The Ballad of Cable Hogue on DVD (1970)

huck from Washington , 22/11/2006

This is one of those great overlooked films - a real gem. It must be Jason Robards' greatest ever performance - and Stella Stevens is utterly amazing. They are backed up by a scene-stealing, over-the-top performance from David Warner, and familiar western character actors Strother Martin, LQ Jones and others. This is Peckinpah's tour de force - forget the Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs and the rest! Honestly! It's got a great story, lots of action, fantastic acting, it's a western, it's a love story, it's got a great, haunting score, it's got Stella Stevens smouldering sexily, it's slapstick, it's a revenge movie with a difference and you won't forget it.

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Calvin from Nottingham [Highly rated reviewer] , 16/01/2008

Free of the cynicism of Peckinpah's later work, this is a wonderful, comic, unconventional Western of sorts. Abandoned in the desert, Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) miraculously stumbles across a water source and established the 'town' of Cable Spings as a travellers' stop between the (brilliantly named) towns of Dead Dog and Lizard.

Hogue's simple, rugged charm is complemented by a great supporting cast, with David Warner particularly outstanding as the rakish (at times, outright lecherous) preacher Joshua Sloane, self appointed Father of the 'Church of the Wayfaring Stranger, a church of my own revelation'. Warner is attributed with many of the films best lines - 'if I can't rouse heaven, I intend to raise hell' (and many more that I would love to quote here, but I'll keep it brief) - and his performance is a true revelation (excuse the pun).

Beyond the comedy, and a great pastoral folk sountrack, 'The Ballad of Cable Hogue' also engages meaningfully with ideas of freedom and citizenship, capitalism and human value. And while it may be an exaggeration to claim it as a truly auteured work, Peckinpah's distinctive visual style of whip pans and sharp editing bears a continuity with the likes of 'The Wild Buch' and 'Pat Garrett...', matched to differing but appropriate and resonant material, and this film fully deserves to be recognised alongside the above and 'Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia' in the Peckinpah canon - and, indeed, that of the all time great Westerns.

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edward from Leeds , 12/11/2007

Sam Peckinpah fans beware. Compared to his other classics like 'The Wild Bunch' and 'Ride The High Country' this is poor fare.

The comic element in this film just doesn't work, the love interest lacks any emotion whatsoever and the whole film runs like a parody/spoof of a Peckinpah western.

Don't know what Sam was thinking when he made this one. Apparently it was his favourite of all his films. The booze must have been taking bad effect as it coloured his judgement and skill as a great director.

Disappointing. For great Peckinpah westerns, watch 'The Wild Bunch', 'Ride The High Country' and 'Pat Garrett and Bily the Kid', all of which are amazing.

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CarWin from London , 12/03/2008

This is a great sort of understated film. The characters are wonderfully developed, the religious themes are interesting, it's funny and touching and it has some really fun, bizarre-o camera 'tricks' going on. The music is odd and a bit folky, yet compelling and there are some great moments and lines. It's just a cool, stealth movie about a guy who is admittedly kind of afraid of things, and sometimes has to act brutally as the Wild West required of people, but is a hero all the same.

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CarWin from London , 12/03/2008

This is a great sort of understated film. The characters are wonderfully developed, the religious themes are interesting, it's funny and touching and it has some really fun, bizarre-o camera 'tricks' going on. The music is odd and a bit folky, yet compelling and there are some great moments and lines. It's just a cool, stealth movie about a guy who is admittedly kind of afraid of things, and sometimes has to act brutally as the Wild West required of people, but is a hero all the same.

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