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Will Penny
(1968)
The brute in
every man was also in him... And the love and the violence!
Director: Tom Gries, rated Approved
  Starring:
Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, Donald Pleasence, Ben Johnson,
Bruce Dern, Slim Pickens, Lee Majors, Anthony Zerbe
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Leave him be. Out here, by
hisself, no goods, winter coming on. He's gonna be a long while
dying. And all
that time, he's gonna know who done it to him.
Yes, sir, a mighty long time, and then he'll be dead." -
Preacher Quint
Why watch this?
... what happens when a loner suddenly starts to care for
others?
Plot Summary: Aging
cowboy, Will Penny, accepts a job as a line rider on a vast
ranch during a harsh winter. He discovers a stranded woman and
her son have taken refuge in his assigned cabin. Though
initially resistant, Will allows them to stay, leading to a
blossoming romance and a newfound sense of family. However, a
past confrontation with a vengeful outlaw family threatens their
fragile happiness.
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Dad's Preview:
This was a shockingly realistic Western for its time. Heston delivers
a career-defining performance as reclusive ranch hand, Will
Penny, who encounters a woman, Catherine, and her young son
living in his line shack miles into the wilderness. He's torn
between duty to his employer (to kick them out), and the affection he develops for
the woman and son. Then a group of cutthroats show up at the
cabin. This small, intimate film intensifies when the gang takes
Will hostage and threatens to rape Catherine.
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Fred Engel, Walter
Seltzer; Paramount Pics
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