It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Great title aside, "Bad Company" undermines expectations in a couple of ways. It's a western, but of the revisionist sort (indeed, it's no rollicking escapism) and it feels like a coming-of-age story, but seems to be somewhat opposed to that, too. It's a curious thing: I approached this movie as a Jeff Bridges fan, and came away better appreciating Barry Brown instead. Which makes sense, it's his story. But he embodied the well-behaved Midwestern Christian so perfectly.There's a Mark Twain undercurrent running through all of this, but it's not a straightforward tale on the river. It's complicated and seeing how far Brown has fallen by the end credits is the real reason there's any shock value to this (even with the "Butch Cassidy" freeze-frame, which was kind of a disappointment). This movie isn't genre (re)defining but it scratches an itch. And even if you're not swept off your feet, there are high points; David Huddleston owns his scenes, those prairies certainly look good, and that tinkling piano score sticks with you.6/10

This is one of those films that you put on not expecting much and are nothing but impressed by what you see. In short it's the story of a group of young men setting off to try their hand at a life of crime. It turns out to be a harsh lesson in just how tough the old west could be. Shot in muted colours this is an impressively filmed western which evokes the real character of the period. The cast is led by a young Jeff Bridges who is hugely charismatic in this role. He is ably supported by Barry Brown as the fundamentally decent young man not suited to the role of an outlaw.Although fairly slow to get going, this film has a number of memorable episodes and the tone of the film changes between light and dark at regular intervals making the sporadic violence all the more shocking and unpredictable. This fits in nicely with how life must have been during this period. I am surprised this film hasn't got a much higher profile as it is one of the more memorable westerns I have seen. Well worth watching for western fans.

A young man dodging the Civil War draft falls in with a group of runaways heading west. This is a Western in name only. It has little of the elements that one associates with the genre. Making his directorial debut, future Oscar winner Benton does little to enliven this comedy-drama. The script is too rambling to hold one's interest. The characters are not compelling enough to care what happens to them. The attempts at humor are somewhat forced. The shift between comedy and brutal violence is jarring. Bridges does OK in what was his first starring role. It is sad watching Brown, a talented actor who committed suicide six year later at the age of 27.

I love westerns and I love Jeff Bridges. After seeing A Door in the Floor again I remain mystified as to why he doesn't have a shelf full of Oscars. That said, Bad Company is not a terrible movie but it surely isn't great. It is a stretch to call it uneven because it is evenly ordinary. It lacks the lyric quality of McCabe and Mrs. Miller or the iconic quality of The Searchers. As a matter of fact, it is not really comparable to any of the great westerns because it is inherently small and my bottom line is that to the extent that it is worth watching, it is because it was a sincere effort but that is the best I can do and it is faint praise indeed. I don't think that it is a neglected masterpiece but think it is neglected precisely because it is not a masterpiece.