Description
When wealthy landowner Henry Ballard sets up a toll gate and takes two of Myrl Redding?s horses in lieu of payment, Redding is enraged. But when those horses are starved and beaten almost to death, he demands justice. So begins a personal feud that becomes a war .. a war that becomes a manhunt … and a trial that will lead to a bloody kind of Western justice.Amazon.com
The Jack Bull was produced for and premiered on HBO, but it’s easily the most respectable job … More >>
This is a good basic western based on a true story. I don’t know why it just isn’t any better, Cusack is good, the other actors are decent but it just doesn’t take off.Calgary is beautiful but the film just drags in the middle.
Rating: 3 / 5
While the title refers to a terrier, it’s a metaphor for the tough, tenacious lead character, Myrl Redding (John Cusack). Redding is a Wyoming horse-breeder who turns vigilante when his Native American friend Billy (Rodney A. Grant) is nearly beaten to death by a rival horse-breeder. Horses, while not actual character, provide strong support for a stellar cast including John Goodman, L.Q. Jones, John Savage, and Miranda Otto. Based on the novel by Michael Kohlhass.
Staci Layne Wilson
Rating: 3 / 5
Better than average drama and suspense that reasonably captivates the audience. Elements of Billy Jack and Rob Roy, yet improves on them and/or varies them enough to hold interest. Caliber of acting is good but not excellent. Lessons of “here’s what happens when good people take the law into their own hands” could have been much better developed.
Rating: 3 / 5
Unfortunately, I have yet to see this movie. Not only did I never receive it, DVD Legacy NEVER answered any of my inquiry emails, even though they charged me for the DVD. AMAZON ended up refunding my purchase price.
Rating: 1 / 5
The Jack Bull was presented on HBO in April, 1999. Why it never played on the big screen is a mystery to me. It certainly rivals any western to have come out of Hollywood in quite some time although without the graphic violence, sex and profanity. True, there are some scenes laced with profanity but these are few and far between. The violence is under-stated and restrained.
The film’s title refers to the Jack Russell breed of terrier which is said to never let go once it latches on. Myrl Redding is like the Jack Russell in his tenacity. It is justice he wants and justice he will have, even if it means the loss of everything he holds dear.
His resolve will be sorely tested as he launches a very personal vendetta against rural Wyoming bully, Henry Ballard, masterfully played by L.Q. Jones.
The Jack Bull’s plot is riveting and beautifully acted by the entire cast. Watch for an astonishing performance from Drake Bell. This star is a dead-ringer for a young John Cusack. I would not be surprised if he were a distant relative.
This reviewer was brought to tears during two key scenes in the film (once you watch it, you will know which I mean.) This is a rarity for a western. Interestingly, the screenplay for The Jack Bull was written by none other than Cusack family scion, Dick, who, in fact, had a different star in mind to play Myrl Redding, the horse trader. We can consider ourselves lucky that John won the role. He does his father and the film proud.
Rating: 5 / 5