only the spartan effects of the effective black and white photogrphy, but how Douglas' charcter, Burns, could have escaped if he had chosen to abandon his horse. The early scenes of the horse getting skittish while trying to cross the highway and an early appearance of Carroll O'Connor driving his 18-wheeler are seemingly inconsequential at first, but set up the dramatic ending, highlighted by Walter Matthau's compassionate refusal to identify the subject of his pursuit. In this day and age of high-salaried actors, directors, and extensive computer-generated special effects, I have yet to see a movie that impacted me more than this one.
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