Lonesome Dove
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 103 May 2008
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How the West was won…
The Lowdown: Former Texas Rangers Gus McRae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones) have reached the age when they should be thinking about retirement. However, when long-time associate Jake Spoon returns home and tells them about the untouched plains of Montana, the duo and their ragged posse of friends head North…
Review: Prolific novelist-turned-screenwriter Larry McMurtry has had a rich and successful writing career over the years, but it was arguably Lonesome Dove, the hugely popular 1989 mini-series based on his epic, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that garnered him the most attention. (Until he scooped an Oscar for his Brokeback Mountain screenplay, that is!) Now digitally re-mastered and re-released, the bittersweet Lonesome Dove comes under scrutiny once more. The ensuing years have seen the epic mini-series fade from view, to be replaced by the compulsive full-length TV drama, and revisiting any kind of mini-series nowadays is a decidedly odd experience. As such, Lonesome Dove feels uncomfortably stranded between epic movie and full-length serial status.
Compared to the brutal, foul-mouthed likes of ‘Deadwood’, Lonesome Dove feels too sentimental for its own good, and seems a lot like a traditional melodrama dressed up in cowboy clothing. Nevertheless, fans of McMurtry’s distinctive brand of down-home drama will find much to enjoy here. The episodic structure ensures that you can comfortably sample the series in four instalments, and each section is varied in tone and plot. However, Lonesome Dove really comes into its own with its stellar cast. Duvall is superb as the world-weary Gus, whilst Tommy Lee Jones is in one of his taciturn moods. Elsewhere, the supporting cast numbers Danny Glover, Chris Cooper, Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane and even a youthful Steve Buscemi. Although fans of recent brutal revisionist westerns may find Lonesome Dove too tame for their tastes, anyone who likes their epic cowboy capers slow and old-fashioned will find it to be a solid, worthwhile purchase.
FILM: 7 EXTRAS: 5
DVD Info:
Certificate: 15
Starring: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Chris Cooper
Directed By: Simon Wincer, 1989
Distributor: Acorn Media
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 357mins
Price: £19.99
Special Features:
Episode Selection
‘A Conversation With Author Larry McMurtry’ Featurette
Interview With Executive Producer Suzanne De Passe
Image Gallery
‘Lonesome Dove Quiz’
