Disturbing yet enthralling

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

"Hard Ground" is a predictable, but atmospheric, made-for-television, turn-of-the-century oater that co-stars Burt Reynolds and Bruce Dern. This passable low-budget western takes place on the trail with our venerable leads pursuing a homicidal maniac who is as treacherous as a sidewinder. Villainous Billy Bucklin (television thespian David Figlioli) and his best friend Floyd (Martin Kove of "The Karate Kid") hold up an army payroll, kill the escort, head south, and try to assemble an army in Mexico. Former bounty hunter John 'Chill' McKay (Burt Reynolds of "Hooper") and Sheriff Hutch Hutchinson (Bruce Dern of "Nebraska") are brothers-in-law. McKay married Hutch's sister. McKay is riding in a tumbleweed wagon to serve time in Yuma with the obnoxious Bucklin when the latter's henchmen ambush the prison wagon. Floyd gets the keys off the dead guard and releases Bucklin. McKay refuses to join him these desperadoes. Meantime, McKay's son Joshua (Seth Peterson of "Godzilla") hits the trail to track down Bucklin's gang. He corners two of them at the remote trading post and kills them. This is probably as cool as this western gets. Joshua trudges into the place with his saddle in his arms complaining about his stove-in horse. Bucklin's two gun hands see it as an opportunity to kill Joshua, but he surprises them. He has used the saddle to hide his six-gun, and he plugs both of them. He runs into a beleaguered woman, Elizabeth Kennedy (Amy Jo Johnson of "Tiger Eyes"), who eventually follows them with a shotgun. Ultimately, our heroes confront Bucklin and his men and shoot it out. As often as the men try to run off Elizabeth, she provides more resourceful than they imagined. Predictably, during the finale, Bucklin takes Elizabeth hostage and threatens to kill not only her but also Joshua. Burt Reynolds and Bruce Dern ride side by side throughout this sage-brusher instead of popping up in cameos. David Figlioli makes a tolerable villain. Director Fred C. Dobbs—what a name considering "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"—invokes the credo of "The Wild Bunch" and several other 1960s and 1970s horse operas about men out of time and place. Strictly routine all around with bland desert scenery, "Hard Ground" qualifies as more gritty than memorable. Technically, the hardware is all correct, and Burt cuts a trim figure in his western apparel. Martin Kove is okay, too. Although several men are shot and killed, this Hallmark western isn't blood-splattered stuff.

Well, I Happened to see this movie.I'm not a particular Western-Fan, but when a movie is good, then its good no matter the genre, and vice verse. This one is quite dull (even if it had been a Sci-fi flick).Im not gonna go deep into details, but my opinion falls somewhere similar to the lower scored comments here.The actors feels a bit wooden, the sound-effects are bad, the action moments lack "umphf", the bad guy is stupidly, annoyingly portrayed and overacted, the relationships between the characters is so embarrassing, the special effects ... well there is not that many SFX, etc.If you really have the crave for "Wild West" movies, go see "Young Guns" instead, or why not "Deadwood" - another TV-production that really oozes quality. But if you're in some personal quest, that you have to see every western there is, well, go ahead. Or if you do some research like - How Burt Raynolds Carrier is going down ... then this also could be helpful.I Gave it a "2", mostly because the horses did some nice acting. Acting like embarrassed animals in a low budget badly script, dumb movie, or was it acting?Overall, you don't miss anything by avoiding this.

The movie seems to be another one of Producer Robert Halmi Jr.'s "follow-up films" to his work in the legendary "Lonesome Dove" series, and, in fact, the time line of this film brings the entire Lonesome Dove era up and into the 20th Century (or just into the new century, in the year 1901).The pursuit of Billy Bucklin aside, the movie does have a similar Lonesome Dove feel to it, especially when it comes to the unfinished relationship of John McKay and Joshua - similar to that of Woodruff Call and Newt in the first Lonesome Dove film.However, while not directly related to the story's ending, the film does illustrate how individuals in that period of American history, similar to men like Call - and McKay and Hutchinson - were now discovering in their later years, that their feelings for the American West had become ironically similar to those of the Native Americans they helped to displace - that the wild, unclaimed vast landscape, much to their sadness or even anger, had begun to disappear into history.Unfortunately, viewers who decided to abandon the last few minutes of this film (once the gunfire ended) missed McKay's parting words on this subject, which might give meaning to many older Americans who feel similarly when it comes to life 100 years later, in the early 21st Century...

I didn't think really good Westerns were made any more but I gave this one 9 out of 10. It's that good and, incredibly enough, it's made for TV!A word of warning however, this film is quite violent. In fact it's the most violent film I've ever seen on the Hallmark Channel.Burt Reynolds and Bruce Dern play friends/enemies/brothers in law as they track down and kill an extremely savage man who murders men, women and children any time he feels like it which is often. He's supported by a gang of bad guys and a corrupt Mexican general.The film has it's share of colorful characters as well as Amy Jo Johnson for some female interest. She packs a 10 gauge double barreled shotgun.