Wild Rovers (1971)

Tired of cow-punching for a living, two Montana cowboys rob a bank and flee but their employer's sons chase after them.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writer:

Blake Edwards

Stars:

William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Karl Malden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Holden	...	Ross Bodine
Ryan O'Neal	...	Frank Post
Karl Malden	...	Walter Buckman
Lynn Carlin	...	Sada Billings
Tom Skerritt	...	John Buckman
Joe Don Baker	...	Paul Buckman
James Olson	...	Joe Billings
Leora Dana	...	Nell Buckman
Moses Gunn	...	Ben
Victor French	...	Sheriff
Rachel Roberts	...	Maybell
Sam Gilman	...	Hansen
Charles H. Gray	...	Savage (as Charles Gray)
William Bryant	...	Hereford (as Bill Bryant)
Jack Garner	...	Cap Swilling

Storyline

Ross Bodine and Frank Post are cowhands on Walt Buckman's R-Bar-R ranch. Bodine is older and broods a bit about how he will get along when he's too old to cowboy. Post is young and rambunctious and ambitious for a better life than wrangling cows. When one of their fellow cowboys is killed in a corral accident, Post suggests a way into a better life for himself and his friend: robbing a bank. Bodine reluctantly joins in the plan and the two contrive to rob the local bank. They make good their escape initially, but Walt Buckman and his two sons, John and Paul, are incensed at this betrayal by their own trusted employees. John and Paul set out to bring Bodine and Post to justice.

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Plot Keywords:

bank robbery | card game | u.s. mexico border | friendship between men | bar fight | 

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Taglines:

They were damned good cowboys, until they robbed a bank.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

GP

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kim Stanley was originally cast as Nell but due to her erratic behaviour and nervous breakdown, she was replaced.

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Quotes

Ross Bodine: You show me an old cowboy, a young cowboy or an in between cowboy with more than a few dollars in his poke and I'll show a cowboy that stopped being a cowboy and robbed banks.
Frank Post: Well, let's rob us a bank.
Ross Bodine: It'll be safer than getting married.

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Alternate Versions

Originally released theatrically at 106 minutes; the extended "Director's Cut" runs 136 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Lady Liberty (1971)

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Soundtracks

Wild Rover
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyrics by Ernie Sheldon
Sung by Sheb Wooley

User Reviews

Great feel for the outdoors!

Overlong, but the wide-screen cinematography (a must-see in letter-box format), music score and character relationship of Holden and O'Neal, make this one of my favorite westerns. As a nature-lover, I find the outdoor scenes, especially the horse-breaking in the snow, among the best I've seen in any western. The cinematography in this scene is breath-taking, exhilarating and thrilling. The superb and beautiful music score by Jerry Goldsmith adds to the overall enjoyment of this film. Please, M-G-M, bring this film out on DVD. It needs to be seen in it's original, uncut, widescreen version so it can take it's place along other great western films.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wild Rovers

Filming Locations:

Empire Ranch, Sonoita, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$277,092

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geoffrey Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 106 min (original U.S. theatrical release)

Sound Mix:

Mono 6-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1