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Bad Company [1972]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

In 1972's Bad Company a genteel Northerner during the American Civil War (Barry Brown) is robbed by scallywag Jeff Bridges--and winds up teaming up with him. Together they become a criminal duo (although with one member more reluctant than the other) in this entertaining, realistic tale of what the West was really like. Bridges has a gangly, easy-going demeanour, as well as a sense of playfulness that even extends to moments of extreme jeopardy. He makes an interesting team with the stiff, proper Brown, creating comedy seemingly out of thin air. This was the directing debut of Robert Benton, who had co-written Bonnie and Clyde and who would go on to win an Oscar for Kramer vs Kramer. --Marshall Fine

Editorial
Special Features

Wide Screen
English
Region 2

Editorial
Synopsis

Robert Benton's directorial debut stars Jeff Bridges as young con man Jake Rumsey in this highly original Western. After Drew Dixon (Barry Brown), an upright young man, is sent west by his religious family to avoid being drafted into the Civil War, he drifts across the land with a loose confederation of young vagrants. He connects with the entertaining Jake, and they add a couple of others, including Loney (John Savage) and Arthur (Jerry Houser), to a "gang" that is barely surviving in the harsh climate of the West. They have to avoid confrontations not only with professional criminals--such as Big Joe (David Huddleston)--but also from hardened civilians who would kill a young boy for trying to steal a pie. Always outdoors, without as much as one horse among them, they're even at the mercy of the elements. As the boys' tribulations mount, their naive visions of cowboy glory fade, and Drew begins to realize that a life of crime may be his only means of survival.
Though boasting a stellar cast, a strong script, and inspired direction, the film proved a disappointment at the box office, perhaps because of its bleak vision and loose, episodic narrative. The unjustly ignored masterpiece also features an arresting tonal combination of Brechtian irony and absurdist whimsy, as well as brilliant photography by the legendary Prince of Darkness, Gordon Willis (THE GODFATHER, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN), who skillfully utilizes a unique, expressive palette of washed-out grays and browns.

One of the few great westerns.
Review date: 2008-09-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

I have to agree with everything the other two reviewers have said. I saw this film when it was released in the seventies and, as with The Wild Bunch, tried to get as many friends as I could to see it.
The Western is a genre that seems to get a consistent level of agreement about which are the best. Not many would disagree with my list of Shane, The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven, Guns In The Afternoon and The Searchers (although I am not a great John Ford fan).
Bad Company should unquestionably be placed in that 'good company' of great westerns. Although on a smaller scale than the others, it is beautifully observed and, quite possibly, the most authentic glimpse into the old west you are ever likely to see.
I have just seen it again after thirty odd years and it is as impressive as ever - it really is time this film achieved classic status.

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Reviews


THE MOST UNDERRATED FILM OF THE SEVENTIES!
Review date: 2008-04-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

The previous review is spot on so i won`t go into details about the films plot.I`ll just say this is one of the most underrated and underseen films i`ve ever come across,i`ve just watched it for the third or fourth time and it gets better with each viewing.We are of course lucky it`s available on region 2 dvd,when there are so many films i`m still waiting for (i`m thinking,among others,John Sayles & Robert Altman).Highly recommended.
TRIVIA:Director Robert Benton started as a screenwriter with David Newman (who co wrote this),they first wrote the screenplay for `Bonnie and Clyde` in 1967.
Co star Barry Brown committed suicide in 1978 as did his sister Marilyn,there brother,author James Brown published an autobiographical account of his troubled upbringing entitled `The Los Angeles Diaries` in 2003.
Jeff Bridges would work with Benton again in 1987 for `Nadine`,he would also work again with co star David Huddleston in 1998 for the Coen brothers excellent comedy `The Big Lebowski`.
Bridges would appear in two more westerns,Heaven`s Gate (1981) & Wild Bill (1995).
Apparently the rock band `Bad Company` took there name from this film.
Director of photography Gordon Willis worked with some of the great filmakers,including,Alan J Pakula,Francis Ford Coppola & Woody Allen.



Innocents abroad
Review date: 2007-04-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

Some films just never seem to build up much support or reputation no matter how much they affect many of those few who see them. Case in point Bad Company - no, not the Jerry Bruckheimer turkey but the undervalued Robert Benton semi-Western from 1972 with Barry Brown's upstanding young man on the run from the Union press gangs during the Civil War finding himself in 'rough company' with Jeff Bridges and his band of juvenile delinquent outcast would-be desperadoes (John Savage among them) in a bleak and harsh West. Not the easiest of sells even in a healthier box-office climate than the early 70s, it holds up much better than many of its more revered contemporaries, avoiding the increasing trend towards political allegory in the genre for a more underplayed 'this is how it was' approach, complete with all the pettiness, spite, bravado and delusions of youth in a world that really has no place or use for them. In many ways it's more a road movie with horses than a conventional Western, the journey being not from the city to the West but from moral principles to their abandonment - not so much a loss of innocence but more an acceptance of what it takes to survive in a world where compassion is a weakness.

Yet it's a strangely uncynical film, surprisingly entertaining and involving, with fine performances that feel almost Dickensian at times: certainly David Huddleston's superb supporting turn as an eloquent holdup man whose intelligence is not matched by that of his companions (Geoffrey Lewis, John Quade and Ed Lauter) is an discreet delight with echoes of Mr Micawber ("My boy, let me give you a little piece of advice. If you're going to pull a gun on somebody, which happens from time to time in these parts, you better fire it about a half a second after you do it, because most men aren't as patient as I am."). Robert Benton's direction is beautifully understated, favouring long but unostentatious takes that give the characters room to be absorbed into the world around them and reveal their strengths and, more often, weaknesses, and there's a beautifully simple piano score from Harvey Schmidt. It's a genuine shame that the DVD realease has failed to do anything to raise this one's profile.

No extras, but a decent widescreen transfer.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
John Savage
Barry Brown
Jim Davis
David Huddleston
Jeff Bridges

Creators:
Jeff Bridges (Primary Contributor)
Barry Brown (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437828835
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-06-02
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1972-10-08
Language: English (Original Language)

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