The Tracker

I am a big Western fan..and it seems the older I get, the more I like them..However, I had not watched this film before..and I really liked it a lot..It had all the prerequisites of great Western..Terrific scenery..good musical score..a time tested plot..and very good characters..It reminded me greatly of 1 of my favorite films, The Last Hard Men...where Charlton Heston/James Coburn starred as the retired lawman and escaped convict..Both films shared 1 thing that is hard to find in a western..a general sense of foreboding where at every turn there was danger lurking in every turn.. In this film's case 2 terrific actors, Kris Kristofferson and Scott Wilson who as leads developed a personal hatred for each other..Both films had young men finding their way in a world they had not experienced in the manner of the lawman, which made the lawman uneasy for relying on him as a back-up..and both films had the beginnings of a love interest that involved a kidnapped hostage and young apprentice..I highly recommend this film, and then decide which 1 you enjoy better..In my case, for different reasons I give it a tie!!!

The Western never quite seems to die, despite repeated pronouncements to that effect. Westerns are not cool, although their heroes can certainly be. But so what? Cool is far too transient to be taken seriously by anyone but marketers and adolescents. For the latter, knowing what's cool is merely practice for knowing something but without the burden of actual knowledge. It's a place to be for people who, in essence, know almost nothing and need something to grip. So, instead of dying, the Western seems merely to periodically cop some Z's than awaken again to take a currently acceptable shape. Witness HBO's critically well-received new series, Deadwood. What's the secret here? I think it's simple. The Western is simply too innately and indelibly cinematic to completely die. Also, if one has a knack for location shooting, westerns can be relatively easy to make - at least as easy as any feature film can be, although they can be hard to make well. For example, Lawrence Kasdan's Silverado, despite its excellent cast, top-shelf production values, and sprinkling of good moments, never quite managed to escape a certain perfunctoriness. Compare it to a similar ensemble work in the genre: Clint Eastwood's superb Unforgiven, and you can begin to get the almost indefinable sense of what makes a Western right. The Western requires a certain element of restraint to really work; restraint on all levels, behind and in front of the camera. The made-for-TV, The Tracker, also screened as Dead or Alive, is a blueprint for that restraint.

The Tracker is a simple manhunt story set in the canyon country of southern Utah. If you've ever spent time in the high country, especially when autumn is drawing its final breaths, with the first major snowfall just a hair-trigger pull away, you'll know how beautiful that time of the season is. A buttery light seems to glow out from everywhere: rocks, dust, the explosion of golden Cottonwood leaves. Into this beautiful and unforgiving world Kris Kristofferson's almost supernaturally tough Marshal Noble Adams pursues his quarry. And what a great quarry it is. The under-sung Scott Wilson plays Jack Stillwell, a bible-quoting maniac, kidnapper, and murderer; a cross between Donald Pleasance's vicious lay preacher in Will Penny and the Wild Bill character in The Green Mile. Stillwell is on the loose, out of his gourd, and loving every minute of his headlong ride to perdition. Marshal Adams, his longtime friend and deputy (the ursine David Huddleston), and Adams's son, on leave from school `in the East', whom the Marshal deputizes to give him some real work to do, set out in pursuit of Stillwell, and they're not coming back without him.

The story swings between Jack Stillwell's fever-pitch lunacy and Marshal Adams' granitic resolve. Kris Kristofferson was born to be a western lead; always displaying the entire palette of mood required for the work. His Billy the Kid is, essentially, definitive although I remain very fond of Emilio Estevez' wild-eyed embodiment in Young Guns. Despite the relatively unknown status of this film, Kristofferson's Noble Adams is one of the finest western characters ever portayed: American Gothic from the Dark Side in service of The Light and is also some of this actor's best work ever. Trailing Stillwell into country where, as a younger man, Adams lost his wife, whom it is clear that he dearly loved, pulls the the Marshal across hallowed ground to boot. Tragi-comic relief occurs in the form of grim humor when a pack of bounty hunters, knockabout cowpokes also tracking Stillwell and completely out of their collective depth, cross Adams's trail. They get one warning to drop their act which, of course, they ignore in a manner entirely consistent with a group intelligence just a notch or two above the pathetics who rode with Robert Ryan's Deke Thornton in the Wild Bunch.

Adams' weapon of choice is a long-barreled Sharps. The Marshal shoots well and the outcome is somewhat foregone, yet one still emerges with a certain compassion for the dull-witted.

And there you have it. And it's all you need. As a film, The Tracker is a very solid B movie; a perfectly good place for a western to be. But as a genre piece, once the action departs the somewhat too-manicured 1880's railhead set, it's right down the pipe: compact, credible, nonsense-free, poignant, and engrossing. Any fan of the genre should collect it.

Renegade Mormon psychopath (!) Scott Wilson and fellow prisoners, including John Quade and Don Swayze, bust out of prison and go on a bloody rampage. Famous retired tracker Kris Kristofferson is pressed back into service by lawman David Huddleston to help catch them and ends up bringing his eastern educated son. Upon hearing that Kristofferson is tracking them, Wilson ups the ante by kidnapping two young girls.

This is one grim, eighties style western that never lets up in terms of action and suspense. The teleplay by Kevin Jarre (who also wrote Tombstone) has a lot of psychological depth, with Kristofferson revealing to his son a different, more violent side and in turn teaching the young lawyer how to be a man.

It's good to see character actor David Huddleston in a non-comedic hero role. Scott Wilson is also good as the pitifully disturbed heavy, probably his best role since In Cold Blood. Kristofferson gives a better performance here than in Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid.

Director John Guillerman also scored big with faux spaghetti western El Condor, with Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef. He does a great job capturing the great natural beauty as well as the dark side of the old west.

"The Tracker" is just an old TV-movie from the 1980's you might think, but thanks to Kevin Jarre's well-written story the film works very well, better than most modern action-oriented Westerns. But the film has also Kris Kristofferson in the main role, and he is suitable as Noble Adams. I think Kristofferson clearly shows that he handles his role very well, and one of the main reasons why the film works the way it does.

Thanks to very few flaws in the script, this Western works very well. Even if "The Tracker" could be better and would fit nice as a movie for the cinema, it is highly recommended for any fan of the Western-genre.

Rating: 6+ of 10.

Notable TV Western with Kris Kristofferson's stoic acting as a tough tracker who sets out in pursuit some cruel outlaws . A series of vicious crimes by a renegade bunch of gunfighters , led by "Red Jack" Stilwell (Scott Wilson) and his henchmen (John Quade , Don Swayze..) lead to a legendary tracker , Noble Adams (Kris Kristofferson) , is pulled out of retirement to capture Stilwell , dead or alive , being accompanied by the local sheriff (David Huddleston) . Reluctantly, needing more men, he allows his son Tom (Mark Moses) to ride along. They track down the heinous villain and meet a band of nasty bounty hunters 8Leon Rippley , among others) .As the group sets after them , as Stitwell leads his men in a manhunt throughout a long and risked journey . Along the way , they manage to escape from the ominous gang and then things change . He thought his days of violence had ended... But the battle between good and evil is never over. Noble thought he left behind.

Thrilling Western in traditional style in which a two-fisted tracker joins his son and a sheriff to chase a really dangerous killer and his hoodlums . A charming and agreeable Western with good performance by the protagonist quartet : Kris Kristopherson , Mark Moses , David Huddleston and the extremely nasty Scott Wilson . This fine Western contains thrills , adequate action set-pieces , chases , go riding , and taking place impressive quick-draws . This special Western picture with breathtaking duels concerns three pursuers pit heinous bandits resulting in a deadly gun-battle and it turns out to be an enjoyable as well as appropriate homage to the traditional style Western . There's a particular family relationship , father : Kris Kristofferson and son : Mark Moses , revealing to Tom a whole brutal side of ruthlessness . This ¨The Tracker (1988)¨ contains strong performances augmented by blazing guns , hobbled by an uneven writing . Nevertheless, it doesn't have much interest at times , neither intensity enough , though Kris Kristofferson captures his role pretty well playing an expert and silent gunfighter who proves his excellent skills against the violent band . John Guillermin's slick direction , awesome interpretation and interesting story and script from Kevin Jarre enhance interest in this television nice Western . Standing out the great Kris Kristofferson as the merciless tracker who he seeks justice and vengeance . Star Kris Kristofferson is a detached figure in Western genre , being one of its main representatives , performing a lot of them in the Seventies , Eighties and Nineties , as cinema as TV , such as : ¨The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James¨ , ¨Pat Garret and Billy the Kid¨ , ¨Heaven's Gate¨, ¨Outlaw Justice¨ , ¨Dead man's gun¨ , ¨Stagecoach¨ and modern Western as ¨Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia¨ or ¨Convoy¨ and several others . Adding other notorious secondaries as John Quade , Don Swayze , Geoffrey Blake , Leon Rippley , Karen Kopins and the recently deceased Ernie Lively , Blake Lively's father.

There's a magnificently atmospheric cinematography , heightened by professional cameraman George Tirl providing vivid photography from Durango and Silverton , Narrow Gauge Railroad, Colorado, Bonanza Creek Ranch Santa Fe, Galisteo , San Ildefonso , New Mexico, Diablo Canyon, Santa Fe, New Mexico . The motion picture was competently directed by John Guillermin . This Brit craftsman filmmaker directed several films of all kinds of genres , getting several hits and some flops , as he made the following ones : "The Blue Max" , "Walz of the Toreadors" , "Never Let Go" , "Death on the Nile" , "King Kong" , "King Kong lives" , "Towering inferno" , among others . Rating : 6.5/10 . Better than average . Essential and indispensable watching for Western enthusiasts . The flick will appeal to Kris Kristofferson fans .