User Reviews

This is remake from classic Western Monte Walsh (1970) by William A. Fraker based on Jack Schaefer's novel , author of Shane . Emotive and evocative film , including gorgeous landscapes , reflecting wonderfully the wide open spaces , they are splendidly photographed . The film starts at the ending XIX century when appears railway , big companies buy ranches and new technologies put difficult things for traditional cowboys who lost their jobs . It deals about a veteran cowboy (Tom Selleck in Lee Marvin's previous role) and his colleague (Keith Carradine) , they see declining the ending days of Wild West era and the transition to a new century where horses are left . As railway and barbed wire hardly eliminate the need for the cowboys who are yearning the freedom of the open prairie . Their lives are divided between months on the range and the occasional trip into town . They find themselves like dinosaurs in an old West that's dying out . Monte only lives his work and is enamored for a prostitute named Countess Martine Bernard (Isabella Rossellini , in Jeanne Moreau's former role). Monte Walsh and his partners are left with few options for survive, though new jobs opportunities are available . Monty has a long-term relationship with the French whore , while Chet has fallen under the spell of the widow who owns the hardware store . The cowboys (George Eads, William Sanderson , Rex Linn, among them) are commanded by a foreman named Brennan (William Devane, role of Jim Davis). Then , Monte embarks on mission to revenge best pal's death (Keith Carradine in Jack Palance role).

This melancholic picture results to be a magnificent TV western with action , a deep love story , shootouts , and spectacular scenarios . Sad , melancholic and dusty-looking Western with phenomenal protagonist duo , though the pace is too slow . Moving and sensitive Western where the cowboys must say goodbye to the lives they know and some of them attempt to make a new upright start and others way to crime . Great performances for all the main and support casting with excellent first roles from Selleck and Carradine . Special mention for Isabella Rossellini as an aging whore and James Gammon as a veteran cowboy with sad ending . However, the narration is too slow-moving to keep a fine grip on the interest . Breathtaking outdoors are well photographed by cameraman David Eggby , the movie was shot on location , including marvelous landscapes . Sensational directorial by noted filmmaker Simon Wincer , a Western expert , as he previously directed to Tom Selleck in ¨Crossfire trail¨ and ¨Quigley Down Under¨ and usually directs episodes for TV mini-series, such as : ¨Into the West¨, ¨The Ponderosa¨ and ¨Lonesome Dove¨, among others. Rating : Very good for the adequate direction and proficient film-making.

'Monte Walsh' is not just a western or a cowboy movie. It's a movie about cowboys and that point make all the difference.

In fact, 'Monte Walsh' tells a story that is universal in it's own theme; a story concerning the end of a time, the novelties of the beginning of the 20º century and the progressive death of a code of honor and a way of life.

The movie is beautifully directed by Australian director Simon Wincer. Tom Selleck is perfect in the title role and the support cast is good too, especially Keith Carradine and William Devane.

The only problem with the movie lies in some scenes, like the suicide of the veteran of the Civil War (in my opinion, a bit overacted) and the last scene, that brings a irony that sounds strange and dislocated with the rest.

But after all, this movie is a really standout among the most recent western movies.

Selleck has found his post-Magnum PI niche with Westerns, such as Monte Walsh and Quigly Down Under, among others.

Selleck delivers a quiet, strong performance. He looks like every cowboy ever wanted to look, and fortunately, he keeps his sometimes too high voice in check.

Monte Walsh is a story about times changing and how that impacts the lives of those that need for times to stay the same. It's a character study, not a Cowboys and Indians shoot them up. It does have enough gun play to keep the most traditional Western fan happy, but don't rent it for that. Watch for the great characterization by Selleck, a very good supporting cast, and wonderful cinematography.

The TNT remake of "Monte Walsh" is a wonderfully detailed character study of aging cowboys and their struggle with the decline of the old west.

Tom Selleck, Keith Carradine, William Devane, James Gammon and Barry Corbin are the last of a dying breed and they don't accept the inevitable change that progress brings. "I won't do anything I can't do from a horse" is the condition Monte Walsh demands for accepting a job at a corporate ranch.

There is more than a little humor in this film as the cowboys deal with their own mortality as well as the end of their way of life. William Saunders small but engaging turn as the trail cook Skimpy provides some welcome comic relief to an otherwise wistful and touching story.

This film has great acting, beautiful photography, gorgeous music and a wonderfully understated style of direction by Simon Wincer.

Worth the time and commercial breaks.

Best known for the novel "Shane," Jack Schaefer also wrote the novel "Monte Walsh," a depiction of the life of the itinerant cowhand. There's not a lot of plot, but a hugely detailed and wonderfully described slice of life, tough, tender, and comedic. The first film of "Monte Walsh" was a great little picture, with a nice uncharacteristic role for Jack Palance as Monte's pal Chet. But this TV remake may in fact be a better film. Tom Selleck is just grand as Monte--getting a bit old for bronco-busting, but still full of piss-and-vinegar. And Keith Carradine is swell as Chet, the cowboy who gives it all up to marry the hardware widow. Everything about this film is done extremely well. The costumes are superb--colorful and mythic while at the same time obviously useful and well-used work clothes. This is not a clean-hat Western, one of my pet peeves. The music is really touching and classic and romantic, and the cinematography is, to coin a cliche', stunning. All the performances are really quite good, and the movie left me with the feeling that I'd really spent a few months with a bunch of cowhands. What plot there is is realistic and uncontrived, and is ultimately moving. But "Monte Walsh" really earns its spurs by showing a 21st century audience how wonderful and horrible life on the 19th century range could be.

Well produced TNT production. Great scenery and a well written story that keeps your interest. It is 1892 in Wyoming and the verge of progress is creeping in. Monte Walsh(Tom Selleck)struggles to maintain his identity as the job of cowboy is becoming obsolete. He is not looking forward to doing anything than can't be done from atop a horse. His girlfriend(Isabella Rossellini)is beginning to apply pressure to settle down and get married. But there is always something else to do before he resorts to "retiring".

Selleck(co-procucer)is excellent as Walsh. He carries his added weight well and still evokes the rugged cowboy of old. The beautiful Rossellini lights the screen with or without Selleck. But they work together tremendously. Supporting cast includes: Barry Corbin, Keith Carradine, George Eades, Robert Carradine, William Devane and Joanna Miles. This is well worth the time to watch. You will be thinking sequel.

It's unlikely anyone will ever make another western as good as Wincer's LONESOME DOVE but MONTE WALSH is a good effort. I rated it a 9. This story of an aging cowboy's efforts to cope with a changing world in the late 1800s has a smoothness that seems natural. Tom Selleck is perfect and the supporting cast is equally superb. The spectacular Canadian scenery adds to the enjoyment. It's a well done western that's not just another "shoot'em-up".

There was a poetical quality to the first adaption of the western novel Monte Walsh in the first version of the story. I considered tat one to be one of the top three Lee Marvin performances on film. Tom Selleck has produced and starred in a good remake, but falls a bit short of the Lee Marvin version.

If you've seen the first version than you'll know the plot and recognize a lot of the scenes. Tom Selleck in the title role and his trail partner Keith Carradine are a pair of working cowboys at the turn of the last century when there was less work. Range being fenced in and the railroad spreading to some of the remote parts of the west there's less need for ranch hands. Selleck and Carradine find work where they can.

Carradine sees the changing times, marries a widow he's been courting and goes to work in her hardware business as a storekeeper. Selleck won't leave the life he loves and the rugged individualism it stands for. Not even for the bordello madam played by Isabella Rossellini.

And the great theme of the first Monte Walsh sun by Mama Cass Elliott is also missing. I kept hoping to hear The Good Times Are Coming. but alas did not.

Still western fans will approve of what Selleck did with the story.

A line heard a few times in this excellent film is "Aint nobody sits on a horse like Monte Walsh." I'll amend that by saying aint nobody looks so at home in a western as Tom Selleck. Selleck has never been better and plays the role to shear perfection. A great team of character actors and the fantastic photography really helped put this one over the top.

The time is the late 1800's and the cowboy way of life is coming to a close. Monte has a rough time accepting this. Along the way there are some funny moments but many more sad ones. 4 1/2 of 5 stars.

Better than a lot of westerns, but still there's really nothing there.

I suppose the irony is that this "vanishing way of life" was really only around for about sixty years (ca 1850-1910). It really wasn't that well known east of Missouri outside the popular press, and isn't now outside the movies.

If the western epitomizes the American experience, that's nice, but there have probably been more movie cowboys than there ever were working cowboys. Much more story than practicality.

So, if the above is true, the end of the cowboy way of life is... unlamented, unheralded, and probably unnoticed except for a few.

This re-make of the 1970 version is considered just as good, if not better, by a lot of people who have seen both. I've only seen this one.

I found it much slower than many westerns but still almost as interesting. What I liked best, I think, was the cast. It fascinated me, especially being a regular viewer of the CSI shows. There are two actors whom I've gotten to know well from those shows and they have roles in here: George Eads having a major part while Rex Linn (?) is in a lesser role. Tom Selleck as "Monte Walsh" is a natural for these westerns. He, like Sam Elliott, has that rugged cowboy appearance that make him look genuine. Isabella Rossellini is past her exotic days but she's always interesting as are the following: Keith Carradine, William Devane, James Gammon, Barry Corbin and Wallace Shawn. Yup, this is a very deep and diverse cast.

You also get one of the better directors doing this made-for-cable TV movie in Australian Simon Wincer, who directed "Lonesome Dove." Plus, the film is based on a book from perhaps the most famous western author of all- time: Louis L'Amour.

The story is not an upbeat one, but not overly depressing despite the fact that few people are left by the end of the film. Despite that sad content and a film that many might consider a bit slow or too talky, this film has enough going for it to recommend.

Released in 2003, "Monte Walsh" chronicles the mundane adventures the title character (Tom Selleck) & Chet Rollins (Keith Carradine) and other itinerant cowhands in remote Wyoming in 1892-93, with an epilogue taking place in 1900. Times are a changing as Easterners with "capital" are making "conglomerates" of the big ranches and there's not enough work for cowhands to go around. Can these old cowboys adapt to the new century? Isabella Rossellini plays Monte's romantic interest while George Eads and William Devane play Shorty and Brennan respectively.

Being made-for-cable (TNT), this newer version of Jack Schaefer's novel lacks the sheen of, say, 2003's "Open Range," but it's not far off in overall quality and shows that a superlative Western can be made on a TV-budget. I've seen the 1970 version, but it was so long ago that I can't compare the two.

The movie starts out dull as it shows the everyday life of the cowhands, but I caught a grip with the realistic vibe and was fully immersed into the story by the second half where the story perks up. Besides the realism, I liked the palpable love displayed between Monte and his babe, as well as the subplot of desperate men doing foolish things in desperate times. Monte makes a big mistake when he lets a certain character go when he's caught rustling. He should've made sure he got his just deserts. The story is nigh elegiac in tone as we witness the limited opportunities for these tough Westerners as their way of life is stifled by progress. "Monte Walsh" is akin to similar Westerns like 1967's "Will Penny," which was hampered by its subplot of cartoony villains. "Monte Walsh" has no such flaw.

The film runs 117 minutes and was shot in Alberta, Canada.

GRADE: B+

Although Tom Selleck's performance is comparable to his others, the supporting cast is average. The greatest disappointment comes from having seen the original "Monte Walsh" movie in the 1970s with Lee Marvin, and then comparing. The original movie was sad and gave you the feeling that a way of life had disappeared and things would never really be the same. Lee Marvin made you feel the disappointment and depression from leaving his way of life and his friends behind. At the end, you felt a sense of relief and optimism with the final scene as he seemed to forget all that was now behind him and look to the future. In contrast, the current version of "Monte Walsh", while following the same basic plot, and quoting some and paraphrasing other from the original movie, doesn't seem to convey the emotion of the situation, but is more like just the telling of a story of hard times. The relationships between Monte and his friends and his lady seemed closer and more genuine in the original movie than Tom Selleck conveyed. The ending seems to convey more of an escape from the past rather than a look to the future and feeling that life goes on.

I dearly loved the original "Monte Walsh" (1970), starring Lee Marvin, Jeanne Moreau and Jack Palance. That was one of the best westerns (and best movies) I've ever seen.

This version, a more modern telling of the same story, is also quite good, but I found it lacking in the "grit and dirt" of the earlier one. Tom Selleck is convincing enough as a cowboy, but unfortunately he still has that "just stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine" aura to him that I don't think he is ever going to shake. There is nothing wrong with being as handsome as Tom Selleck, it's just that I found it hard to feel totally convinced of his portrayal of an authentic, hard-scrabble cowboy of the dying Old West.

I felt that too much attention was devoted to making it all so "pretty pretty" instead of letting it gather a patina of cow dung, as must have been the case in the *real* old West. Here the cowboy costumes were a bit too gorgeous and hokey to be convincing, and the cinematography, while breathtakingly beautiful, seemed distracting, as if it were all a travel-documentary. It all seems to have been "made for TV" sanitized, giving it more style than atmosphere.

But I'm being too critical here, and I don't want to spoil a good film by being unnecessarily nit-picky. All said, it's really a good movie with a powerful, timeless story about people losing their way of life thanks to rapid technological progress and corporate cynicism. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I would recommend this film to any die-hard western movie fan, but please try to pick up a copy of the earlier 1970 version, and watch that one as well. The West is the Best, bar none.

Monte Walsh is a great western film...The acting is excellent,the location stunning and the direction handled expertly..In short i loved this movie... It is clearly as labour of love for all those involved making the film..The tale of the old cowboy refusing to change as the old west dies out has been told before but not with as much pride & passion as this effort has...

Tom Selleck has at last found a genre that shakes off his Magnum Pi days with success...The last two previous TNT westerns(Saber River & Crossfire Trail) were good but this really stands out above the two.

I won't go into plot detail as those who haven't watched the film yet i'll leave that for you to discover for yourself but i will say that this is one of my favourite westerns ever made & i for one can't wait for Selleck to saddle up once again........

Limited but good cast, limited but reasonable set. Average wardrobe.

Good film, script and sentiment even if John Wayne did it much better. Worth a watch if not to wish for a more simplistic life.

Very good western with a very strong core cast (Selleck, Rossellini, Carradine x2), and an equally good supporting cast. Strong story about the "last cowboy" and his escapades at the turn of the century.

It would be nice to see Selleck and Rossellini together in another western with more screen time together. They collaborate together marvelously. Keith Carradine and Selleck are also a good combination.

Director Wincer crafts a stylish show while gracefully displaying the final curtain call for this last cowboy. Not sure where this movie was shot, but the scenery was magnificent!

Keep the Selleck westerns coming!

Another top-notch movie for Selleck and the boys at TNT. I found myself smiling at so many of the genuinely silly and touching moments in here. Definitely more character driven than action-driven, but done perfectly. I have nothing bad to say about this movie, whatsoever. This is what movie-making is all about. As far as I'm concerned, Selleck should have a western in production all the time. I like him in other stuff, too, but since he's the main western actor right now, I'm really focused on them. Some favorite scenes were the section with the train workers and cowboys, and the fight in the bunk-house. Haha great stuff. As others have mentioned, there is a top-notch supporting cast here, which is just icing on the cake.

The scenery was beautiful, but I kept waiting for the action, as in Crossfire Trail. Things seemed to plod along, with a realistic setting and beautiful country throughout. This movie is rated a lot higher than Crossfire Trail here at IMDb, but I would reverse the ratings and, for a TV movie, rate Monte Walsh at a 5.

While not packed with shoot-em-up action like lots of Westerns, this film really depicts what a 19th Century cowboy's life was like--lots of boredom, bad food, foul weather, and little comforts. But the freedom they enjoyed is also emphasized and the plot line is believable and honest. The prostitute character is a little thin and more along the line of the usual "whore with a heart of gold" character, but her affection for Monte is genuine and touching. The supporting cast of cowboys accurately portray the life of a real cowboy better than most movies of this genre. The scenery is magnificent(Wyoming Territory) and the cast does a credible job of giving accurate performances. It celebrates the "wild west" more like it really was than many of the usual Westerns and I would recommend it unless you want nothing but action.

Once again, TNT has outdone themselves with another outstanding original drama. Tom Selleck does an excellent job playing a cowboy in 1892 Wyoming, whose way of life is quickly becoming obsolete in a country rapidly moving towards the automated 20th century. I found myself sympathizing strongly with this group of cowboys who are trying to cope with getting old, being able to sustain themselves and their family, and stubbornly refusing to give up a way of living that they have held onto their entire life. The entire movie is very entertaining, and it has everything: a solid plot, a good bit of humor, and a few cameo appearances that help to put the icing on an already great film. After watching this, I almost wish I was born 125 years ago, as Monte Walsh does a great job portraying the cowboy life in an accurate manner...Two thumbs up!

Extremely accurate historically, this western chronicles the clash of the cowboy culture with 20th century progress - a popular theme in U. S. history. Selleck is excellent as Monte (as he is in most roles!) The production is very accurate, amazingly so for a T V western; "...Dove" was the archetypal western but this comes very close. The bucking bronco in the store typifies, as few other scenes ever have, the battle between the Old West and modern America.

The only weak aspect of the story is Shorty's sudden descent from decent cowboy to killer. There's no real justification for this, but it's perhaps meant to further illustrate the death throes of the cowboy profession.

Great movie - I recommend it highly.