Good and gripping modern western imbued with a deep nostalgia for a vanished world , set in the ranchlands of Montana 1945 , dealing with an old-fashioned cowboy on horseback , an Anzio war veteran resistant to the modern times , called Frank Buck (James Caan) . He is a free-spirited man out of sync with the contemporary age . Buck reluctantly attempts to help and joins forces with a single woman , Ella Connors , (Jane Fonda , who holds an uncanny resemblance to her father Henry as well as her brother Peter and her personality dominates the film) pitting wits against the world progress , oil-rich proprietaries and a nasty land baron (Jason Robards as her previous incestuous cousin) in an attempt to hold their dream of pioneering spirit and freedom . Buck and Connors are supported by a local old timer called Dodger (Richard Fansworth) . Meanwhile , a powerful banker (George Grizzard) attempts to take all the oil rich lands surrounding the wealthy owners . An the end takes place and exciting and moving climax when the main conflicts developing throughout the movie come alive .Romantic , compelling , elegiac and marvelously acted Western with an extreme feel by that time and period . Sorrowfull essay on civilized progress and exploitation of nature , including two main characters out of step with the modern world . The message of Dennis Clark's screenplay is often a little too heavily underlined buttressed by some rather obvious symbols . The film turns out to be rebellious as well as respectful with classic Western mythology , including ordinary set pieces : saloon fights , go riding , rodeo , close range , stampedes and final gun-play , adding some Fordian touches . Although the flick is more interested in the sensitive love story between Fonda and Caan than battles and western action . This ¨Comes a horseman¨ bears certain resemblance to ¨Lonely are the brave¨ by David Miller with Kirk Douglas , Walter Matthaw , Gena Rowlands ; both of them are misfit modern Westerns , share similar issues : ranchers' conflict , open range , confrontations and resistance to the modern ages . ¨Comes the horseman¨ results to be an elaborately designed Western with a slow-moving and persuasive treatment of Western familiar themes such as : brawls in a bar , cattle chase , war range , shootouts , and including a blazing conclusion brings this thrilling picture to a highly satisfactory final . Very good acting from a great cast . As Jane Fonda as the spinster banshee woman who fights off relentlessly cattle baron , she is mercilessly struggling to make it on her own to not have to sell out her lands . James Caan is really convincing as the cowboy who feels empathy and finally love for Fonda . Both of whom are really faced off a villain owner , masterfully played by Jason Robards as a cattle baron attempting to gobble up all Montana land , whose affair with her as a teenager has marked to her father . And special mention for Richard Farnsworth as a Walter Brennan-style old times who steals the show as the veteran who wants to die with boots on .Pakula directs with aplomb and eloquent feeling for landscapes , making magnificent use of outdoors and adding a wonderful cinematography by Gordon Willis who gives a visually superb lighting . Furthermore , it displays a rousing and thrilling musical score by Michael Small . This intriguing picture was compellingly directed by Alan J. Pacula , though being slowly and deliberately realized . Pacula made a lot of nice films , such as : All the president's men , Sophie's choice , The Parallax view , Starting over , Presumed innocent , Pelican brief , The devil's own and this one : Comes a horseman .

I suppose the big stink over Jane Fonda's ("Ella Conners") misguided politics (some years ago) turned people away from it's original release. "Comes a Horseman" delivers for every role played, cinematography, score, script - the whole thing. Ms. Fonda made many movies I was/am not aware of, till TCM presented a tribute to her body of work. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it......I can understand people not caring for Ms. Fonda's foolish mistake with communism - and not giving her credit for the wonderful actress she is - but do not understand the negative comments posted here about "Comes a Horseman". Director Alan Pakula had a tight bead on the film he wanted to make, with the help of a good script from Dennis L. Clark. Ms. Fonda played a perfect role as a determined woman to hold-onto her ranch (post World War II), working right along with the men. Her strong bond with her ranch-hand "Dodger" (Richard Farnsworth) was a testament to the closeness of owner/worker, and how difficult it was to run a ranch, making for a good subplot. I don't remember being aware that she and "J. W. Ewing" (Jason Robards) had been married, but that didn't prevent the viewer from graphically understanding the great hatred between the two characters.One user's opinion there wasn't any connection with the movie's story and "Comes a Horseman" - he was "Buck Athearn" (James Caan), who played a wonderful role. One user wrote "Ella" sold some of her land to "Buck" - truth is, "Buck's" land was inherited. A natural dislike of "Ewing" developed, when they discovered he was attempting to scare them off their land because he wanted it all back - oil ! James Keach was very good in his role as the banker who held the mortgage on "Ewing's" land, wanting to cash-in with the oil explorer (George Grizzard). Not much imagination to guess what happened to them - but, a dash of predictability couldn't harm this movie.I thoroughly connected with the criminal actions "Ewing" perpetrated against "Ella" and "Buck"; I also thought their escape was natural. I was heartened that "Ella" had the gumption to start all over again on her ranch, and thought the ending was fitting.The subplots in "Horseman" make it a great deal more entertaining. My opinion is that all of the cast does a fabulous acting-job on their roles. There isn't one thing in this movie to keep it from being enjoyed by family-viewing. I'm looking for the DVD......

Director Alan J. Pakula and cinematographer Gordon Willis, masters at capturing urban paranoia, give this post-WWII western a lachrymose solemnity; while both men may have been quite taken with the western clichés that litter Dennis Lynton Clark's screenplay, they keep the mood so sorrowful that the characters never quite emerge. Indeed, Clark's script seems to begin after the central drama has already been played out. Land baron Jason Robards, embittered by the death of his son and holding a decades-long grudge against rancher Jane Fonda, is in unhappy cahoots with oil drillers, and all want Fonda off her land so they can start getting rich. The picture is sleepy-slow and only half-realized, with Pakula's lofty ambitions clashing with Clark's writing, which is occasionally crass. Some good scenes (including Fonda and James Caan dancin' the Texas Star), pretty locales and a decent score from Michael Small can't really make film worthwhile. ** from ****

Jason Robards plays such a slimeball character in this that you know the ending from about the fourth minute. Nevertheless, it's a good story, with lots of hidden secrets to reveal. Caan plays a believable laid-back love interest for tough, gutsy Jane Fonda. The best thing is the photography, however-- in particular the dance scene, in which the camera follows Fonda and Caan as they move through a crowded outdoor dance floor without every losing either focus or the stars. Breathtaking. Some great mountains somewhere in Wyoming come close to stealing the show.