the audience applauded

Excellent adaptation.

Awesome Movie

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A very different kind of Western, "The Grey Fox" is set mostly in Canada, moves at an unhurried pace, and stars a senior citizen. Richard Farnsworth didn't make the jump from stunt man to actor until he was well past leading man age, but he was wonderful in films like "The Natural", "Misery", and "The Straight Story". This, however, has to be his best performance. He exudes subtle grace as gentleman train robber Bill Miner, who gets out of prison and is forced to adapt to a world that has passed him by. There's also a very sweet romance between Miner and a feminist photographer. My favorite part of the film is a montage of their courtship set to Miner singing "Betsy From Pike". I also loved the Irish music by the Chieftains, which seemed to fit perfectly with the lovely Canadian scenery. It will be too slow for most audiences, but if you love small independent films that don't pander to teenage moviegoers, this gem will be right up your alley.

What's not to like about Richard Farnsworth? He was one of the few actors that received nothing but compliments during his acting days, an extremely likable "old man." Hey, few people every remember seeing this guy as anything but old, since he spent his younger days as a stuntman, rather than as an actor.So, he was a very good choice to portray a likable thief: Bill Miner, the last of the stagecoach and train robbers. "The Gentleman Bandit," I believe, was his label. This is a nice low-key adventure, with almost no bad language and the British Columbia and Washington state scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It would look great on widescreen DVD. What's the holdup? (pun intended)The only bad news of this tale is the usual filmmakers' twisted message to root for a man who simply was a crook, nothing else. The film also - especially to get the younger audience - needs more action. It will be too slow for them, but I liked it, if for no other reason that I can listen to Farnsworth's voice all night. What a "cool" guy he was, and it''s always a pleasure to see him on screen.

Surely one of the most direct, honest and accurate depictions of life in the "Old West," the Grey Fox does not resort to violence, bluster or machismo to present its story. Instead, the film comes across as a story of a man whose life has gone wrong as the result of carefully thought out and well-reasoned choices, though nevertheless bad choices. This alone is particularly refreshing in a Western movie and makes the film a worthwhile experience.The late Richard Farnsworth relies on his considerable skills as an actor and makes his character sympathetic and heroic, never losing sight that he is in fact a thief. The costumes, setting, dialog and yes, even the miserable weather are true to the historical period and makes the viewer feel as if they were there alongside the characters in this elegant story.It's a wonderful film and a visual feast!

This IMHO is the best western movie to come out after Josey Wales and before Pale Rider. It's even much better than that much lauded Dance With Wolves. This is a sort of low key Canadian made movie and it offered Farnsworth arguably his best role as star. The story concerns one Bill Miner, a train robber, since the the Civil War days. He's been locked up in prison since 1868 and is released from prison in 1901 just in time to be delivered into the 20th century. Bill is thrilled and awed by what he sees in 1901. The first motorcars, the earliest motion pictures, the phonograph. They all tell of the future. Although a robber and convict, Bill is a soft hearted guy perhaps mellowed with age and the years spent in prison. But he can still take care of himself such as one scene in a barroom when a bully tries to threaten him and Bill breaks a large bottle over the thugs head and then pointing the muzzle of his revolver in the thugs face. Unable to make ends meet financially he meets with a loser criminal named Shorty and they get into robbing trains and stealing again. Bill & Shorty go into hiding and the Pinkerton detectives are hot on their trail. Shorty & Bill are caught in the woods after Shorty panics while routinely being searched by the Canadian Mounted Police. Bill however manages to escape and goes on the lam. He later meets up with a woman who is an opera & arts enthusiast named Kate(Jackie Burroughs). She plays some Caruso on her phonograph while painting outdoors. She and Bill become lovers. Another person Bill befriends is a young rookie Police Sergeant. The young man, new to his job, tells Bill that the whole town is after Bill Miner. The only thing is that the sergeant doesn't recognize Miner & the older guy he has befriended as being one and the same. Great character study here. Finally, Bill is caught by those unceasing Pinkerton detectives and is led to the train station and to jail in a flamboyant manner for the whole town to see. This scene harks back to those seen in the old time westerns even as far back as to silent film westerns. At the end of the movie, actually behind the rolling of the credits, we see & read that Bill has gone missing or has escaped out of prison as of 1907. We're left wondering if Bill died in the Canadian Wilderness or somehow made it to Europe on the arm of an attractive lady. Quite possibly his lover Kate. Great Story. Nicely shot