Observant drama of a maverick cowboy whose way of life has almost entirely disappeared. What he perceives as a good deed for a friend turns out to ultimately be a life and death struggle for him. Excellent work by a cast of familiar faces with Walter Matthau very good as a world weary sheriff and especially outstanding Kirk Douglas, in his own favorite of his performances. The ending is heart rending.

Lonely are the Brave is an underrated classic that never seemed to get is due. A mostly great story (I did nod off a couple times but to the film's credit, it was past 4AM), some great acting (this movie--along with Ace in the Hole--is a monument to my underappreciation of Kirk Douglas), some fine direction and some d a m n fine cinematography make for a memorable moviegoing experience. This is a sort of upbeat movie for a movie about such a doomed character and Douglas plays John (Jack for short) Burns with an almost naive optimism in a way that's hopeful but almost jarring at the same time. The supporting performances (particularly Walter Matthau) were great, but despite Lonely are the Brave (original title of The Last Cowboy is much more appropriate) being made at the right time in history, it was made kind of too early in cinematic history for its own good. File between Easy Rider precursors and High Sierra with a dash of Hud.