Films/DVD Asylum

"Bad Company"... last night on TCM....wow!

205.148.53.200

The Duke

Did anyone see this 70's western on TCM last night? Staring a terrific Jeff Bridges and someone (equally terrific) named Barry Brown. It's about two civil war draft dodgers who hit the road entering into a life of grifting. Events move so fast and furious that our two guys are: up one day, down the next, on one side one day, on the other side the next, friends one day, enemies the next. The message, I guess, is that life is completely unpredictable and anything can and will happen.

Robert Benton's direction is superb. He effortlessly presents a sequence of scenes that flow in a natural and poetic manner.

I think Terrance Malik must have been watching this one and taking mental notes which would wind up five years later in "Days of Heaven".

Leonard Maltin describes this as a real sleeper. I agree. Don't miss this gem. I hope TCM reprises it soon.

Follow Ups:

ditto, I caught it half-way thru -- love Bridges' work - petew 14:27:13 08/14/08 (0)
he's such a great actor -- I'll watch anything he does.

loved him in Thunderbold and Lightfoot:

The redneck driver has the exhaust going inside his car ... cabin fills with smoke as driver is ranting on "listen to that engine! I love that engine!" while running off both sides of the oroad and up the embankments...finally rolls the car over and over off the road and bails out with a shotgun ...

... never guess what's in the trunk...

I had hitch-hiking experiences like that in the 70's. I know just what Jeff Bridges is thinking...

(If you haven't seen this film -- rent it tonight!)
- why you should never pick up a hitch hiker (Open in New Window)
IMHO one of the great films of the 70s.... - danj 22:35:46 08/01/08 (0)
Almost an anti-western and a definite allegory on the Vietnam War era. It has a brilliant script and fine performances and direction. It was not a big box office film but did garner positive critical reaction.

The most shocking scene for me was when the twelve year old boy was shot for attempting to steal a chicken.
Darn, (my gut reaction) I instinctively thought the film you were refering to was a concert video, ... - Audiophilander 14:33:11 08/01/08 (0)
... something more like this:
- Bad Company... (Open in New Window)
Great, anti-romantic western. - Larry I 12:58:26 08/01/08 (0)
The English rock group of the same name supposedly chose their name as a tribute to this movie.

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