The Jack Bull (1999) (TV)

Director:

John Badham

Writers (WGA):

Heinrich von Kleist (book)
Dick Cusack (written by)

Release Date:

17 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

After being wrongfully denied justice, a horse trader seeks his own justice on a treacherous rancher.

Plot Keywords:

Justice | Wyoming | Native American | Irish Wolfhound | Hanging

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Cusack	...	Myrl Redding
John Goodman	...	Judge Tolliver
L.Q. Jones	...	Henry Ballard
Miranda Otto	...	Cora Redding
John C. McGinley	...	Woody
John Savage	...	Slater
Rodney A. Grant	...	Billy
Kurt Fuller	...	Conrad
Rex Linn	...	Shelby Dykes
Jay O. Sanders	...	Atty. Gen. Metcalfe
Drake Bell	...	Cage Redding
Nick Gillie	...	Ollie (as Nicholas E. Gillie)
Duncan Fraser	...	Edsel Fraser
Ken Pogue	...	Judge Wilkins
Glenn Morshower	...	Col. Jeffries (as Glen Morshower)

MPAA:

Rated R for some Western violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

CL Ranch - 45001 Township Road, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the end of the movie, the statehood congregation parades through town with flags containing 50 stars. The proper flag for the period would have been the 43 star flag.

Quotes:

Judge Tolliver: Well, I worry about you and me, Judge Wilkins. I swear to God I do, 'cause if this country gets ruined... it'll be ruined by people *like* you and me. This is a territory of unimportant people; most folks around here...
[laughs softly]
Judge Tolliver: can't even write their name. You and me... we're the important people. Trouble is, there's not enough of us important people to go around - we're spread thin, so sometimes, important things get ignored or don't get said. Like... take care of the little feller; see to it that he don't get ignored or cheated or insulted; make sure that his dignity does not get trampled on. Now you're feelin' bad right now, and by God, you ought to...

Movie Connections:

Version of Michael Kohlhaas (1967)

Soundtrack:

Ring them Bells

Well made and interesting.

This was one of those films you accidentally watch on TV. And this one was one of the rare ones where I stayed watching.

It was fine to see so many good actors (especially of course John Cusack) to see in such a nice movie. And it was nice to see that John Badham is still directing. I waited for him since 'Nick of Time'. And, he was good again. The story was very interesting and not as ordinary as one thinks. And the end wasn't as I expected it.

If John Cusack goes on acting in so much good movies (and also producing them as he did here), he maybe will finally reach the Star-level he should have. If one has the potential to play main characters in blockbusters then he has. But maybe it's better when he goes on to act in nice smaller films, which are much better.

7/10 \ 3/4 \ 2- (1+ - 6-)