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Johnson County War

  • TV Movie
  • 20022002
  • 4h
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
732
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,607
10,703
Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, and Burt Reynolds in Johnson County War (2002)
Western
The three Hammett brothers are caught in a conflict that escalates rapidly and the old farmers facing against new farmers who have settled in the green grasslands.The three Hammett brothers are caught in a conflict that escalates rapidly and the old farmers facing against new farmers who have settled in the green grasslands.The three Hammett brothers are caught in a conflict that escalates rapidly and the old farmers facing against new farmers who have settled in the green grasslands.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
732
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,607
10,703
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • David S. Cass Sr.
    • Writers
      • Frederick Manfred(novel "Riders of Judgement")
      • Larry McMurtry(teleplay)
      • Diana Ossana(teleplay)
    • Stars
      • Tom Berenger
      • Luke Perry
      • Burt Reynolds
    Top credits
    • Director
      • David S. Cass Sr.
    • Writers
      • Frederick Manfred(novel "Riders of Judgement")
      • Larry McMurtry(teleplay)
      • Diana Ossana(teleplay)
    • Stars
      • Tom Berenger
      • Luke Perry
      • Burt Reynolds
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos

    Tom Berenger, Michelle Forbes, Luke Perry, and Burt Reynolds in Johnson County War (2002)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Berenger
    Tom Berenger
    • Cain Hammett
    Luke Perry
    Luke Perry
    • Harry Hammett
    Burt Reynolds
    Burt Reynolds
    • Hunt Lawton
    Rachel Ward
    Rachel Ward
    • Queenie
    Michelle Forbes
    Michelle Forbes
    • Rory Hammett
    Adam Storke
    Adam Storke
    • Dale Hammett
    Christopher Cazenove
    Christopher Cazenove
    • Lord Peter
    Jack Conley
    Jack Conley
    • Jesse Jacklin
    Silas Weir Mitchell
    Silas Weir Mitchell
    • Mitch Slaughter
    Fay Masterson
    Fay Masterson
    • Clara Jager
    Ken Pogue
    Ken Pogue
    • Wally Tascot
    Blu Mankuma
    Blu Mankuma
    • Hambone
    William Samples
    William Samples
    • Arthur
    Stephen Bridgewater
    Stephen Bridgewater
    • Dencil Jager
    Adrien Dorval
    Adrien Dorval
    • Timberline
    • (as P. Adrien Dorval)
    Stevie Mitchell
    • Joey
    Jimmy Herman
    Jimmy Herman
    • Sam-the-Wolfer
    Henry Beckman
    Henry Beckman
    • Gov . Barb
    • Director
      • David S. Cass Sr.
    • Writers
      • Frederick Manfred(novel "Riders of Judgement")
      • Larry McMurtry(teleplay)
      • Diana Ossana(teleplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cast members Burt Reynolds and Rachel Ward previously co-starred in 'Sharky's Machine' (1981).
    • Quotes

      Lord Peter: Now tell me Mr Lawton, how do you enjoy being our head Bobby? That's what we call our policemen, you know. Or perhaps you don't know. You are evidently not a, travelled man

      Hunt Lawton: I haven't had any desire to travel half way around the world... see a country that's half the size of a good ranch in Texas.

    User reviews19

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Surprisingly routine western from co-writer Larry McMurtry
    I really wanted to like this film, with it's strong cast, and a script co-written by Larry McMurtry, tackling the fascinating true story of the Johnson County War, where big ranchers and upstart smaller farmers engaged in one of the old west's most infamous range wars. There has been numerous film versions of this range war, "Heaven's Gate" being the most notable, but none have been great adaptation of the story. This film version boasts a strong cast that includes Tom Berenger, Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, and Michelle Forbes (there's also Luke Perry), but I was mostly excited by the involvement of Pulitzer Prize winning author Larry McMurtry, who has previously written his own romanticized adaptations of other old west figures Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hicock. I was hoping this TV movie was going to have McMurtry's same melancholy romanticized vision of the old west, but it sadly did not live up to his best adaptations (i.e. "Lonesome Dove" or even "Buffalo Girls"). The true story of the Johnson County War is not as clear cut as most films versions make it out to be. Usually the big ranchers are portrayed as the black hat villains trying to chase out the smaller rangers and farmers, playing into a familiar class warfare story of the powerful picking on the "little guy." The truth of the situation was that the these little guys were actually stealing a significant amount of cattle from these larger rangers. In real life, both sides had legitimate grievances with the other and both sides had their own villains, which would have been an interesting story to tell, but this film does not tackle that. It instead follows the standard class warfare story, which if done well could have been an entertaining old west tale, but it ends up feeling like a pretty standard Ted Turner made-for-cable western. Douglas Milsome, who's worked with the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Michael Mann (and also the horror movie version of Rumpelstiltskin), provides the film with some striking photography, but overall I found myself disappointed with what ends up being a routine oater.
    helpful•4
    0
    • a_chinn
    • May 29, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 24, 2002 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La ley de los fuertes
    • Filming locations
      • Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Hallmark Entertainment
      • Larry Levinson Productions
      • Mat 1 Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      4 hours
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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    Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, and Burt Reynolds in Johnson County War (2002)
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