Will Penny Reviews

• Heston's best

  
  By AQ8DU6XVA3USJ on 2004-05-26
  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.
  
  

• Perhaps Heston's finest performance

  
  By A2D8CUJPOSRPNA on 2001-08-05
  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.
  
  

• 3 1/2 Stars - A Frustratingly Good Movie

  
  By A60PQSFWSQK8K on 2005-05-22
  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.
  
  

• Low-key, western, love story.

  
  By on 2000-02-23
  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.
  
  

• another casuality for "realism"

  
  By A358XP3X4U0X45 on 2004-09-04
  The big claim made for this movie is that it is realistic. That is the usual claim made for movies that have little else going for them. The definition of "realistic" relied on for such movies is: boring, dirty, and ends unhappily. (That there are other aspects of reality does not seem to occur to them.) So, all right, I give the movie a star for realism. I can't give it a star for "gripping" because it isn't. I can't give it a star for "moving" because it isn't. I can't give it stars for photography, music or acting because these are adequate but not outstanding.
  Even the "realistic" claim won't stand scrutiny. Are we supposed to believe that a seriously wounded man could walk through snow with no clothes on all the way back to the cabin? Are we supposed to believe that these three stereotypical villains would wait two days for the lady to make up her mind? Nonsense! They'd rape her then and there. Are we to believe that a real down-and-dirty cowpoke would turn down a beautiful woman? This isn't realism. This is chivalry! This is a Romantic Hero! And of course, the biggest cliche of all: the cavalry riding to the rescue at precisely the right moment--only in this case it is Will's two friends who have ridden for days and just happen to show up at the precise second that he needs them!
  The only reason to watch this film is to study it in contrast to Shane. After all, the movie strains to be another Shane. Why isn't it? Why is Shane all of the above and more and this movie isn't? Why do the characters in Shane stick in your mind the rest of your life and you can't remember most of the characters in this movie the next day and none of them the next year?
  
  
  
• tom gries misses the target
  By A3V9XYYQKZMAK9 on 2002-02-26
  I can't join the other reviewers in their praise for this movie. Tom Gries attempts, through character development, to present a "thinking man's" movie, but winds up with a s-l-o-o-w moving "entertainment" movie. My take: STORY (2*) This is merely an extended diary of what Will did yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Although the events do have some relevance to each other, they are presented in a slightly dis-jointed fashion that keeps the movie from segueing smoothly from scene to scene. I was also uncomfortable with the finish and it's failure to complete the minor tensions in the plot (ie what will happen to Hackett and her son? How does Ben Johnson's character respond to the events? Has Will Penny retained his honor (most important trait for any western hero?, etc.)) ACTING (2*): Heston carries this film with an understated performance, closely followed by Hackett as the love interest. Johnson is his usual solid self. All others are forced to the point of caricature, particularly Donald Pleasence. The result is an ensemble that I am not emotionally invested in. CINEMATOGRAPHY (3*): I have pan-and-scan, but even in wide screen this is an average presentation from an artistic viewpoint, with very little sense of big-sky. MUSIC (4*): The opening theme is superb western movie music, the rest forgettable. For Heston-Hackett fans, go for it, otherwise not recommended.
  
  
• WILL - (SHANE) - PENNY MEETS PALE RIDER
  By A3R2YB0WTTB0IJ on 2007-04-23
  Director Tom Gries is mostly known for the two movies, Breakout and Breakheart Pass, he directed in 1975 for Charles Bronson at the peak of his career then. But this director, unlike the great majority of his contemporary colleagues of the end of the sixties, had the one in a lifetime opportunity to direct a script he had himself written and this movie was WILL PENNY, shot during the 1967-1968 winter.
  
  If, during the projection of the film, the viewer inevitably thinks about George Stevens's Shane, WILL PENNY nevertheless lives its own life and offers scenes that linger in the head, at least mine, for quite a while. First of all, I must say that the scenes between Charlton Heston and Joan Hackett are so bashful and true that I had to make an effort to remember that I was watching a western, the male cinematographic genre in essence. Secondly, I was captivated by the performance of Donald Pleasence who, as Preacher Quint, fills the screen with his magnetism as soon as he appears. Look at him when he curses Will Penny after the death of his son Romulus or when he starts to dance alone in Penny's cabin, madness is literally pouring out of him. These are great moments of Cinema.
  
  A DVD zone baby, it's cold outside.
  
  
• Will Penny
  By on 2000-03-15
  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...
  
  
• A Real Life Western with a Super Cast
  By A3M1JGSEJSR2RA on 1999-08-09
  This movie was so real. It was like a camera coming down from the sky and focusing on "Will Penny" and following his life for a few months. Powerfull cast and heart wrenching story. The best western I have ever seen. Joan Hackett was superb!!
  
  
• This is possibly the richest film I have ever seen.
  By A3PSBQIKX17K3J on 1999-12-10
  As well as my favorite. I'd been looking for it on video for years, scouting the TV listing for the rare times that TNT or AMC would show it. This is simply a magnificent piece of cinema, with incredibly graceful camera work, classic characters, and simply the best score I've had the pleasure to hear. The music itself is reason enough to watch the film. I know, I know, it's long and maybe a little slow at times, but this isn't Bruce Willis here, this is art. I've been tellng people about this movie for years. Spread the word.
  
  
• Understated and underrated western
  By A2JA7C0WEMB1M7 on 2002-06-17
  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.
  
  

• Near Classic
  By on 2003-03-16
  For sheer realism about the life of the range hand in the mid to late 19th century West this fine film is unsurpassed. It's unfortunate that writer and director Tom Gries didn't realize how good it was and leave out the religious maniac introduced as a contrived villain. It's the only flaw, but a major one. Charlton Heston, Lee Majors, Anthony Zerbe and Joan Hackett are marvelous. Very similar in flavor to "The Wild Rovers," Blake Edwards picture made three years later.
  
  
• Director Asleep at the wheel
  By A8TG28VOASKFM on 2003-10-20
  Will Penny is an illiterate, over-the-hill cowboy coming to terms with his bleak future. After a long trail drive, he goes to work at the Flatiron ranch, in the lonely job of riding line. He finds a women and her son, abandoned by their guide to California, holding up at his shack. His standing orders are to drive off all nesters, but he allows them to stay on two weeks. His kindness is rewarded when he is set upon and left to die by a family of "rawhiders." The lady nurses him back to health. By the time the rawhiders return Penny and the lady are quite close. Nevertheless, Penny realizes he could not adapt to another way of life and rides off into the sunset.

  As a long-time fan of Westerns and Charleston Heston, I was disappointed by this film. The plodding script calls for a Jimmy Stewart in the lead role. Perhaps Stewart could have brought it alive. Unfortunately, Charleton Heston got the part. He is not convincing as a sad, sensitive-but-strong hero. Joan Hackett is good as the stranded lady. Bruce Dern is good in his too abbreviated role. Donald Pleasance, however, is over the top. Another case of miscasting.

  The best part of the film is the beautiful Western scenery. But, that cannot make up for a dull, illogical script, bad casting and an annoying music tract. Watching the film, I got the feeling that I was paying more attention to it than had the director and script-writer. How could anyone not notice that after Charlton Heston has his undies stolen by the rawhiders, he is again dressed in his shirt and pants back at the shack? This is only one of the distracting goofs that I tried to ignore in my attempts to like this film.
  
  

• Good Performances & Beautifully Filmed
  By A3SWDHJOHKSLXD on 2004-03-20
  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.
  
  
• Heston Classic
  By on 2004-07-02
  I usually don't waste my time on thes matters but in responce to the reviewer "ageofanxiety", it is typical like that reviewer to "stereotype" Heston into the catagory of what the previous reviewer states that Heston is a actor that has "pompous roles" and STEROTYPES Heston as a "Conservative" in most of his films.Well, that is that person's opinion and it is wrong to put a great actor such as Heston into that catagory.Typical of today's reviewer that think they are experts in "avante cinnema garde" films or whatever that crap means. A movie is a MOVIE. Your so-called form of "art" is your OPINION and nothing else!This was a classic Heston role and if you want to see Heston really ACT, then I suggest you see his dual acting role in the classic movie "Mother Lode".
  
  
• Almost perfect...
  By AKADHVZJWS37J on 2004-11-25
  "Will Penny" was the pet project of then untested director/writer Tom Gries. Charlton Heston was very taken with the script, but had hoped for an experienced director ala William Wyler to realize the film. In the end, Gries won the day, and did a laudable job. The film succeeds on many levels, although the climax is quite cliche, and poorly edited to boot.
  But "Penny" is primarily about character development, and is a depiction of the severity of life in the West during the 19th century. Here it is very compelling.
  Heston plays Will, an aging, illiterate cowboy, who is quite aware of his diminishing place in life. Nevertheless, his single source of pride is 'cowboying', and his bread and butter requires an itinerant, solitary lifestyle. He has never had anything in the way of culture, and never known a conventional love relationship with a woman. He is possessed of, by accident or design, a rather strong moral compass, which is evident in a strong work ethic, honesty, and kindness.
  Almost simultaneously, Will runs afoul of some mean ol' boys (rawhiders), led by the completely unhinged Preacher Quint (Donald Pleasence doing the dirty work), and finds budding romance and family with a rather fetching and refined woman (the wonderful Joan Hackett) and her son. The particulars here are not terribly essential, except that the drama unfolds as Will contends with the vendetta of Quint, and agonizes over the 11th hour possibilty of love in his life. Heston delivers a superb performance, nearly being reduced to tears as he considers the life he never had, and the one he feels unfit to take on. He has seen the harshness of debilitating injury and death, and can't seem to reconcile his myopic sense of life with the optimistic picture Cath (Hackett) paints.
  "Will Penny" ultimately offers stunning scenery, a superb score by David Raksin, top notch performances by Heston, Hacket, Pleasence, Anthony Zerbe, Clifton James, and Ben Johnson, and weaves fine human drama into an otherwise conventional Western script. It is not perfect, but it's a wonderful watch. It is said to be Heston's personal favorite performance.
  
  
• a going-nowhere, nothing told film
  By on 2003-09-14
  what's the purpose of this pathetic film with pathetic small timers from the very beginning to the end? there's almost no story at all about this film. guy is just a good-for-nothing guy like all the other characters. he can kill but has no guts to settle down and to take care a woman and a kid? "i'm 50 years old now, i can't settle down (even she offered doing the farming)all i know is being a cowhand...." so just drift away with the other two cow punchers? what kind of logic is this? and what is the purpose of this whole movie? the only watchable thing in this totally clueless movie is the beautiful scenery.
  
  
• Chuck and the Six-Million Dollar Man Save the Day
  By A19L1H3KE41B7H on 2005-09-27
  Charlton Heston plays a subtle hero in this wonderful western. Lee Majors makes his debut as Mr. Heston's sidekick and does an awesome job. Donald Pleasance was also great as the wacko-in-charge who along with his crew, took Heston on. This was one of Mr. Heston's favorite movies which makes it all the more special.
  
  
• Pretentious... Uncommon... Extraordinary adult Western!
  By AGZVS6M8XJGN6 on 2006-11-08
  The tough, lonely life of the cattle drover (as it really was) is briefly related in the ideal opening scene of Tom Gries' "Will Penny" with an aching Charlton Heston compelled, at the end of an exhausting cattle drive, to take a humble winter job in the cold bleak hillside... His turbulent, crude, oppressive - virtually celibate existence - is marvelously exposed by Gries...
  
  Heston portrays with honesty and sensitivity, a middle-aged cowhand "free and easy" who ignores everything about farming... He is a lonely rider who takes his bath eight or nine times a year, and mends his own clothes... He is a "good steady hand" concerned for Mrs. Allen and her son but "bad scared before, and bad sorry after." He is also a helpless man with uncertain future, a sincere cowboy extremely sensitive...
  
  "Will Penny" is an extraordinary film... Not only does it feature Heston's most sincere and sensitive performance, it has a fine supporting cast and is one of the most adult Western scripts ever written...
  
  Joan Hackett portrays Mrs. Allen with strength and dignity, never collapsing beneath the strain of her tribulations...
  
  Donald Pleasance is the most dastardly villain to grace the screen in many long years... He is mean, unkind, and slightly insane... Bruce Dern is equally effective as one of his sons, the psychotic who "handles a knife just fine."
  
  Realistically spared, "Will Penny" is a straightforward and honest film, a sincere attempt to recreate the Old West, and, more important, the "mighty good men" who lived therein...
  
  
  
  
• Will Penny
  By on 2000-03-15
  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...
  
  
• One of the best movies ever.
  By A2HUPLLYTWMX4R on 1999-07-19
  This is not only one of the best westerns ever, it is one of the best movies ever. The cinematography, cast, plot (rich taking advantage of the poor), sub-plot (harmonica man) and sub-sub-plot (a fractured love triangle ) are all top-notch. The usual criticism of being too long is squashed by the interest the movie maintains from the railroad station to the shootout at the corral. Leone's usual face-drama is at its best. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD to hear the music in digital.
  
  
• I only wished that I knew more about The Harmonica Man
  By A2KZ944DZA8XXL on 1999-06-24
  If found this to be one of the best westerns ever made. What caught me from the beginning was Charles Bronson's depiction of the Man With the Harmonica. I found this character more fascinating than Eastwoods "Man With No Name" character. As a matter of fact, the former did not appear as a man at all but something far more mythical, deep, and hard. The vengeance storyline in the movie was the best I have ever seen, especially with the tie in with the Harmonica Man's pocketwatch. I only wish there were more stories with this type of plot device.
  
  
  
• Great!
  By on 1999-08-03
  An excellent movie, this is a low key western with good acting and a good story. Very memorable!
  
  
• A Penny to keep
  By AB5DVSNPX1JSK on 2003-08-15
  Will Penny is a western that was very enjoyable to watch, it has its humor as well as dramatic moments.

  The story is so-so in originality. Will Penny (Heston) is an old cow hand who knows nothing more but moving herds and working all his life. Once his job is done, he takes up company with two of his friends and ends up making enemies with some rawhiders, led by a well performed character in Preacher Quint (D. Pleasance). I thought this villain was both funny and evil. Meanwhile, Penny stumbles upon a woman (J. Hackett) and son who are on their way to meet her husband in Oregon. Well, I won't tell you everything, but I will say that Penny finds himself in a double quandry: he's falling in love with a married woman and he's being hunted by these rawhiders.

  Will Penny's character is witty, wise at times, and very human. I think Heston does an outstanding job with this character. Will Penny is believable and he's wholesome, you can't help but feel for him in this film.

  Joan Hackett's plays a great role with her character, as she comes across as opinionated yet humble, which leads to an attractive and engaging character.

  Donald Pleasance's character, Quint, is a looney who has the eyes of a wacko, which is why his villain character is great. The best part is when he dances to an Irish gig later in the film. It's rather humorous.

  These are the good points, but I haven't yet touched on the bad:

  1. The story line takes awhile to get going, there's a little too extra time with Penny and his two other cow hands. I'm really not sure if they are characters worth having, the film could've moved along nicely without them. Although Anthony Zerbe's character, Dutchy, is rather entertaining.

  2. Quint made such a great villain, more time with him would've been welcomed, or perhaps making him more of a thorn in Penny's side. I guess I like the character so much, I wanted more scenes with him.

  3. There needed to be more bonding between Hackett and Heston's characters. They played off each other rather well, too bad there weren't more scenes leading up to the drama/romance between them.

  4. The ending. OK, I'm not going to go into it specifically, but I will say I didn't like it. Maybe it was more realistic the way it ended, but come on, it could've been much much better.

  Overall, Will Penny is a fine western, is it the best? No, not by a long shot. A long beginning and the need for more character conflict is what keeps this movie at four stars. I like it, I think you should see it, maybe even buy it, but don't go thinking it's the best western ever, cuz it ain't.

  Grade: B
  
  

• Not just one of the best westerns, its one of the best films
  By on 2004-03-29
  Will Penny is perhaps the most realistic western ever filled. From the aged clothing and weapons (antiques rented specifically for the film) to non-Hollywood plot devices and ending the film is unsurpassed for realism. I recommend the DVD over the VHS because it contains a short film on that subject (more on the DVD version later). Charlton Heston's performance as ageing cowboy Will Penny is one of cinemas best and at times appears to be the inspiration for Robert Duvall's performance in Lonesome Dove. Familiar western faces in the supporting roles include Joan Hackett and Lee Majors and a who's who of westerns character actors (Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Anthony Zerbe, Bruce Dern to name just a few). If there is one flaw it is the inappropriate desert caravan score and jarring closing credits song. Despite this consideration it is a definite must for western fans. One DVD complaint, though the behind-the-scenes short shows clips in widescreen, the so-called "widescreen version" of the film is condensed and clipped. Paramount has a reputation for the worst transfers of any major studio and here is a prime example why that reputation exists. One can forgive the less-than-sharp picture because we have no idea the condition of the print, but if they had a widescreen version to gather long clips why didn't they use it for the film itself. Perhaps they were culled from a promotional short and the entire film no longer exists in its original theatrical format, but why market the DVD as part of their "Widescreen Collection," as it is labeled right there on the top of the front cover, when it was not? Just plain sloppy, and dishonest.
  
  
• real far west
  By A3JBMNBK3Y61LW on 2004-06-01
  Will Penny is a mature cowboy -50 years old as he declares to Joan Hackett should be much for so physical hard work in the late nineteenth century- Furthermore he has passed all his life alone, has learned all in taverns, knows only the fragile friendship of another few cattlemen and only treats with prostitutes when he can.
  And from all that comes the heart of this magnificent film. Penny, a brave man, and potentially even a good father, as he teaches well and wins the confidence of the little child, is coward when he has the opportunity to marry with the only woman he has loved in his full life.
  Perhaps truly he feels too old and unable to abandon his erratic existence, perhaps is the custom of living alone so long time, he rejects that opportunity. Charlton Heston and all actors are superb here excepting perhaps the excessive fool preacher. A rare, exceptional western and excellent film, impossible to think in the world of special effects of today
  
  
• Not your two-bit yarn
  By A36H16ZJXUIMZG on 2006-04-23
  A considered favorite of Charlton Heston's, an overlooked gem of a sod-buster tale for the hardcore faithful. From start to finish, this is a study of character put to the test at the turn of the century. One of the finest ensemble western casts put together: Donald Pleasance, Anthony Zerbe, Bruce Dern, Lee Majors, the ever-appealing Joan Hackett and Ben Johnson just for starts. Charlton generously shares the story with these veterans as he plays an inveterate cowpoke, illiterate, yet sensitive enough to care about life and defense of the vulnerable with a wonderful Christmas scene that tugs for the hanky. Violent, sensitive and memorable no matter how long on the shelf.
  
  
• Wonderful film, terrible score
  By A1SIC0SGLD7GTY on 2006-09-02
  Charleton Heston has gone on record as naming Will Penny his favorite of all of his films and it is easy to see why. The story has depth and heart, the actors all put in wonderful performances and the film looks magnificent, which is something that cannot be said for many films of it's era. Unfortunately, there is one huge, glaring flaw in an otherwise faultless movie: The score. The music is jarringly out of place and does not convey a sense of the old west at all. If only the original score could be dumped and new score added by a talent on the order of, say, Elmer Bernstein or Jerry Goldsmith, this would be a true 5-star film.
  
  
• Heaven help us from newbie Western "afficionados!"
  By A3D6OI36USYOU1 on 2003-02-08
  Wow, this is truly one of the worst westerns I have ever seen. A "minor classic"? I dont think so. And who cares if Heston "becomes Will Penny"? A solid individual performance but not enough to overcome a weak storyline, and even weaker script.

  Had the director followed the classic formula and left the ubiquitous Joan Hackett in the background that may have been enough to salvage this turkey. As it is, she occupies way to much of the screen and THAT is a major distraction. But if you like the creeping sentimentality of mush like Rooster Cogburn, the Shoot Out, and that silly out of place "Raindrops" scene in Butch Cassidy then you will probably love this thing.

  The DVD transfer is nothing spectacular, I'd give the video/audio *** and the soundtrack gets *. What a dud, I think the producers of Walking Tall used this soundtrack as inspiration. You've been warned. Wish I hadnt bought this.
  
  

• Good Show
  By AYAMBDEDF4N1C on 2006-02-03
  A western for all seasons, this film gets the feel of landscape's rhythm as summer falls into winter. Despite its improbable plot, it also gets much that is right and true. Actors & director were careful with this movie. They took care to get details right; nuances and inflections seem perfectly pitched.
  Heston is magnificent. So is the literally incredible performance of Donald Pleasence. Modern movies, contrasted to Will Penny, are a vast wasteland. They don't build actors like these any more.
  
  

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