Johnson County War

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Movie Info

The backdrop for this epic Western, which aired in August 2002 on the Hallmark Channel, will be familiar to fans of the genre and students of Western history. The Johnson County War took place in northern Wyoming in April 1892, growing out of the familiar story of big-money ranchers who suspected homesteader neighbors of rustling. Screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana adapted Frederick Manfred's 1957 novel, Riders of Judgment, which used some of the events and people but changed the names, including the county (which becomes Bighorn) and the main town (from Buffalo to Antelope). Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1981) also employed elements of the Johnson County War in its story. Manfred's book and this film center on Cain Hammett (Tom Berenger), a lonesome cowboy who hankers for Rory (Michelle Forbes); she has married his younger brother Dale (Adam Storke) in spite of the fact that she really loves Cain. A third Hammett brother, Harry (Luke Perry), unlike his honest, homesteading siblings, is a rustler who runs afoul of Marshal Hunt Lawton (Burt Reynolds), who is in the employ of wealthy Lord Peter (Christopher Cazenove), an Englishman in cahoots with the owners of big ranches to exterminate all of the homesteaders, guilty or innocent. Cain Hammett's real-life counterpart, Nate Champion, was a prime target of mercenaries hired by the big cattlemen, and the siege of Cain's cabin, which was the opening salvo in the war, provides the film with its climax.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Television, Western
Directed By:

Dave Cass Sr., Dave Cass
Written By:

Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana
In Theaters:

Aug 24, 2002 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Sep 24, 2002
Runtime:

178 minutes
Studio:

Artisan Home Entertainment

Cast

Tom Berenger
as Cain Hammett

Luke Perry
as Harry Hammett

Burt Reynolds
as Hunt Lawton

Rachel Ward
as Queenie

Michelle Forbes
as Rory Hammett

Adam Storke
as Dale Hammett

Christopher Cazenove
as Lord Peter

Jack Conley
as Jesse Jacklin

Silas Weir Mitchell
as Mitch Slaughter

Fay Masterson
as Clara Jager

Ken Pogue
as Wally Tascot

Blu Mankuma
as Hambone

William Samples
as Arthur

Thomas Heaton
as Sheriff Sine

Stephen Bridgewaters
as Dencil Jager

Stephen Bridgewater
as Dencil Jager

P. Adrien Dorval
as Timberline

Stevie Mitchell
as Joey

Jimmy Herman
as Sam-the-Wolfer

Henry Beckman
as Gov. Barb

Ron Hartmann
as Sen. Thorpe

Tim Koetting
as Bat Waldy

Hal Kerbes
as Irv Hornsby

Paul Coeur
as Claybourne Rodney

David LeReany
as Allen Stone

Tom Heaton
as Sheriff Sine

Lyle St. Goddard
as Avery

John F. Parker
as Russell of the Times

Joe Shaw
as Bobby

Stephen Warner
as Spade

John Dodds
as 2nd Horseman

Billy Morton
as Ringbone

David Lereaney
as Allen Stone

Doug Lennox
as Texas Ike

Bunk Duncan
as Butcherknife

Kirk Jarrett
as Jimmy Albert

Steven Warner
as Spade

Steve Shayler
as 1st Bad Cowboy

Tom Carey
as Texas Cowboy

Peter Strand Rumple
as Telegraph Operator

Shawn Orr
as Texas Gunman

Chris Ippolito
as Nightherder

J.C. Roberts
as Tom the Granger

Jerry Wills
as Skunker

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Critic Reviews for Johnson County War

All Critics (2) | Top Critics (1)

... an irresistible miniseries from the indefatigable Larry McMurtry...

Jan 31, 2018 | Full Review…

John Leonard
New York Magazine/Vulture
Top Critic
I suspect that supporters of this film are also fond of watching ice melt--which, long about the middle of the second hour, you'll either believe is what you're doing, or wish you were doing instead.

Dec 9, 2002 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central