If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A Disappointing Continuation

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1991 and directed by Reynaldo Villalobos, "Conagher" stars Sam Elliott as taciturn noble cowboy, Conn Conagher, who contends with rustlers (Gavan O'Herlihy, et al.) while concerned about a struggling widow raising her two kids on a remote homestead (Katharine Ross). Although this was a Turner production (TNT), it doesn't seem like a TV movie and harkened the realistic Westerns that were to come, including TV Westerns like "Monte Walsh" (2003) and TV shows like Hell on Wheels. Of course realistic Westerns which illustrated the hard, mundane life of people in the Old West weren't anything new, as witnessed by movies like "Shane" (1953), "Will Penny" (1967), "Hombre" (1967) and "Bad Company" (1972), but there's something about "Conagher" that especially smacks of the way it really was, which is akin to "Son of the Morning Star," released earlier the same year. The quaint, mundane score helps in achieving this tone. While the music doesn't trip my trigger, as it's just too humdrum, it fits the feel of the film.For those not in the know, Elliott and Ross have been married since 1984, which probably helped with the palpable "love at first sight" element. Speaking of which, whilst this is a realistic Western about the many challenges of life in the Old West (sudden death, loneliness, hard outdoor work, the elements, Indian threats, corruption, outlaws, gunfights, etc.), there's a romantic component with Evie Teale (Ross) attaching snippets of poetry to tumbleweeds that Conn inevitably finds (unbeknownst to Evie). THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 34 minutes and was shot mostly in Arizona, but also Colorado (Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway). WRITERS: Louis L'Amour (novel) and Jeffrey M. Meyer (teleplay) with additional dialogue by Elliott and Ross.GRADE: B

Conagher is directed by Reynaldo Villalobos and adapted to teleplay by Jeffrey M. Meyer from the novel written by Louis L'Amour. It stars Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Buck Taylor, Dub Taylor and James Gammon. Music is by J.A.C. Redford and cinematography by James R. Bagdonas.After her husband fails to return from a trip to purchase cattle, Mrs. Evie Teale (Ross) fights hard to raise her two children whilst also keeping the family homestead afloat. Conn Conagher (Elliott) is a honest and hardworking cowboy who also has his own life struggles to contend with. Both Evie and Conn find their lives intertwined by their struggles against the perils of the West...You don't know what music is until you hear the wind in the cedars.Beautiful and subtle in every respect, Conagher is a treat for the grown up Western fan. The story is literate off the page from the beginning, it's the sort of character study that often gets taken for granted due to its simplicity. Yet the emotional depth is mightily strong here, the lead characters not bogged down by clichés or badly constructed scenes. Both Evie and Conn are deftly etched people, both easy to get on side with, their strengths are many, their loneliness perfectly understandable and never once schmaltzy. Helps that it's the real life husband and wife team of Ross and Elliott in the roles, the chemistry set in stone, when they look into each other's eyes you see it's real. A fine couple they do make.Even though Villalobos takes his time, rightly pacing it in steady and reflective beats, it's a film that doesn't lack for action. There's still gun play (Indian attack/rustler root outs) and a good round of knuckles (Elliott one of the best punch throwers in his acting era), the director, no doubt helped by the wily Elliott, proving more than adept at construction of the energetic scenes. Bagdonas and Villalobos provide some gorgeous photographic compositions that belie the TV movie budget, with the Colorado (Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway/Canon City) vistas an extra character; and the misty interiors nicely capturing the tonal mood of the narrative. A fine gathering of support character actors come up trumps, while Redford's musical score is led by the guitar and lands softly in the ears.This is 100% recommended to Elliott and Western fans who appreciate characters superbly written and performed. It may end up as you expect, but that's OK, because if it didn't then you may well have wanted to throw your TV out the window. Just like I would have done had it not ended the way it does! Conagher, a subtle and beautiful treat. 8.5/10

The book and movie is every bit a classic as Owen Wister's The Virginian. On one level the movie may seem a bit slow, but that is the beauty of it.Like Lonesome Dove, Conagher follows the book very closely and could not have a better cast chosen.The only negative is that it is not available on DVD, WAKE UP TED!!

Excellent. Very true to the original story. Sam Elliott is the quintessential "cowboy" actor. Louis L'Amour took a great deal of time researching his characters: from central characters to "extras" - this piece rings authentic with the way the Old West sounded,looked,and the way the people dressed and behaved. Its also quite romantic - a fact enhanced by the scenes between Elliott and his real-life wife and costar, Katherine Ross.