The Hi-Lo Country (1998)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers (WGA):

Max Evans (novel)
Walon Green (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

A woman like Mona can drive men to extremes.

Plot:

An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | New Mexico | Friendship Between Men | Poker | Cowboy

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Billy Crudup	...	Pete Calder
Woody Harrelson	...	Big Boy Matson
Cole Hauser	...	Little Boy Matson
Enrique Castillo	...	Levi Gomez
Darren E. Burrows	...	Billy Harte (as Darren Burrows)
Jacob Vargas	...	Delfino Mondragon
Robert Knott	...	Jack Couffer
Sam Elliott	...	Jim Ed Love
Sandy Baron	...	Henchman
Patricia Arquette	...	Mona Birk
John Diehl	...	Les Birk
Craig Carter	...	Art Logan
Penélope Cruz	...	Josepha O'Neil
Walter C. Hall	...	Auctioneer
James Gammon	...	Hoover Young

Also Known As:

Hi-Lo Country - Im Land der letzten Cowboys (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality, a scene of violence, and for brief language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bernal, New Mexico, USA

Company:

De Fina-Cappa

Trivia:

Director Sam Peckinpah tried to get this movie produced for years, but unfortunately he died before he had the chance.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: A Coke vending machine is clearly labeled ten cents. In this part of the country in the late 1940s it would have been five cents. Around 1960 vending machines went to six cents, quite a novelty at the time, requiring two coins to get a Coke. It was later in the 1960s when vending machines finally went to ten cents.

Quotes:

Pete Calder: People still drive cattle to rail heads.
Jim Ed Love: Only in the movies.

A Great Movie Western

This is a wonderful movie produced by Martin Scorcese's group and is the best contemporary western I've seen since "Unforgiven". In some ways it is like a Cormac McCarthy novel brought to life. It has a mature and literate screenplay by Walon Green, is well acted by Billy Crudup and Woody Harrelson, has strong supporting performances by a large and perfectly cast group of actors (including Patricia Arquette, Katy Jurado, Sam Elliott, and Penelope Cruz), is beautifully photographed by Oliver Stapleton against spectacular backdrops in New Mexico, is very well directed by Stephen Frears, and has a haunting score by the superb Carter Burwell. Only an overly sentimental last scene weakens an otherwise great film, but the movie is still well worth seeing.