The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Patience is part of the point.”
Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.
Back to trending 
Monte Walsh
Western · 1970
Monte Walsh is an aging cowboy facing the ending days of the Wild West era. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prarie is what they long for. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start.
Movie details
Monte Walsh
“Monte Walsh is what the West was all about.”
1970 Western 1h 39m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.3 / 10
Community rating
Monte Walsh is an aging cowboy facing the ending days of the Wild West era. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prarie is what they long for. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Monte Walsh?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Ballad of Lefty Brown
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Aging sidekick Lefty Brown has ridden with Eddie Johnson his entire life. But when a rustler kills Eddie, Lefty is forced from his partner’s shadow and must confront the ugly realities of frontier justice.
Two Rode Together
Western · 1961
Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.
The Culpepper Cattle Co.
Western · 1972
Working as an assistant on a long cattle drive, the young Ben Mockridge contends between his dream of being a cowboy and the harsh truth of the Old West.
Terror on the Prairie
Western · 2022
A pioneering family fights back against a gang of vicious outlaws that is terrorizing them on their newly-built farm on the plains of Montana.
The Harder They Fall
Western · 2021
Gunning for revenge, outlaw Nat Love saddles up with his gang to take down enemy Rufus Buck, a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison.
7 Men from Now
Western · 1956
A former sheriff relentlessly pursuing the 7 men who murdered his wife in Arizona crosses paths with a couple heading to California.
Appaloosa
Drama · 2008
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
The Wild Bunch
Western · 1969
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.
Deadwood: The Movie
Western · 2019
Follow the 10-year reunion of the Deadwood camp to celebrate South Dakota's statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Western · 2024
In 1859, families discover the lure of the Old West as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. Meanwhile, a gruff cowboy finds himself on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after killing a fellow gunman.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
William A. Fraker
Written by
Lukas Heller · David Zelag Goodman
Lee Marvin
Monte Walsh
Jeanne Moreau
Martine Bernard
Jack Palance
Chet Rollins
Mitchell Ryan
Shorty Austin
Jim Davis
Cal Brennan
G.D. Spradlin
Hal Henderson
John Hudkins
Sonny Jacobs
Court is in session
Put Monte Walsh on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker
“A test of endurance, your honour.”
Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.