The Jack Bull

1999

Action / Drama / Western

9
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 73% · 5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 73% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.8/10 10 5803 5.8K

wyoming, usa justice horse trader

Plot summary

When the law fails to punish a fellow rancher that has abused his horses, a Wyoming horse trader sacrifices it all in a quest for justice.

Director

John Badham Photo
John Badham

Top cast

John Goodman Photo
John Goodman as Judge Tolliver
Miranda Otto Photo
Miranda Otto as Cora Redding
Tom Heaton Photo
Tom Heaton as Whitaker
Rodney A. Grant Photo
Rodney A. Grant as Billy
720p.WEB
1.04 GB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Hildebrando_Martins_Almeida 6 / 10

Violence will never be the best way to obtain justice.

"The Jack Bull" is an American western film released in 1999 and directed by John Badham, known for directing some competent films in the 1980s and 1990s. 1999), the film is still appreciated by lovers of the genre, providing a satisfying experience. The screenplay was written by Dick Cusack, loosely inspired by the 1810 novel by Heinrich von Kleist entitled "Michael Kohlhaas".The story takes place in the mid-nineteenth century and accompanies the protagonist Myrl Redding, played by John Cusack. Myrl is a determined and headstrong horse breeder who finds himself embroiled in a conflict with a powerful local rancher named Henry Ballard. When Ballard mistreats two of Myrl's horses, Myrl decides to take the case to court. However, Judge Wilkins dismisses Myrl's claim. Disgusted, Myrl begins a journey of revenge, facing several obstacles on the way.During her fight for justice, Myrl faces resistance from a corrupt system and faces the odds imposed by Ballard's power and influence. Throughout the narrative, the film explores themes such as honor, ethics, revenge and the personal price of remaining true to one's principles.However, the clumsy performances of John Cusack and LQ Jones somewhat undermine the quality of the film. Despite this, western enthusiasts will find enough reason to appreciate the film's plot and atmosphere.A notable highlight in this western is the musical score, composed by Lennie Niehaus (1929-2020); he was responsible for the music for several films by actor and director Clint Eastwood. The soundtrack adds to the Wild West ambiance and complements the scenes in an engaging way.Much of the scenes were filmed at CL Ranch and Heritage Park Historical Village in Calgary, Alberta.Although John Badham has dedicated himself mainly to directing TV series since 2002, he demonstrated his skill in directing this film, capturing the characteristic atmosphere of Westerns and conveying the tension and quest for justice present in the narrative."The Jack Bull" offers moviegoers a dark and realistic look at the Old West, where justice often must be won at all costs.
Reviewed by oshram-3 8 / 10

Interesting and thoughtful film

I'd never even heard of this film – apparently it was done for HBO a while back – but it was a John Cusack film I'd never heard about, and to me he's an interesting enough actor that I'll try something blind for his sake.Jack Bull is set in the 1870s; Cusack plays horse rancher Myrl Redding, an honest man trying to make an honest living on his Wyoming farm. Unfortunately he crosses paths with local tycoon Henry Ballard (L.Q. Jones), who decides to give Redding a hard time and mistreats some of his prize stallions and one of his Native American workers. When Redding demands justice, of course he finds the deck stacked against him, so he takes the law into his own hands.Jack Bull, while a compelling story, is also an examination of the concept of 'natural' law vs. civil law, and poses some questions about just how much of a right we have as men to be treated fairly no matter the circumstances. The story could have been a moralistic whitewash, but by making Myrl less than perfect the movie aims a lot higher, with satisfactory but occasionally unsettling results. It would be easy to just take the side of the little man against the big rich fella (like they did in, say, Silver City) and here it's not hard to do that. But Myrl's complexity and his occasional slips – he's no saint, though he tries hard to do no damage to the innocent – render this story in much darker, richer colors than lesser hands would have.Cusack is excellent here, as he usually is. His uncompromising performance as Myrl dominates the picture, and Cusack displays the man's drive and determined nature without ever overdoing it or descending into melo-drama. Most of the rest of the cast is fairly strong as well (I particularly enjoyed Scrubs' John C. McGinley's turn as simple sidekick Woody), with a standout turn by John Goodman as a dedicated lawman named Judge Tolliver. The end trial, as a result, is a powerful capper to a movie that questions moral choices throughout.Though a darker film, Jack Bull is an excellent piece, with well thought-out characters, motivation, and execution. It offers no easy answers, though it does conclude its story with finality, and in the end only reinforces that the consequences we suffer are a direct result of the actions we take. This one may be a little hard to find (I got it from Netflix), but it's certainly well worth the search.
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