Bite the Bullet (1975)

Must See Movie...

Great Film overall

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There are many great westerns that I have had the pleasure to see over the past several years that are in the elite pantheon of true western classics and this one makes that list with ease though it doesn't really have the story-line of the traditional western movie. The movie is set in 1906 in the southwestern part of the United States where people are competing in a 700 mile horse race and whoever wins gets $ 2,500 and survives. Gene Hackman stars as Sam Clayton a man who served in President Theodore Roosevelt's select regiment known as the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War, and charged up San Juan Hill alongside him, his competitors include a woman named Miss Jones (Candice Bergen), a fellow rough rider turned gambler named Luke Matthews (James Coburn), a young kid (Jan-Michael Vincent), and an old man nicknamed "Mister" (Ben Johnson) who doesn't survive the whole ride. It is worth noting that until I watched this movie I hadn't seen a horse racing movie in the form of a western, and not only does the excellent performances from Hackman, Bergen, and Coburn, as well as the excellent script and direction from Richard Brooks qualify it to be one of the best westerns that I have ever seen it is also the best movie about horse racing that I have seen since "Seabiscuit" (2003). The cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr. is beautiful to see with all of the excellent desert shots which were so good that it made me think of many of the old westerns that were directed by the great John Ford. Also with this movie Brooks does an excellent job of letting us get to know each of the characters with really good dialogue for each respective character so that we can share sympathy and empathy for the conditions that they have to deal with while racing every single day, and the set design along with the costumes being expertly designed. This is a movie that is entirely memorable because of the entertainment and everything else that I previously mentioned, but one thing that I didn't mention was the score by the great Alex North which heightens the suspense during the racing scenes in the movie. It is a truly great movie that should be appreciated more than it currently is right now.

Gritty, dusty western from director Richard Brooks, who seems thoroughly engrossed in the genre while keeping all the usual clichés intact. Early 1900s horse race attracts a low-keyed cowboy (Gene Hackman), a suave gambler (James Coburn), a cocky kid (Jan Michael Vincent), and even a FEMALE (a surprisingly game Candice Bergen). Once the preliminaries are out of the way (with the predictable arguments over whether or not a woman should take part), this becomes a fairly engrossing entry, though one which breaks no new ground (it instead resembles something from Gary Cooper's era). Good-looking, if overlong piece has macho verve and a fine cast, yet the mechanisms of the plot get tiresome rather quickly. ** from ****

By the 1970s, the western genre was virtually exhausted and many of the westerns made around that time were either cheaply-made, badly-dubbed European offerings, or depressingly violent revenge westerns (e.g The Hunting Party, The Revengers, The Deadly Trackers, The Last Hard Men, etc.) Bite The Bullet, however, is a happy exception. Not only does it resist the '70s urge to show gore and brutality, it also manages to come up with a plot that is actually quite novel. It also marks an example of the "third-time-lucky" adage for Gene Hackman.... for this was his third western of the '70s, and the first of real quality (his previous two - The Hunting Party and Zandy's Bride - being pretty terrible if truth be known).At the turn-of-the-century, various riders gather in a Wild West town to compete in an endurance horse race of some 700 miles or so. Among those seeking the glory and the romance are English gentleman Norfolk (Ian Bannen); young show-offy hot-head Carbo (Jan-Michael Vincent); a rugged old man in search of a final moment of honour (Ben Johnson); a poor Mexican with serious dental problems (Mario Ateaga); feisty female entrant Jones (Candice Bergen); former Rough Rider Luke Matthews (James Coburn); and introspective horse-lover Sam Clayton (Gene Hackman). As they ride through forests, deserts and mountains toward the finishing line, the riders get involved in various adventures and tragedies. Some lose their horses along the trail; others are even less fortunate and lose their lives.Bite The Bullet is a very good western, with convincing performances from its all-star cast and luscious cinematography from the great Harry Stradling Jr. The opening quarter of the film is fairly slow, with time given over to the character introductions and a little probing into the motivations of each rider. However, this proves worthwhile later as the fate of each rider gains significant power because the audience has come to understand - to know, if you like - the various characters. On the whole, the period detail and the dialogue seem impeccable. Alex North's score is good, and adds an extra dimension to the proceedings. The only flaw worth mentioning is that the film's structure - perhaps inevitably - is rather episodic.... every few minutes, the narrative jumps to another rider and follows their adventures for a scene or two before jumping again to another character. There was probably no way to avoid this, but it is occasionally tedious and frustrating for the viewer (because just as they are "getting into" the plight of one rider the action cuts away to the plight of another). Aside from this minor flaw, Bite The Bullet is a highly impressive film and easily earns a spot on the top-ten-westerns-of-the-'70s list.

Bite the Bullet includes poignant performances by a charismatic Gene Hackman, a totally hot Candice Brgman, a cavalier James Coburn and a young, angry Jan Michael Vincent. This is my favorite movie! The cinematography is intoxicating. A collexion of amazing horses of every color and conformation galloping, racing, leaping across the rugged California desert for hours! A portrait of human greed pitted against animal rights and compassion. The heroes in this movie are dark and the villains are sad. The backdrop for the unfolding drama is a 700 mile endurance horse race, but within this is framework is explored war, desperation, prostitution, rape, death, heroin overdose, greed, betrayal, trains, selflessness, heroism, friendship, the human/animal bond and good 'ol triumph of the spirit. But most of all pretty, pretty horses.