MarkCrozier This is a solid western story, although set later than most in the genre, during WWII. There is plenty to enjoy, including gorgeous vistas, fine performances by the leads, and in particular Richard Farnsworth and Jane Fonda and beautiful wide angle photography by the master cinematographer Gordon Willis. On the downside there are some editing issues. The ending especially feels somewhat rushed and could have benefited greatly from an extra five minutes to jack up the suspense. One gets the feeling that the film was already running long and they had to wrap it up. Also, I had some trouble 'buying' James Caan as a cowboy, mostly because I am so used to seeing him in very urban settings. Not that he doesn't acquit himself well as he makes a lot of out a slightly underwritten role. These are minor quibbles and rest assured you will not be wasting your time with this one, it's a very solid effort and ticks many of the boxes you'd want in a movie of this nature. And especially if you're a fan of Jane Fonda, as I am, it's not to be missed. Look out for a very young Mark Harmon of NCIS fame.

bkoganbing Although at times the pace of Comes A Horseman is maddeningly slow, the players acquit themselves well in this old western type plot from the 19th century updated to 1945 and the end of World War II.Stars Jane Fonda and Jason Robards, Jr. have history together, were even married at one time. He's the local Ponderosa owner, she's barely getting by on the small spread her dad left her. Robards is in a cash flow situation though for the life of me he should be prospering during World War II and army beef contracts. The demand will slacken some due to war's end. There's possible oil on the property that oilman George Grizzard would like to exploit. Possible oil on both properties. Also on neighbor James Caan's small spread. He joins forces with Fonda against Robards.Jane might have gotten a few pointers from her dad who was never a western star as such, but Henry Fonda did a few classic westerns in his time. She comes across as a real western woman. Director Alan J. Pakula did some real good photography in those wide open spaces. That frontier square dance could have come from a John Ford western.Richard Farnsworth established a career as a player with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That drawl at times is slow, but he's also unbelievably realistic as a veteran cowboy who has lost a step or two and realizes he can't quite the help to Fonda he'd like to be. That fall from his horse after those explosions is agonizingly real for a man getting on.Slow paced, but well done, Comes A Horseman is a fine modern western if indeed a western of times of the last century can be classified as modern. You might want to watch this back to back with Giant, another modern western about cattlemen and how they adapt to the coming of oil.

fimimix I suppose the big stink over Jane Fonda's ("Ella Conners") misguided politics (some years ago) turned people away from it's original release. "Comes a Horseman" delivers for every role played, cinematography, score, script - the whole thing. Ms. Fonda made many movies I was/am not aware of, till TCM presented a tribute to her body of work. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it......I can understand people not caring for Ms. Fonda's foolish mistake with communism - and not giving her credit for the wonderful actress she is - but do not understand the negative comments posted here about "Comes a Horseman". Director Alan Pakula had a tight bead on the film he wanted to make, with the help of a good script from Dennis L. Clark. Ms. Fonda played a perfect role as a determined woman to hold-onto her ranch (post World War II), working right along with the men. Her strong bond with her ranch-hand "Dodger" (Richard Farnsworth) was a testament to the closeness of owner/worker, and how difficult it was to run a ranch, making for a good subplot. I don't remember being aware that she and "J. W. Ewing" (Jason Robards) had been married, but that didn't prevent the viewer from graphically understanding the great hatred between the two characters.One user's opinion there wasn't any connection with the movie's story and "Comes a Horseman" - he was "Buck Athearn" (James Caan), who played a wonderful role. One user wrote "Ella" sold some of her land to "Buck" - truth is, "Buck's" land was inherited. A natural dislike of "Ewing" developed, when they discovered he was attempting to scare them off their land because he wanted it all back - oil ! James Keach was very good in his role as the banker who held the mortgage on "Ewing's" land, wanting to cash-in with the oil explorer (George Grizzard). Not much imagination to guess what happened to them - but, a dash of predictability couldn't harm this movie.I thoroughly connected with the criminal actions "Ewing" perpetrated against "Ella" and "Buck"; I also thought their escape was natural. I was heartened that "Ella" had the gumption to start all over again on her ranch, and thought the ending was fitting.The subplots in "Horseman" make it a great deal more entertaining. My opinion is that all of the cast does a fabulous acting-job on their roles. There isn't one thing in this movie to keep it from being enjoyed by family-viewing. I'm looking for the DVD......

Alan Hale (alanco) I only downrated this movie from 10 out of 10 for the predictable script. I was amused by the comment that Richard Farnsworth seemed out of breath. I am not even Farnsworth's age at filming yet, live in the sticks and I am similarly out of breath when doing heavy work. I have had to quit roping at age 60 due to back pain from previous ski racing injuries and occasional horse falls. In any case this is a very accurate description of cattle ranching anywhere. I have visited places in our Big Smoky Valley where real cattle ranches lived, raised kids and worked in mud, snow, very little for conveniences and without the power grid. We will go to a real cattle roundup near McDermitt, NV next fall of 4000 cattle. This is done by a pioneer family with four brothers, and offspring and is a prized invitation. Watching home movies from real ranchers might convince some city people who don't notice things like such rudimentary sparse conditions. One example of a goof in the movie was Fonda putting on a watch which would have been an extreme extravagance in 1945. Had this movie had writing as realistic as the filming, it would have been much better. Robards was just to vicious to be real. This was 1945, not 1875, and he couldn't have gotten away with all the murders. The automobiles used, Fonda's 1928 or 29 Model A pickup, and Robard's 41 convertible, the Sheriff's 37 Dodge, and the Banker's 42 Plymouth were all very typical. In 1945, people didn't have the kind of money that they do now, and drove a lot older cars and there were no new cars between 1943 and 1946, and very few 1942 models due to the war.The simple conversations are typical of cowboys and rural people who work hard and don't play boom boxes and don't say much. They are not driven like city people and work much more quietly. The courting buildup between Caan and Fonda had to do with each adapting to the other gradually and trust forming. It wasn't that Caan was laid back as much as he distrusted Fonda's impetuous reactions at first. The writers really got dialog and realistic conditions right. I am from a rural background, went to college, drafted into the Army, then finished college and lived and worked in bigger and bigger places and did travel to a lot of places including Europe and Asia. I finally got tired of it, knowing I could create my own job in a small place. This is why a lot of people live in simple places and why so many retire in simple places. They don't care that there are no cable systems, malls, stores, or hospitals. That last long ride to a hospital hopefully will finish you off in the time it takes to get there. Simple places with low housing prices, and a simpler more outdoor life allow retirement poor couples to survive with a decent lifestyle which is far divorced from city/suburban pressured lifestyles. When people wonder why anyone would choose such a life, particularly after "seeing the world" some of it is the above. Handshake business, people who care about each other but still fight and argue, and leaving your doors unlocked is real rural culture, particularly in the west, but you always distrust government and you keep your guns ready.I highly recommend this movie, I would have given it 8.5 out of 10, but the software is whole numbers, so it is rounded upward.