Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic western
Review: Although westerns are not as popular as they used to be, this past decade or so has seen some extremely well-made ones: Tombstone, Lonesome Dove, Unforgiven, Dances With Wolves, Conagher, & Streets of Laredo. Add to that list this remarkable film, written by Larry McMurtry (of Lonesome Dove et al) Tom Berenger (Rough Riders, Gettysburg, Avenging Angel) is one of the most under-rated actors of today, and here is able to fall into an excellent portrayal fo a 19th century cowboy. As noted in the Amazon review, the cinematography is enthralling, which just adds to the over-all feel of the western period.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED LONESOME DOVE? YOU'LL LOVE THIS!
Review: Cut from the same hide as classic western dramas like Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, Monte Walsh, and Crossfire Trail, The Johnson County War is a well-told story that is loosely based on actual historic events.It's the age-old conflict: Big Business vs. the small entrepreneur. The big cattlemen employ the tried and true strategy of the west for dealing with their small time competitors: if you can't beat them kill them! But one man stands up for his beliefs and is ready to pay the ultimate price for them. Tom Berenger heads a stellar cast that includes Luke Perry, Burt Reynolds and Rachel Ward. The script by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana is along the same lines as their Lonesome Dove masterpiece. I actually bought and watched this one on the merits of the cast and writers alone and never looked back.
Rating: 
Summary: JOHNSON COUNTY WASTE
Review: DO THE WORDS 'HOSS APPLES' MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?
DONT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS ONE. MISCASTING AT ITS WORST. LACKLUSTER SCRIPT, AND POORLY PLAYED PARTS. IM SURPRISED TOM BERENGER WHO, IS AN EXCEPTIONAL ACTOR WASTED HIS TIME ON THIS ONE. THE SCENES WITH HIM ARE TOLERABLE BUT THEY CANT MAKE UP FOR AN OTHERWISE UNREALISTIC HALF STAB AT A WESTERN.
IT IS A SHAME TO TAKE AN HISTORIC EVENT AND MAR IT LIKE A BAD PAINT JOB.
THIS ONE PLAYS SLOW BUT NOT TRUE. THE PROFANITY IS OVERLY EXCESSIVE AND IT IS OBVIOUS THAT MOST OF THESE PREPPIE ACTORS HAVE NEVER SAT A STEED OR FIRED A GUN FOR REAL.
THERE IS LITTLE BELIEVABLE ABOUT THIS ATTEMPT AND I CANT IN GOOD FAITH RECOMMEND IT.
WHAT A DISSAPOINTMENT.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-made Western!
Review: I enjoyed this movie very much. It's a solid western with a decent plot and is well-paced and well-cast. Three brothers try to keep their land while big ranchers do everything evil and devious they can to drive the smaller ranchers out. There is a certain amount of brutality and tragedy along the way. The three Hammett brothers (Tom Berenger, Adam Storke and Luke Perry) are all good in their parts. I especially liked Adam Storke as the sweet but somewhat wishy-washy Dale. His relationship with fiesty wife Michelle Forbes (now seen on "24") is complex. She browbeats and adores him, yet privately admits to Berenger's character that she really prefers him over her husband. (Hmmm...an interesting wrinkle in their story.) Luke Perry plays the youngest brother, Harry, who is turning into somewhat of a wastrel. I never saw much of Perry prior to this, since I steadfastly avoided watching the "Beverly Hills" series that brought him his fame. I never thought much of him before, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good he is in this part. His romance with a lovely young widow is, however, underdeveloped and I think this was a definite flaw in the story. Tom Berenger (as Cain Hammett) is clearly the oldest brother of this trio. Berenger's developed quite a good reputation for doing outstanding Westerns and historical dramas, so he's a wise choice for this movie as well. He's always an excellent actor and does well in this role. His character is sympathetic, brave and self-sacrificing and you can't help but empathize with him. Also excellent are Rachel Ward as a toughened but likeable prostitute, Christopher Cazenove as a foppish British rancher, and Burt Reynolds as an evil villian. This is a perfectly competent western. Incredible scenery, a good cast and a well paced story make it worthwhile to see.
Rating:
Summary: very enjoyable western
Review: i found the johnson county war to be a highly entertaining horse opera with a great cast (burt reynolds is superb in this- and i'm not a burt fan), nice scenery, and plenty of good western moments too. western fans should enjoy it. i did. i enjoyed the hell out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Western fans take notice!
Review: If you are a western fan, historical buff or Tom Berenger fan then this moveie is for you. I TOTALLY disagree with anyone who is not impressed with this movie. It is well done historically and the acting makes you believe you are there. Tom Berenger is at his finest as the elder brother, naive because of his belief in honesty and truth and the fact that justice is supposed to prevail----well it finally does but at great cost!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful scenery and a good story.
Review: It's decent but not outstanding. There is not a lot of action until the end if you are looking for that. There is a persistent love triangle that continues through the film which could have been left out. It doesn't include any type of constant skimishing to indicate the ongoing struggle but rather just culminates in the final shootout. Also ,the final shootout has the representiave small time rancher holed up instead of the other way around as history actually went. That's forgiveable I guess. The film essentially takes a small number of people(namely three brothers and some friends) and tries to be a microcasm of the overall struggle between the greedy cattle barons and the small time rancher. The greedy barons are portrayed pretty well but the english one in particular is just a little over the top. So if you're a die hard western fan you'll probably like it, ...
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful scenery and a good story.
Review: It's decent but not outstanding. There is not a lot of action until the end if you are looking for that. There is a persistent love triangle that continues through the film which could have been left out. It doesn't include any type of constant skimishing to indicate the ongoing struggle but rather just culminates in the final shootout. Also ,the final shootout has the representiave small time rancher holed up instead of the other way around as history actually went. That's forgiveable I guess. The film essentially takes a small number of people(namely three brothers and some friends) and tries to be a microcasm of the overall struggle between the greedy cattle barons and the small time rancher. The greedy barons are portrayed pretty well but the english one in particular is just a little over the top. So if you're a die hard western fan you'll probably like it, ...
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Western
Review: Larry McMurtry has once again crafted another timeless western. Thought not as good as Lonesome Dove, this film does stand it's own. One reviewere said that certain scenes would never happen in a Lousi L'Amour novel, and that is correct; mainly because L'Amours novels are not realistic; they are just stories. Everything that happened in this movie, at one point on another, actualy happened in real life (though not necessarily in the Johnson County War). The story revolves Berenger's character, Cain and his fight against the cattle barons of wyoming. Cain, incidently,is a parallel of the real life figure Nate Champion, who fought in the Johnson War.
The script leaves one reminded of the Lonesome Dove series in that there is plenty of character driven dialouge, and the movie superbly paces itself to the climax (which is an awewsome scene). There are plenty of funny moments too, such as a converstaion about jello. The cinemtography is great, and the movie feels likes a western. It does not look modern, as the other reviewer said. (note: the war took place in the 1890's, so rich places like the Cheyenne Club were indeed well furnished).
Some say that Burt Reynolds was not a good choice, but I thought he did a good job, as did Luke Perry and Adam Storke. Overall, this is one of the best westerns I have seen, and trust me, i have seen many. It is a shame that only television is producing quality westerns (unlike the theater where films such as the horrible Texas Rangers & American Outlaws were made).
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing quasi-historical Western from Hallmark
Review: The Johnson County War is a great subject for an authentic Western, and Hallmark's track record (plus Larry McMurtry's pen) would seem to bode well for this production. Unfortunately it's not very good, despite magnificent scenery and adequate performances by Tom Berenger & Michelle Forbes. Rachel Ward steals her few brief scenes, but Burt Reynolds's acting is almost as garish as his face lift. If 60 of its 180 tiresome, cliche-ridden minutes were cut, it might make an above-average made-for-TV movie, but even that drastic snooze-factor reduction would fail to rescue it from mediocrity among theatrical releases.
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