The Hi-Lo Country (1998)

TOMATOMETER

56%
40%

Critic Consensus: The actors fail to live up to the archetypes they portray.

AUDIENCE SCORE

50%

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Movie Info

Acclaimed director Stephen Frears helms the film version of the admired novel that for years Sam Peckinpah tried to get made. The film is an intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West, post-World War II, in its twilight. Pete and Big Boy are masters of the prairie, but ultimately face trickier terrain: the human heart. Patricia Arquette co-stars as the woman who will eventually come between the two men.
  • Rating:
    R (for some sexuality, a scene of violence, and for brief language)
  • Genre:
    Action & Adventure, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Stephen Frears
  • Written By:
    Walon Green
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Gramercy Pictures

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Cast

Woody Harrelson
as Big Boy Matson
Billy Crudup
as Pete Calder
Patricia Arquette
as Mona Birk
Cole Hauser
as Little Boy Matson
Penelope Cruz
as Josepha O'Neil
Darren E. Burrows
as Billy Harte
James Gammon
as Hoover Young
Sam Elliott
as Jim Ed Love
John Diehl
as Les Birk
Katy Jurado
as Meesa
Enrique J. Castillo
as Levi Gomez
Rosaleen Linehan
as Mrs. Matson
Sandy Baron
as Herdsman
Will Cascio
as Chickie Cobain
Buff Doutritt
as Rodeo Wrangler
H.P. Eveetts
as Rodeo Wrangler
Walter C. Hall
as Auctioneer
Robert Knott
as Jack Coffee
Ireland Rose Maddox
as Grandmother
Sarge McGraw
as Nick the Bartender
Jacob Vargas
as Delfino Mondragon
Craig Carter
as Art Logan
Richard Purdy
as Bartender
Keith Walters
as Man on Horse
Lane Smith
as Steve Shaw
Bob Tallman
as Rodeo Announcer
Kate Williamson
as Mrs. Young
Don Pope
as Sheriff Fitts
Leslie Cook
as Choreographer/Dancer
Monica Sundown
as Singer at Sano Dance
Amanda Cordova
as Singer at Sano Dance
Gaye Grant
as Singer at Rodeo Dance
Leon Rausch
as Singer at Rodeo Dance
Chris O'Connell
as Singer at Rodeo Dance
Marty Stuart
as Singer at Rodeo Dance
Donald R. Walser
as Singer at Rodeo Dance
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Critic Reviews for The Hi-Lo Country

All Critics (34) | Top Critics (15)

An outstanding performance by Woody Harrelson!

Jan 1, 2000
Variety
Top Critic

Tepid and unconvincing!

Jan 1, 2000
Mr. Showbiz
Top Critic

Big emotion, big country, medium payoff.

Jan 1, 2000
Newsday
Top Critic

This movie gets thrown unceremoniously to the ground.

Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…
Washington Post
Top Critic

A perfunctory, often dreary love-triangle melodrama.

Jan 1, 2000
Village Voice
Top Critic

Everything is in place for a mythic drama, except the players, who don't begin to fill the boots of the archetypes they're meant to be.

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (34)

Audience Reviews for The Hi-Lo Country

½

A miss from the usually stellar Frears. Slow moving and dull. The uninspired acting from everybody but Woody doesn't help.

jay nixon
jay nixon

Super Reviewer

great movie.

Leo L
Leo L

Super Reviewer

View All Audience Reviews

The Hi-Lo Country Quotes

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