In the early 1900s, former stagecoach robber Bill Miner is released from San Quentin prison after 33 years and goes to live with his sister in Washington state; having no interest in manual labor, the now-elderly Miner turns to robbing the Northern Pacific Railroad. Critically-lauded historical drama from Zoetrope and United Artists Classics played the art-house circuit in 1983 and has slowly garnered a sterling reputation. Documentary filmmaker Phillip Borsos has directed the picture intelligently but not fluidly--or perhaps it's the editing or John Hunter's screenplay that leaves the narrative seeming like a connect-the-dots job. The film doesn't sweep the audience up or give it a rush; the train robbery sequences themselves are the weakest sections of the movie. Many of the supporting actors are ill-cast, not looking or sounding like boom town residents of the period, while a relationship between Miner and a lady suffragette doesn't have the blooming quality needed to flesh out the central character (why is he drawn specifically to her as opposed to the other women in town?). Borsos' work is careful and sensitive without being plodding (a plus); yet, aside from the handsome cinematography, the only reason to see the film is Richard Farnsworth as Miner. Farnsworth, who worked for years in Hollywood as a stuntman and supporting actor, finally got a starring role here, and he doesn't disappoint. Farnsworth doesn't turn Miner into a wily eccentric, as some might expect, with high-flown talk or eyes ablaze; instead, he's a confident and deep-thinking gentleman bandit who speaks in polite, even tones, his measured responses precise (when he talks--you listen, because you know he doesn't waste his words). Farnsworth also manages to show heart and depth in his wordless close-ups, so full-bodied is his performance, and it's a pleasure reading the thoughts in his weathered face. ** from ****
Review of The Grey Fox
