Junior Bonner
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Year Released: 1972
Rating: 2.0
Plain, predictable story of cowboy (Steve McQueen) who gets thrown off a bull but is determined to beat it - also, he has his family to contend with, including hospitalized womanizer Robert Preston. More of a mood piece than an actual story, and a chatty one at that - lots of dialogue but not enough gusto; the mood is one of remorse and sadness but that doesn't translate into palpable emotional pain. McQueen does his best to look beaten and intense, but Preston's character steals the scenes with his energy - it's as if he's the only one of the family who likes who he is. It looks all the more insignificant when compared to Nicholas Ray's complex and formidable The Lusty Men.
