Spikeopath Conagher is directed by Reynaldo Villalobos and adapted to teleplay by Jeffrey M. Meyer from the novel written by Louis L'Amour. It stars Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Buck Taylor, Dub Taylor and James Gammon. Music is by J.A.C. Redford and cinematography by James R. Bagdonas.After her husband fails to return from a trip to purchase cattle, Mrs. Evie Teale (Ross) fights hard to raise her two children whilst also keeping the family homestead afloat. Conn Conagher (Elliott) is a honest and hardworking cowboy who also has his own life struggles to contend with. Both Evie and Conn find their lives intertwined by their struggles against the perils of the West...You don't know what music is until you hear the wind in the cedars.Beautiful and subtle in every respect, Conagher is a treat for the grown up Western fan. The story is literate off the page from the beginning, it's the sort of character study that often gets taken for granted due to its simplicity. Yet the emotional depth is mightily strong here, the lead characters not bogged down by clichés or badly constructed scenes. Both Evie and Conn are deftly etched people, both easy to get on side with, their strengths are many, their loneliness perfectly understandable and never once schmaltzy. Helps that it's the real life husband and wife team of Ross and Elliott in the roles, the chemistry set in stone, when they look into each other's eyes you see it's real. A fine couple they do make.Even though Villalobos takes his time, rightly pacing it in steady and reflective beats, it's a film that doesn't lack for action. There's still gun play (Indian attack/rustler root outs) and a good round of knuckles (Elliott one of the best punch throwers in his acting era), the director, no doubt helped by the wily Elliott, proving more than adept at construction of the energetic scenes. Bagdonas and Villalobos provide some gorgeous photographic compositions that belie the TV movie budget, with the Colorado (Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway/Canon City) vistas an extra character; and the misty interiors nicely capturing the tonal mood of the narrative. A fine gathering of support character actors come up trumps, while Redford's musical score is led by the guitar and lands softly in the ears.This is 100% recommended to Elliott and Western fans who appreciate characters superbly written and performed. It may end up as you expect, but that's OK, because if it didn't then you may well have wanted to throw your TV out the window. Just like I would have done had it not ended the way it does! Conagher, a subtle and beautiful treat. 8.5/10

hmcusn294 This is one of my two favorite westerns, the other being Zane Grey's "Riders Of The Purple Sage." They both starred real life husbands and wives, Sam Elliot and Katherine Ross in "Conagher," and Ed Harris and Amy Madigan in "Riders Of The Purple Sage," and they each tell of an honorable man coming to the rescue of a woman in distress while fighting evil. I am a hopeless romantic, and these two movies feed that romanticism perfectly.The producers of Conagher used natural light to portray most, if not all, of the scenes, lending an aura of authenticity to the story. The harshness of frontier life is pictured in a way that makes one wonder how the people of that time managed to survive. Conagher is a footloose cowboy who never settles in one place for more than a season or two and has a reputation for being honest and tough. Evie, played by Katherine Ross, is a woman who came west with her husband and two children to establish a cattle ranch. After they settle into their dirt floor home her husband goes off to buy cattle and never returns, leaving her and the children to fend for themselves.The story has a little bit of everything that makes for a good western; conflict between rustlers and honest ranchers, an Indian attack, a barroom brawl and good triumphing over evil. It is told with an excellent cast of actors, including a bit part by the granddaughter of Louis L'Amour himself. I was impressed with the acting of the two children and the entire cast. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys westerns. I have the DVD and I watch it at least once a month, and I never tire of it.

Cowgirlie With Sam Elliot and Katherine Ross's smoking chemistry, this delightful adaptation of the L'Amour classic is a winner all the way.The horses, horsemanship (most of it anyway) and tack and equipment are correct for the time period, a rarity in TV movies. The range of emotion is beautifully captured in the sweeping cinematography, rich with sunsets and broad expanses of prairie. The story, one of LAmour's finest, tells of a woman facing the harsh reality that sometimes husbands never do come home...and the kindness of strangers may be the saving grace. Several songs have sprung from the imagery of this film,one of the best being Juni Fisher's "He'd Be Home By Now" on her "Sideshow Romance" album, (Red Geetar Records, 2004) Enjoy this one with a bowl of popcorn and keep a hankie ready.

Lonesome Dave The book and movie is every bit a classic as Owen Wister's The Virginian. On one level the movie may seem a bit slow, but that is the beauty of it.Like Lonesome Dove, Conagher follows the book very closely and could not have a better cast chosen.The only negative is that it is not available on DVD, WAKE UP TED!!