Cast: Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup, Patricia Arquette, Cole Hauser, Penélope Cruz, Sam Elliot
Director: Stephen Frears
Producers: Martin Scorsese & Barbara De Fina and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner
Screenplay: Walon Green based on the book by Max Evans
Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Music: Carter Burwell
U.S. Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
The Hi-Lo Country is a curious marriage of genres. This movie illustrates the result of grafting film noir onto a western. It's what happens when a femme fatale hops into the saddle and the sack with a cowboy. Unusual as the mix may be, it is ultimately successful. While the setting and scenery are exactly what one might expect from a western, the fast-paced action has been replaced by a slowly-escalating tension and the unshakable sensation of impending doom. And the voiceover narrative, with its promise of violence, would be at home in a crime thriller.
There is a story behind The Hi-Lo Country's journey from the written page to the screen. Max Evans' novel was published in 1961; shortly thereafter, director Sam Peckinpah expressed a desire to transform it into a movie. For nearly 20 years until his death in 1984, Peckinpah pursued the goal of making The Hi-Lo Country, but events conspired to keep the production from ever getting on track. Now, 15 years later, the film has finally been completed with a screenplay credited to Peckinpah collaborator Walon Green (The Wild Bunch) and British director Stephen Frears (The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons) at the helm.
The Hi-Lo Country takes place in New Mexico shortly after the curtain has dropped on World War II. It's the last days for the Old West; the cowboy is going the way of the dinosaur. The simple poetry of a rugged life lived in the open is fading into oblivion, chased away by technological advances and the need to squeeze every penny out of each head of cattle put on the market. The two main characters, Big Boy Matson (Woody Harrelson) and Pete Calder (Billy Crudup), are old school cowboys. They're at home on horses, believe the only way to move animals around is through a cattle drive, and love rodeos. Big Boy is raucous, rowdy, and outspoken. Pete is quiet and introverted. In spite of, or perhaps because of, their vast personality difference, they're the best of friends. Together, they share dreams and a workload, and ultimately fall for the same woman: Mona Birk (Patricia Arquette), the raven-haired siren whose smell and looks mesmerize Big Boy and Pete.
Although Mona flirts with Pete, she's in love with Big Boy. Pete realizes that this makes her untouchable, but even a relationship with a pretty Mexican-American girl, Josepha (Penélope Cruz), can't banish her from his thoughts. But the complications don't stop there. Mona is married to Les Birk (John Diehl), an older man who works for the biggest landowner in the district, Jim Ed Love (Sam Elliot). Big Boy resents Love's business ways, and takes out his anger on anyone who is employed by the man, including his own brother, Little Boy (Cole Hauser). As a mark of his contempt for Les, Big Boy gradually becomes unconcerned about concealing his relationship with Mona, guaranteeing that the cuckolded husband will learn of his wife's unfaithfulness and be forced to take steps to defend his own honor.
Admittedly, The Hi-Lo Country is encumbered by a somewhat uneven narrative. There are long stretches when things move forward forcefully, but, in between, there are transitional sequences when the proceedings grind to a halt. Flow-related hiccups aside, Frears' picture offers numerous small pleasures. Although one can argue about how well the director really understands the nature of the western, he and cinematographer Oliver Stapleton certainly recognize the look expected from such a film. The cattle drives in particular are glorious, reminding even those who don't like horses why this lifestyle once held such great appeal. It's also fascinating to observe how Frears brings together two seemingly-unrelated genres in a film that, for the most part, succeeds in paying homage to both.
The acting is also a plus. Woody Harrelson has developed into an actor who doesn't have a great range, but, when placed in a role within his cone of competence, he can be effective. Such is the case here. Billy Crudup (who had the lead part in the Robert Towne version of the Prefontaine story, Without Limits) gives a fine, internalized performance as Pete, a man torn by loyalty to a friend and a passion he cannot quench. And Patricia Arquette has all the necessary qualities of a femme fatale: looks, sex appeal, mystery, and a certain predatory instinct. Solid support is provided by Cole Hauser in what turns out to be a pivotal part and Sam Elliot as a shrewd businessman who sits back and smirks at all the squabbles erupting around him.
After a brief revival early in the '90s, the western has once again gone into hibernation, and, although The Hi-Lo Country is far from a typical entry into the genre, it's still a welcome opportunity for those who enjoy the Old West to take another trip back in time. And, even though there's a low body count, don't be surprised if the name "Peckinpah" springs to mind at least once during the proceedings.
© 1999 James Berardinelli