The Jack Bull (1999)

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The Jack Bull shouldn't have been a TV movie, plain and simple. It's story is too important and we'll told to be shunted into an HBO slot and denied a theatrical release, effectively dooming it to the doldrums of obscurity. There's a few DVD's floating around in the ether, and no doubt it shows up on cable now and again, which is nice. It's one of the most tragic westerns I've seen, and needlessly so, which makes it all the more sad. John Cusack plays Myrl Redding, a humble rancher and family man who is just trying to make a life for himself on the frontier, along with his wife Cora (luminous Miranda Otto). When he strikes a deal with filthy rich local cattle baron Henry Ballard (L.Q. Jones) it becomes clear the man is rotten to the core. The horses left in his care are brutally mistreated by Ballard's lead hand Slater (a savage John Savage), prompting Redding to seek justice. When the law and courts and even the glad handing Governor (Scott Wilson) refuse to give him retribution at the behest of Ballard's slimy financial influence, he takes the matter into his own hands, which ultimately means he now had committed a crime, with witnesses. Ballard seizes the opportunity and uses every ounce of malice as well as his money to bury Redding. The law does nothing to help. The only person that Redding has in his corner is idealistic Judge Tolliver, played by a beaming John Goodman who steals the show and balances out the gloominess with his comforting presence. He's a take no nonsense guy and the only character besides Cusack that has any shred or morals or decency. There's also work from mottled character actors like Rex Linn, Rodney A. Grant, Ned Bellamy, Jay O. Sanders, Brent Briscoe and John C. McGinley. It's not your typical western, being very downbeat and tragic, but not in an unnecessary way. It has a point to make and a message to give about sticking to your principles, standing up to bullies no matter how dear the cost, and not backing down. Excellent film.

THE JACK BULL 1999This HBO western production is far better than I was expecting. It is the tale of one man's search for justice. The cast features, John Cusak, L.Q. Jones, John C. McGinley, John Goodman, Scott Wilson, John Savage, Jay O Sanders, Miranda Otto, Glen Morshower, Rodney E Grant and Ken Pogue.Cusak is a Wyoming horse trader and breeder. He lives with his wife, Miranda Otto and son, Drake Bell on a ranch in the mountains. Cusak, takes a yearly trip into the big horse auction in town to sell off his stock. This year he runs into a spot of bother. The biggest land owner in the area, L.Q. Jones, has taken a dislike to Cusak. He tells Cusak it will cost him a toll to cross his land to get to the auction. Jones is fencing off the land to as he says. "stop the lowlife drifters" from crossing. Cusak has not got the toll price, but agrees to leave several fine horses with Jones. He will pay on his return and collect the horses. He also leaves a hired hand, Rodney E Grant to watch over the horses. Cusak sells off the stock at the auction and returns to Jones' place with the fee. What he finds is his two fine horses have been used as plow horses and are in sad shape. His man, Grant, has been beaten bloody and ran off by Jones' top hand, John Savage. Cusak demands that Jones restore the horses to the state they were in when left with him. Needless to say this goes nowhere. Now everything falls to pieces for Cusak. He hires a lawyer to seek redress, but the local judge is in Jones' pocket. The wife, Otto, sets off with the other hired hand, John C McGinley to Cheyenne to see the Attorney General. Otto gets killed by a runaway wagon while crossing a street in the capital. Cusak decides to make his own law as the "official law" is unwilling, or unable to help. He gathers a group of like-minded men and sets off after Jones. Barns are burned to make a point, but Jones has high tailed it to Cheyenne. Of course there are several deaths and the Law is called out to chase Cusak. You will need to watch the film to get the rest of the story. Suffice it to say it will be worth your time. The director here is big screen veteran, John Badham. His films include, Saturday NIGHT FEVER, POINT OF NO RETURN, BLUE THUNDER, STAKEOUT, THE HARD WAY, WAR GAMES and BIRD ON A WIRE. The cinematography was handled by Gale Tattersall. His film work includes, PUSHING TIN, TANK GIRL and GHOST SHIP. Standing in for the mountains of Wyoming, is Calgary and Banff, Alberta, Canada. This is the same area where OPEN RANGE, UNFORGIVEN and LEGENDS OF THE FALL were filmed.

Many modern Westerns take a whack at demythologizing the frontier, but I don't know of any other film that does it as powerfully and thoroughly as The Jack Bull. All the old, familiar themes are here, stripped of their pretense and given new and exciting life in a challenging tale that becomes more morally and ethically complex as it goes along.In the waning days of the Wyoming Territory, a horse trader named Myrl Redding (John Cusack) gets into a dispute with a land baron named Henry Ballard (L. Q. Jones) over two stallions. Myrl left them with Ballard as collateral for a toll to pass through Ballard's land on way to a horse auction. When Myrl returns for them, he finds his man left to mind the horses beaten and run off and the animals whipped, mistreated and worked near to death. Myrl demands the stallions be restored to the previous condition by Ballard's own hand, something the rich man sneeringly refuses.Myrl takes his case to the local judge (Ken Pogue), only to find him in Ballard's pocket. He tries to petition the territorial Attorney General, only to have that request end in tragedy. Unwilling to let the wrong done him go unanswered, Myrl gathers together a gang of men and rides up to Ballard's spread to get justice for himself. Ballard escapes, however, leaving Myrl to lead his men across the countryside, threatening to burn out anyone who gives aid or shelter to Ballard. This little insurrection eventually brings the conflict between Myrl and Ballard to the attention of the territorial governor (Scott Wilson), but not until people are killed and someone has to be help accountable for those deaths.Myrl Redding deserves to stand alongside Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valance in the pantheon of Wild West cinema. All three symbolize how the sort of men who made the frontier the glorious place it was, were also the sort of men who would have no place as the frontier gave way to civilization. Make no mistake, Henry Ballard is the bad guy in this story and Redding is the good guy. But most of Ballard's actions are legal and only slightly unethical. The crimes he does commit are of a petty nature. The awful events of The Jack Bull flow not from the greed or arrogance of Henry Ballard, but from the uncompromising pride and independence of Myrl Redding. Ballard makes only a little spark. It is Myrl who pours gasoline on that spark until it becomes a deadly fire.Taking the law into your own hand when you're denied justice is one of the oldest Western stories. The Jack Bull is one of the few that recognizes when you take the law into your own hands, it's like setting yourself alone in a boat across the ocean. You have nothing but your wits and your will to deal with all the forces that come against you and decisions and actions that seem right can have disastrous consequences. A corrupt justice system fails Myrl Redding, but no justice system can withstand men who pursue their own righteous satisfaction to the exclusion of all else.In addition to being smart and compelling, The Jack Bull has a marvelous cast. Strong performances abound, particularly Scott Wilson and John Goodman as another territorial judge who is committed to seeing justice done to its fullest extent. John Cusack is tremendously effective, never letting what Myrl Redding represents overwhelm the character's simply humanity. And Director John Badham does an excellent job at capturing the extremes which lived side by side in the dying days of the Wild West.The Jack Bull is an outstanding movie and is a must see of the modern Western.

This is an HBO original movie, but let me assure you this is of the caliber to have been a theatrical release. This film makes a powerful statement about the importance of standing up for what you believe in and how you cannot just say what is right, but have the courage to take action when words fail you and see justice done, whatever the cost.The setting is the beautiful mountains and frontier country of pre-statehood Wyoming; the man is Merle Redding (John Cusack), a simple horse trainer just trying to earn a living for him and his family; the problem is a wealthy cattle rancher named Henry Ballard (L.Q. Jones) buying up all the land between the homesteads and the nearest town. Conflict arises when Merle is taking some of his horses to town to sell at the auction and needs to pass through Ballard's new spread of land—previously unowned—as it is the only way to make it to the auction on time. And that is all I will say so as to not spoil any critical elements of the movie. The first thing that stands out about the film is that the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. I could've done without the filters, but the sights are still something to behold. The actors are well-cast; John Cusack and John Goodman really shine in their respective roles. The screenplay (written by Dick Cusack, John Cusack's father) is well-thought out and succeeds in making the film come full circle. The characters are three-dimensional and the audience can easily relate to their individual struggles. As well, the parallel editing between Cusack's 'circumstance' and the parade for Wyoming's official statehood speaks volumes...very eloquent indeed.This film should be a lesson to all of us to remember what's important and fight for what we believe in. We cannot settle for simply saying what is right and what should be done, but stand behind what we say. It reminds us to fight for the little guy and that one person *can* make a difference.VERDICT: A moving film about true conviction of the heart; truly inspiring. Hands down one of the best westerns I've ever seen (which is a lot). On that note, if you don't like westerns, this probably isn't the film for you, but otherwise, it's a must-see.8.5 out of 10.0NOTE: To anyone who loves horses, this film will hit a particular soft spot in your heart—it certainly did for me