Customer Reviews

Will Penny

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A well written story of an aging, illiterate cow hand, "Will Penny" has a magnificent portrayal by Charlton Heston, who has been quoted as saying that he loved the script, and felt that it was his best performance; it is a subtle and very touching depiction of a man who is realistic about his fate, which is raw and bitter, but not entirely without humor.
Set in the 1880s in Montana, it was shot on location by cinematographer Lucien Ballard in Inyo National Forest, with sweeping panoramas of the Sierra Nevada.
This film was sadly ignored when it was released in 1968; some say the disappointing reception was because "Planet of the Apes" was running at the same time, but I'm inclined to believe it was because it didn't follow the Hollywood formula, in its characters or plot.

The cast supporting Heston is superb, including a glowing performance by Joan Hackett, as a woman stranded with her son in the wilderness, and Jon Gris (son of director Tom Gris), is a delight as "Button", her son.
Donald Pleasence is appropriately manic as the murderous Preacher Quint, and in a small part as the Flat Iron Ranch Foreman, Ben Johnson truly shines. Other terrific actors in small parts are Bruce Dern, Anthony Zerbe, Lee Majors, Slim Pickens, and William Schallert as Dr. Fraker. Lydia Clarke (the real life Mrs. Heston) appears as Mrs. Fraker.

Rather along the lines of Clint Eastwood's 1992 "Unforgiven", this is an intelligent, beautifully directed and acted Western, with well-drawn characters, and a good balance between action scenes and the inner landscape of a lonely man.
A must for Heston fans, and also for those who say they don't care for his acting, as this film could well change their minds.
Total running time 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Even more so than his Oscar-winning turn in BEN-HUR, Charlton Heston's role in the terribly underrated 1968 western WILL PENNY may well be his best ever. Frequently when he's not doing the big-budget historical epics, Heston's performances seem to be much more realistic. WILL PENNY is a case in point....

Aided by a solid script by director Tom Gries, who died too young in 1977, Heston gives a performance of real strength and character, with Hackett (who also died too young) equally fine as the lonely woman having to protect an emotionally fatherless son. WILL PENNY was primarily shot on location in the Owens Valley, at the eastern foot of the Sierra Nevada, during the winter of 1967; and this results in a very cold but still panoramic movie, superbly shot by veteran cameraman Lucien Ballard. For whatever reason, Paramount originally buried it in release in early 1968, choosing to release it simultaneously with the 20th Century Fox film PLANET OF THE APES, another Heston film that got the box office glory. Now, however, WILL PENNY is rightly regarded as a minor classic--and perhaps the real crowning glory in Heston's extremely distinguished acting career.

For me, watching Will Penny was a very frustrating experience. The performances of Charlton Heston, Lee Majors, Anthony Zerbe, and Ben Johnson were all quite good - especially Charlton Heston's. The script is excellent in most areas, and the direction & photography are often inspired. What goes wrong with Will Penny is the one part of the script that doesn't work.

The villians of the story are so unbelievable and unrealistic that they seem like they came out of a Western spoof, rather than the serious, realistic Western which Will Penny attempts to be. It's hard to figure just where the heck Donald Pleasance's character is supposed to come from as his accent is all over the place. It's also hard to figure out just how this family of nut-jobs hadn't been killed long before they could encounter Will Penny. They would have either been killed or jailed for their pattern of committing crimes based on their warped religious beliefs. These characters are both written and performed as such over the top crazies that they don't come across as real people, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the characters in the movie. As noted before, it almost seems like they came out of a spoof of a Western movie rather than a serious one.

And that's the shame of the whole thing - if the villians of the movie had been just a little more realistic Will Penny could have easily been one of the best Westerns of the 60's and 70's. As it is Will Penny is still a good movie (great in spots), but because of the way that the villians were scripted (and acted) the movie is brought down a notch or two from what it could have, and should have been.

This movie is a love story. A love story between an illiterate, ageing cowboy (Heston) with no future prospects and a farmer's young wife (Hackett) facing a future of hard work on a farm and a loveless marriage. Will they find happiness with each other? Well, it doesn't help having a lunatic, bible-thumper (Donald Pleasance) and his brood of sociopaths (the always menacing Bruce Dern among them) threatening to skin Heston alive.

This is a very low-key film. Most of the performances are restrained (Donald Pleasance excepted) and quite good, especially Chuck Heston's. The scenes between Heston and Joan Hackett are very good. One of Heston's best performances during the period of the late 60's and early 70's.

An excellent movie, this is a low key western with good acting and a good story. Very memorable!

I have the great privilege to know Mr. Heston, and Will Penny is one his favorites. It was particularly advantageous because he could home once in awhile! The intense character he portrayed is worth the price, and I would consider it a "sleeper" type of film. If you look at the cast, and the interaction you can see that the actors chosen for this film are right on. Let it grow on you. Yep, it's a little slow at times, but given the times (and some reflection on the reality of those times) it is a good flick...

Will Penny is a gem of a western. Charleton Heston plays a quiet, ageing and illiterate cow-hand who's known only ranch work his whole life.

Much of Will Penny is a realistic depiction of life in the West. The drifting, seasonal aspect of cowboy life and the work involved in ranching. Tom Gries does a great job with the script and Heston is excellent as Will Penny.

This isn't an over the top action epic. While there is a shoot out it's not the center of the tale really. The center of the tale is instead the character of Will Penny. Donald Pleasance is great as the slightly psychotic preacher/thief. Lee Majors, Slim Pickens and Bruce Dern give great performances as well.

Heston plays Will Penny with understated dignity and realism. This may be Heston's best performance and an undiscovered classic.

Tom Gries's fabulous Western transcends various shoot-outs and intrigues to serve as both a touching love story and tale of self-discovery. Sensitive, perceptive script (by Gries) is brought to life by winning lead performances from Heston and Hackett, not to mention an inspired turn by Donald Pleasance as a Bible-thumping psychopath (with two equally demented sons, one played by Bruce Dern). Ben Johnson adds authentic flavoring as Will's no-nonsense boss. "Penny" rates as mandatory viewing for Western fans.

I have the great privilege to know Mr. Heston, and Will Penny is one his favorites. It was particularly advantageous because he could home once in awhile! The intense character he portrayed is worth the price, and I would consider it a "sleeper" type of film. If you look at the cast, and the interaction you can see that the actors chosen for this film are right on. Let it grow on you. Yep, it's a little slow at times, but given the times (and some reflection on the reality of those times) it is a good flick...

I think this is a good, solid Western with an excellent, low-key performance by Charlton Heston. The scenery is beautiful, and the filming is artfully done at times, especially of cowboys guiding their herd and otherwise riding the range. The parts with Charlton Heston and the young boy were touching. I agree with another reviewer that Donald Pleasance's performance is over-the-top, although his character, along with his sons, are pretty vivid villains at times. Joan Hackett and the actor playing her son do a good job, and so do Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson, G. D. Spradlin, Lee Majors and Anthony Zerbe in minor roles. There are one or two inconsistencies in the story but I didn't think they were a big deal. Unlike another reviewer, I liked the ending. (*warning, possible "spoiler" ahead*) I hope I'm not giving too much away by saying that I thought the end was realistic by not falling into a phony, typical, "love-conquers-all" trap, and it was touching.