The Long Ride Home (2003) User Reviews

Too Self-Indulgent -- Needs to be more Tightly Edited

[tjpjmp · 5/10 · 6 September 2010]

Other reviewers have pointed out good and bad features of this movies, and they all have a point.

The feeling that struck me as I watched this was that it was too long.I found myself watching the clock on my DVD player to see how much longer it would last.When I find myself experiencing something like this while watching a film, it usually means the film lacks focus.I think that is true here. There are just too many subplots and unnecessary twists and turns that detract from the feeling of unity in this film. My recommendation would be that it be taken back to the editing room and severely pared down to give it the film a more distinct direction.

Some good points in the film:

• I thought the actor playing the young boy did a good job, and his scenes held my attention.

• The flirtatious scene(s) where the young lawman envies the light on the leading lady's face was touching, and she did tend to "shine" a bit more in these scenes than others -- she looked better and I thought she was more likable in these scenes.

• The overall tone of the outdoor scenes were appealing....

But I return to my main point... the film needs tighter editing....

A decent western unlike so much of what hollyweird has been putting out.

[headhunter46 · 12 October 2011]

If you need cars flying through the air and lots of explosions, this movie is not for you.

If you need lots of cowboys shooting up the scenery with bodies all over the set, then this will not entertain you.

This moves a bit slow in parts so you really need to be the type of person who doesn't mind if a movie takes a little time to build up a plot with some danger or excitement.

It is about humans getting in situations where they sometimes have to do things they would not normally do. It's about making mistakes and having to face the wreckage left behind. It's about being obsessed with something to the point it ruins your life or the lives of people around you.

It is a decent movie about humans and the things they do. It will not garner any shiny awards, but it is a decent movie that did not offend me once.

Not a good movie

[JP2313 · 2/10 · 13 October 2005]

The only good thing about this movie is that it got me to register on this site. The acting was atrocious...well with the exception of the horse....fortunately that animal was protected by the SPCA and therefore didn't have to deal with any of the rotten dialogue. It seemed to me that the movie was bordering on camp.

A few of the posts hailed it as a great movie due to lack of coarse language and violence. Might as well watch Mary Poppins.

It's going to be difficult to find newer westerns w/o violence, and this movie was not one. The merciless beating of the mother and her hair cut off intimated more distasteful violence than could be seen in "Open Range" or Silverado".

I expect to see this show up in something like MST3K.

I cannot imagine a worse Western Film....Aaaaargh!

[poliglot · 1/10 · 23 June 2003]

I rented this from Blockbuster last night. They have no refund policy unfortunatley. I cannot imagine a worse western film than this. This was so poorly written that it was laughable. And the direction was so hideous that I immediatly looked up the director on IMDb to see who it was so that I would never mistakenly rent another of his films. Ernest Borgnine, a fine actor, simply collected a pay check here, and the script was so bad that even his delivery of the lines were comical and poorly delivered. The wife and the rest of the cast were so poor that it was embarrasing. Not to mention Marshal as the store keeper with his heavy N.Y. accent right out of the city "today" totally out of place and mis cast in this part. I would give this film a -1 but 1 is the lowest rate I can give it. Save your rental money if you are thinking about seeing even and entertaining western feature...this one isn't it....

**SPOILERS** GOD AWFUL!

[artzau · 1/10 · 14 July 2003]

Why? Why did they make such an insulting-to-human-intelligence film as this one? To call it a "dog" would be heaping undeserved praise on an unworthy effort, not to mention insulting dogs everywhere. So, how did they get Eric Roberts and Ernie Borgnine to sign on? The only answer I can come up with is, a paycheck. The rest of the cast(?) are unknown, except for sing-through-his-nose, ultraconservative C&W singer, Randy Travis whose acting consists of two expressions, one like he's going potty and the other, that he's just finished. Also, was Gerry Marshall's role as the hen-pecked storekeeper supposed to be comedy relief with his pronounced New York dialect?

My wife and I watched this film through because we couldn't believe anyone who have the temerity to make, let alone release, a film as flimsy and mindless as this one. Everything was bad from props- a brand new, unblemished holster belonging to a supposed gunfighter- to the settings- the store with a tiny shelf where Marshall is stacking canned goods.

Julia had better tell her brother Eric to find some better scripts, Ernie should rest on his laurels, Penny should tell Gerry that he should be ashamed of himself and Randy should stick to plucking his git-tar and singing his right-wing County music through his nose.

The Long Ride Home

[operez3 · 7/10 · 18 May 2008]

Jack Fowler (Randy Travis) is a common farmer who abandoned his family to protect and carries eight (8) years fleeing because they had to kill someone (drunk Lenny) that it confused with the ruthless, bloodthirsty and famous gunman Jack Cole.

Lucas Moat (Ernest Borgnine) takes more than a month, along with his two sons, following the trail of the real Jack Cole to avenge the assassination of his brother, as well as other crimes including a child.

Abel Hart (Paul Tinder) is a fugitive, mental unwaged, which have an obsession with wanting to be the real Jack Cole. This also confuses Jack Fowler with Jack Cole and takes advantage of his wife (Mrs. Vaughn Taylor) and son (Alec Medlock) to try to kill him.

The character Eric Roberts (sheriff Hank Bowman) is so insignificant and outside sense that coupled with its dismal performance is the only thing that is bad movie.

Really Really Bad

[tbssic · 1/10 · 22 June 2014]

I clicked the "SPOILER" but trust me, this thing stunk so bad, it's already spoiled. But if you happen to be a masochist and want to punish yourself with a really bad movie, have at it, AND DON'T READ ANY FARTHER!!!!

I watched this on TV and was wishing I would have rented it so I could FWD through the slow parts, which was the entire movie. So much disconnected, drawn out junk, I thought I was watching a mystery. The flashback shooting in the beginning had no meaning, until the movie was almost over. I still don't know what the guy on the hill taking a pot shot at Randy was about. Garry Marshall and the store bit was in there for what?? I got the plot, I just couldn't understand why it took so long to get there.

I guess if you're standing in front of a camera and speaking lines from a script, technically, it is acting but it doesn't make you an actor. I'm sure everyone will recognize the 3 bona-fide actors, and then there is,, everyone else. I didn't think anything could be worse than Randy Travis singing,, I was wrong. And with a head twice the size of a normal human, it makes his "acting" appear twice as bad. The little kid and Ernie Borgnine's two sons were so bad, they must be related to Randy. In fact, I think the entire cast and crew were related.

Randy falls from his horse and 3 seconds later the kid looks at his holster and knows it's Jack Cole?? He's spent 8 years not wanting to be Jack Cole and what,, he got Jack Cole engraved on his holster?? Oh,,, and a holster that looks like it just came out of the showroom window?? He almost bleeds to death from a scratch on his deltoid?? Randy, the wife and kid are in the garden, Randy and the wife go to the barn,, and somehow the kid beats them to the hay loft; how does that happen?? The baddest man in the world,, killed countless innocents and a 12 year old boy but lets the hostage wife ride off on his horse?? She rides off, finds Randy, but rather then continue to look for the boy or ride back to the house, they camp out in the woods?? Ernie and the 2 sons rescue the boy, and he gets back home how?? If Ernie took him home, he never thought to look in the house, to see if the owner of the 2 foot lock of hair was OK?? And for the first time in movie history, Eric, a cowboy sheriff, is riding a white Arabian,, with a bareback saddle?? One of Ernie's sons is riding a white horse with a bareback saddle,, possibly the same Arabian?? Randy gives the rifle to the wife and enters,, unarmed, a house where the baddest man alive is?? The last straw was, Ernie's two boys, who couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a handful of rice, put 4 into the chest of the bad guy, nice as you please, only after Ernie takes one in the pumper?? Maybe the first 8 or 10 were sight adjusters?? Too bad for Ernie.

It says the budget was $3.5 million. A good cowboy movie must cost billions...

A refreshing movie in this day and age.

[lbevil · 9/10 · 30 July 2003]

I have seen several critical reviews of this movie. However, I purchased it based on the actors involved in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that, my opinion, it was a good movie. Not a swear word was used in the movie - very refreshing to me. Far better movie than much of the "ilk" coming from the Left Coast these days.

Good movie

[hobbsy · 10/10 · 8 October 2004]

My wife and I enjoyed this movie on the Westerns Channel. It deserves better than the 5.1 average rating. Some people get hung up on one aspect of a movie, for example the Bible verses being quoted, but if that's the way those people lived, the actors could not portray it any other way. Though the actors were mostly unknowns other than Stella Stevens, Randy Travis, Ernest Borgnine and Eric Roberts it was well acted. It was interesting to see Garry Marshal in a movie, I had only seen him in the Documentary of The Princess Diaries and had only seen Randy Travis in Fire Down Below. I see that Randy Travis is in several other movies and will check them out.

Good Family Movie, not for liberals

[alanco · 10/10 · 21 July 2004]

Nothing wrong with a movie without swearing, and without much violence. Eric Roberts is a bit miscast as a literate sheriff, who doesn't ride that well (without stirrups) and the Bible quoting is fairly minimal and welcome.

We need more movies like this instead of the urban crap being thrown out these days. Outdoor scenes are pretty and well filmed. Randy Travis is not bad, and Vaughn Taylor is great. It is hard for me to believe that some complained that some would be offended by the Bible quotations; how PC! Well, we western movie fans not only are not offended, we find it a refreshing change from the secular liberal mantra that Hollywood espouses.

Great Family entertainment

[gela-1 · 10/10 · 13 May 2005]

It's great to see a Western that's not the typical shoot 'em up and not the usual trash in the saloon. It's nice to have high morals for a change and show the other side of Western life. Why does everyone think that the West was only a bunch of violent gold seekers and train robbers and drop dead gorgeous women? It's nice to see a change of pace in a Western that looks more at character issues and drama verses more and more useless killing. I thought the cast, the cinematography, and the music was great! It sounded like a rich orchestral score...like worth buying the soundtrack for. There's a bit of everything: Romance, drama, adventure, mystery, suspense. I thought it was a great combo. Enjoy an evening without the typical Hollywood trash. Enjoy seeing Randy Travis, Eric Roberts, Stella Stevens, Ernest Borgnine,Rance Howard (Ron's Dad), Jerry Doyle, Garry Marshall (great to see him acting!), Paul Tinder, and Vaughn Taylor. I'll definitely buy it and watch it again!

Movie with a good message

[hobbs6549 · 9/10 · 30 August 2006]

This is a movie which held morality and marriage in high esteem. Those who dislike religion will dislike this movie. With that said: I watched it first before reading any of these reviews. I thought it was a very meaningful movie, though the bad guy was a bit over-the-top. (The violence could be disturbing for children, so parents should use caution.) The bible-quoting derisively mentioned by a couple reviewers was not overly-frequent. While it may be surprising that someone can remember such quotes by verse, it's not unrealistic if one is raised in a religious household. This movie held a powerful message about God's forgiveness for our sins. It also treated marriage as something more than shacking-up. If that offends anyone, I don't think the movie is to blame. I didn't give it a 10 because I thought the bad guy and the ending was a bit contrived.

Oh, I don't know

[Edmund_Dantes · 10/10 · 4 November 2006]

I liked the movie. I guess many of the previous posters missed the sex and swearing. The New York accent was explained when Arthur was discussing with Miriam her desire to return to New York because of the threat in their town from the presence of a gunfighter. I liked the confusion in the beginning about Jack Cole and it was fun figuring out during the course of the movie the identity of Jack Cole and the story of why Jack Fowler left his family for 8 years. The Bible verses were true to life in that persons were poor in those times and often the only book they owned was The Bible and as a result many became quite conversant with it.

No Saddle.. Okay!!!

[erv_donnelly · 15 July 2004]

I really enjoyed this movie.. I think the reason Eric did not have the usual saddle on the horse is because he was riding HIS OWN horse in this film and wanted the horse to be at ease.. You could see how relaxed he was himself with the horse. It was obvious the horse was his own..The movie itself may have been a little wishy- washy but Hey I like that..And Yes they could have paired him up with someone else but what the hey... Looks aren't the be-all and end-all. It is what is inside that counts .. Doesn't anyone get that!!!!Of course I was wishing there would have been more of Eric in the movie.. I guess the star was supposed to be Randy Travis.. Whatever!!!!

We liked this movie.

[patrich214 · 8/10 · 1 July 2007]

My husband and I vacationed in San Antonio and visited The Enchanted Springs Ranch for their chuckwagon dinner show. We could not have been more impressed. The staff was so nice and accommodating (my husband had thrown his back out the day before). The food was great, as well as the wagon ride to see the animals, the music, story-telling, play. Our only regret was not getting their earlier in the day. We met Vaughn Taylor and Paul Tinder, which prompted us to buy a copy of this movie. An Oscar winner, no, but a very good movie, none the less. No bad language, a story about unforeseen circumstances, choices, loyalty, redemption, forgiveness, etc.

Can't believe they spent the money!!!!

[lingrham-1 · 13 June 2003]

Excellent cast less the wife. Production values proved money was spent to make the film. Why? Nothing new, nothing different and nothing interesting to watch. Thanks for giving Ernie another role. He's an amazing actor and always gives more than expected.

Wish this movie was available to watch. Please list it again.

[joshlively · 10/10 · 9 November 2023]

I would like to watch this mov ie. Please add it back so I could watch it. I can't watch it anywhere. I would like to watch it by streaming it on my Roku TV. I drive truck for a living and that's all I do is stream movies and everything else. So I'm hoping this movie will be available soon. It is one of my favorite movies that a fortunately I only got to watch a few times back when I was younger... Randy Travis is also my favorite country singer of all time. So that's what draws me to this movie. So I hope it gets put back on so I can watch it in my truck when I'm taking my 10-hour breaks thanks. This is josh.