Rating: 
Summary: Still workin' on 8 seconds......
Review: As a big fan of film director Sam Peckinpah and actor Steve McQueen, I always thought I had seen their most substantial work. Much to my surprise, I viewed the 1972 film "Junior Bonner" for the first time recently and was stunned by its quality and depth. "Junior Bonner" is a terrific film, complete with Peckinpah's individualistic themes, McQueen's understated though electric presence, magnificient location detail, boozy saloons and elder statesmen (and women) coming to terms with a rapidly receding past.A genre unto itself, the rodeo lifestyle was documented with surprising fervor in the early 1970s by a handful of interesting films including "Honkers," "J.W. Coop," and "When the Legends Die." Each film explored the themes of a changing civilization which embraced convention while muting individualism and personal freedom. Thus, Peckinpah and McQueen were truly in their element with "Junior Bonner." The film covers a day in the life of Junior Bonner (McQueen), an aging rodeo star who returns to his Arizona hometown to participate in an annual rodeo competition. We are soon introduced to his family, including his estranged parents (Robert Preston and Ida Lupino) and his budding businessman brother (Joe Don Baker) looking to profit from the sale of his father's land while exploiting the frontier/cowboy persona. "Junior Bonner" is so understated, that the viewer must read between the lines throughout its brief running time, including a fascinating dinner scene with McQueen, Lupino and Baker when they discuss the family's future. It is a moment of brilliant directing and acting. Ironically, what is probably the least seen film of Peckinpah and McQueen's careers is also one of their best. Peckinpah has never before been so restrained, if not gentle. Known for his fierce action sequences in such films as "The Wild Bunch" and "The Getaway," Peckinpah utilizes his detailed, frenzied style during the exciting rodeo sequences. But his handling of the more intimate moments, especially those between Preston and Lupino, are some of his most gentle scenes he ever put on film. In many ways, Preston's character is just a scruffy version of Peckinpah himself - a deeply flawed but eventually loveable dreamer. It is Peckinpah opening up to the viewer for one of the few times in his career. McQueen, likewise, plays a character very close to him as a man. The role of Junior Bonner is that of a gregarious loner, limping from the hard knocks of life, trying to quietly go about his business but discovering he can do anything but. His accent, his mannerisms and his reactions to everyday life always ring with a note of truth. It's absolutely one of his finest performances. Perhaps the film's only fault is the rather abrupt ending which seems to come out of nowhere. It's unconventional, but then again, so were Peckinpah and McQueen. Unheralded, and relatively unknown, "Junior Bonner" is a great film ripe for discovery. Quiet, unassuming and good natured, "Junior Bonner" is a perfect display of two legendary motion picture talents (Peckinpah, McQueen) exploring themes perhaps closer to their hearts than any film they ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: Peckinpah in relaxed mode
Review: Can Sam Peckinpah make a film about the human condition that doesn't involve bullets and bloodbaths? JUNIOR BONNER answers that question with an unequivocal "Yes!" This contemporary western stars Steve McQueen as a once-proud rodeo star who has had more of a habit of losing than of winning the big shows. He comes home to Prescott, Arizona, home of the nation's oldest existing rodeo celebration, intending on breaking his losing streak. But he finds too much has changed: his family's old ranch is being turned by his older brother (Joe Don Baker) into a mobile-home park; his mother (Ida Lupino) and father (Robert Preston) are no longer on speaking terms; and his own values have become painfully antiquated. Even this film's ending is deceptively ambiguous: McQueen DOES win the big prize at the rodeo by riding the meanest bull around and staying on for the required eight seconds, but this means he won't be able to stay. As Lupino asks, before he parts: "Ya had to win, didn'tcha?" Except for the rodeo scenes and one amazingly-staged fight in the local bar, Peckinpah eschews his tricks for a story that practically anyone can relate to. Although JUNIOR BONNER wasn't that well recognized in its time (due to poor distribution and Peckinpah's violent reputation), it has excellent performances from McQueen, Preston, and Lupino, as well as Ben Johnson as the stock contractor who oversees McQueen's progress with sympathy. This is a must-have for anyone interested in westerns, whether authentic or contemporary, and in Peckinpah; it was proof positive that he could do a story that didn't require any squibs.
Rating:
Summary: Peckinpah in relaxed mode
Review: Can Sam Peckinpah make a film about the human condition that doesn't involve bullets and bloodbaths? JUNIOR BONNER answers that question with an unequivocal "Yes!" This contemporary western stars Steve McQueen as a once-proud rodeo star who has had more of a habit of losing than of winning the big shows. He comes home to Prescott, Arizona, home of the nation's oldest existing rodeo celebration, intending on breaking his losing streak. But he finds too much has changed: his family's old ranch is being turned by his older brother (Joe Don Baker) into a mobile-home park; his mother (Ida Lupino) and father (Robert Preston) are no longer on speaking terms; and his own values have become painfully antiquated. Even this film's ending is deceptively ambiguous: McQueen DOES win the big prize at the rodeo by riding the meanest bull around and staying on for the required eight seconds, but this means he won't be able to stay. As Lupino asks, before he parts: "Ya had to win, didn'tcha?" Except for the rodeo scenes and one amazingly-staged fight in the local bar, Peckinpah eschews his tricks for a story that practically anyone can relate to. Although JUNIOR BONNER wasn't that well recognized in its time (due to poor distribution and Peckinpah's violent reputation), it has excellent performances from McQueen, Preston, and Lupino, as well as Ben Johnson as the stock contractor who oversees McQueen's progress with sympathy. This is a must-have for anyone interested in westerns, whether authentic or contemporary, and in Peckinpah; it was proof positive that he could do a story that didn't require any squibs.
Rating:
Summary: You Can't Take Your Eyes Off His!
Review: Did Steve McQueen ever deliver a bad performance on film? This film is no exception. Although it is rarely shown on TV, due to its subject matter, and the huge popularity of McQueen's action films, this is a wonderful film. The cast is wonderful, beginning, of course, with McQueen, and the characters are deep and personal. You won't be able to find a single flaw in their performances or the "little" story. It's about a man who is still doing his best to be true to old-fashioned values and ideals that the modern world has forgotten and discarded. Follow McQueen's eyes, always. Don't take your eyes off his. His eyes will tell you the story in every one of his films. I believe this is one of his best performances simply because there is so much of the man in the character he portrays. Read a McQueen biography. There are several that are worthy. He was the last film star with charisma. (I don't know what it is either, but I know it when I see it.) All I know is that his best work was done in roles like this one, when he portrays characters that are out of their proper time, and misplaced in a world that no longer values, and has no place for, honor, integrity, courage, loyalty, honesty, humility, dedication, or even knows where they come from. When I watch a Steve McQueen film like this one (The Getaway is another example) it makes me feel good. It's not because he is always the victor, or because the "bad guys" are always defeated, but because he makes trying to live by those ideals, and never giving up, look so honorable and so noble that it makes me want to keep trying, too. He makes me feel that it's better to live life his way, and be a loser, than to be a success in a world without feeling, meaning, or emotion.
Rating:
Summary: You Can't Take Your Eyes Off His!
Review: Did Steve McQueen ever deliver a bad performance on film? This film is no exception. Although it is rarely shown on TV, due to its subject matter, and the huge popularity of McQueen's action films, this is a wonderful film. The cast is wonderful, beginning, of course, with McQueen, and the characters are deep and personal. You won't be able to find a single flaw in their performances or the "little" story. It's about a man who is still doing his best to be true to old-fashioned values and ideals that the modern world has forgotten and discarded. Follow McQueen's eyes, always. Don't take your eyes off his. His eyes will tell you the story in every one of his films. I believe this is one of his best performances simply because there is so much of the man in the character he portrays. Read a McQueen biography. There are several that are worthy. He was the last film star with charisma. (I don't know what it is either, but I know it when I see it.) All I know is that his best work was done in roles like this one, when he portrays characters that are out of their proper time, and misplaced in a world that no longer values, and has no place for, honor, integrity, courage, loyalty, honesty, humility, dedication, or even knows where they come from. When I watch a Steve McQueen film like this one (The Getaway is another example) it makes me feel good. It's not because he is always the victor, or because the "bad guys" are always defeated, but because he makes trying to live by those ideals, and never giving up, look so honorable and so noble that it makes me want to keep trying, too. He makes me feel that it's better to live life his way, and be a loser, than to be a success in a world without feeling, meaning, or emotion.
Rating:
Summary: "I`m a rodeo man..."
Review: For someone like me,who was unfamiliar with modern-day westerns until I watched "Junior Bonner",this was a very pleasant surprise.
The story is fascinating,and Junior`s fight to beat Sunshine the bull and become the best of the best at the rodeo in Prescott,Arizona,is very exciting.The thrill,the danger and the true Americanness of the rodeo is explored through great filming and the use of some fine acting indeed-especcially that of Steve McQueen,who portrays Junior,and who manages very well to show that he is a true hero even when having to fight the feeling of not belonging and not making a name for himself where he would love to make it-at the rodeo as well as among the members of his family.This rodeo man is and remains a winner all the way,and his story is highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Cowboy Picture
Review: Good show with Steve McQueen as former rodeo champion Junior Bonner who is past his prime and at the crossroads of life on whether he'll retire, or continue chasing the eight-second buzzer in rodeo competition. He returns to his home in Prescott, Arizona, to compete in the oldest rodeo on the circuit and have another shot at a champion bull that defeated him in previous competition. This is also a homecoming for JR and he unfortunately he finds his father, Ace Bonner (portrayed by Robert Preston), penniless and separated from his mother (Ida Lupino). Mixed into this story is his younger brother Curly (Jo Don Baker), working on his first million as a successful real estate developer and who shrewdly bought their father's ranch for a steal and sold it to a gravel company. It's a bittersweet reunion, with JR unable to help his father and tensions running high between him and Curly. Curly looks down on JR and Ace as washed-up old rodeo stars who failed to move with the times. Ace and JR live for the cowboy experience and money doesn't appear to be an issue as long as there's enough to get by and neither acknowledges Curly's success with any respect. For the moment however, there's a big rodeo to attend and that's all that matters for Ace and JR. This is a nice movie by director Sam Peckingpah, better known for his violence-packed features, portraying a father and son who were probably better suited for the 1800s, but accept life as it comes in a modern day world. Steve McQueen fits this role nicely as the likeable and noble rodeo star still trying his best. The presence of Robert Preston and Ida Lupino, and Ben Johnson as a cattle stockowner, reinforce a romantic western theme. A good country music soundtrack, excellent rodeo footage, and the location at Prescott, Arizona, round this out to an appealing feature. DVD imagery is very good and in letterbox format, music and sound are likewise. For those interested, Prescott is a nice place to visit and the local people, to their credit, have preserved the historical downtown area.
Rating:
Summary: Tell 'Em Sam Sent You
Review: I love early to mid-1970s films, before "Star Wars" (a great movie) came along and changed everything and turned most movies into slick, predictable product. Now, every other movie is a sequel or a retread of a comic book or crappy TV show. Sam Peckinpah didn't play that. His films are incredibly entertaining, challenging, and original, and Junior Bonner is one of the finest examples. He made it right after he made one of his ugliest (and most brilliant) movies, Straw Dogs, so of course the media and the public ignored it because Junior Bonner is relatively quiet, gentle, and profoundly moving. You want to know what happened to character development in films? Check this out. Peckinpah can tell you someone's life story in just a few images. Steve McQueen, superstar, stud, and damned good actor who knows the value of understatement. His performance as Junior is superb and consistently convincing, as are those of Robert Preston and Ida Lupino, who have some lovely, funny, touching scenes together. Not as good as an actress, but so beautiful and sexy you might have trouble breathing, is Barbara Leigh as Junior's lust interest, whom he leaves behind at the end because it's "rodeo time." Joe Don Baker is not likable as a character, but his acting is also first-rate and he's one of the few actors who got the chance to deck McQueen, even though it's a bigger scene when Steve punches him through a window. Then's there's the photography of the sublime Lucien Ballard, who shot The Wild Bunch and other Peckinpah classics. Peckinpah shoots rodeo action with wit and imagination, capturing minor details that add up to a rich, textured presentation of an important part of American folk culture. My favorite scenes are: the meeting between Junior and his mom; the parade in Prescott, Arizona; the conversation between Junior and his dad Ace at the train station, especially when Ace knocks off Junior's cowboy hat; and the final scence between Ace and Junior's mom. All in all, it's the kind of movie that, to use a cliche, they just don't make anymore, and therefore, thank goodness for DVD.
Rating:
Summary: King McQueen
Review: I saw this with my father when I was a teenager as we are both fans of the western.The modern setting still makes it a classic western in my eyes .The themes explored by Peckinpah are nicely handled and no need for the usual violence . The Chemistry between all the principal players works brilliantly , this is how acting should be. In particular McQueen , still the "King Of Cool" , and the great Robert Preston who was never better than he is here . I wasn't surprised to read that this was Peckinpah's personal favourite of all his movies , subtle by his standards . If you haven't seen it check it out .
Rating:
Summary: An Easygoing, Charming Experience
Review: If you're a McQueen fan (like me), order this DVD. This is a secret gem because it is not frequently played on the air as are many McQueen movies. The Bonners - Ida Lupino, Robert Preston, Joe Don Baker, and Steve - give a geniune Texas-family feel. The 4th of July parade appears perfectly real because it was real - you couldn't have staged such realism. The rodeo scenes are beautifully terrifying. The humor is nice and easy, not over-the-top. And Steve is in fantastic condition, spry as a young cat, though he was in his early-40s when it was filmed. Make popcorn, sit down with your kids, turn it on, and get your mind off the whole world for awhile.
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