One of my favorite westerns; also tops is another based on a Jack Schaefer novel: "Shane".The acting in MW and Shane is top-notch, and I can't think of better casting. Palance and Marvin are perfect. Everyone else, too. I'm not crazy about "The Good Days are Over," but it doesn't really get in the way.I'm finally reading the book. Wowee! What a gem. As I always do, I picture the actors in the movie as I read. Jack as Chet, Lee as Monte, Jim Davis as Cal -- perfect again. Really makes a book come alive to picture those guys as you read, much like Gregory Peck as Atticus.No, the book and movie are different. But there are two scenes in the movie, two of my favorites, that are in the book: cookie's EX-LAX revenge and the bunkhouse brawl.It says something about a book and a movie that you really care about the characters. Slash Y forever.Plus Chet was from Illinois, he was proud of that. He was more specific in the book: 40 miles west of Chicago. Me, too. I like the connection. P.S. Did you know that Hickok and Earp were Illinoisans?

"Monte Walsh" is a very slow, deliberate and meandering sort of film. It's really quite lovely but also a bit thin when it comes to plot.The film is set in the waning days of the old west. Jobs for cowhands are drying up and old timers like Monte (Lee Marvin) and his friend, Chet (Jack Palance) are living anachronisms. During the course of the film, not only is their way of life dying but all sorts of rotten things happen to the folks Monte loves and as they drop like flies, he's pretty much all alone.To heighten the effect of loneliness, the film has excellent melancholy music and is deliberately slow and brooding. It works but might annoy some viewers who want a lot of action. Well, until near the end there ain't any....so deal with it! Worth seeing despite being a bit depressing and slow.

I started watching westerns back in the 1940's, when I was a boy, so I grew up during the golden age of Western films, and I saw most of them, including the great ones, like "Red River", "My Darlin' Clementine", and "Shane". Monte Walsh has no bad performances, they are all outstanding. The casting is superb, and the story line is compelling, to say nothing of the excellent photography, score, and set design. The film is a valedictory to the closing of the old west. I love this film, and having it seen it a number of times over the years, I've yet to find a flaw. Some of the scenes look as if they came to life directly from a Remington painting, and the cameo performances highlight the essential theme of the film, which is the passing of an era, and the love these men have for their way of life, and each other. Lee Marvin and Jack Palance are marvelous. Together with the aforementioned films, Shane and the others, The Searchers, The Ox Bow Incident, and Tom Horn, this film "Monte Walsh" is on my list of top ten. Highly recommended.

When "Monte Walsh" appeared in 1970, I avoided it like the plague. "Who wants to see a movie about the end of an era?" I asked myself, conveniently forgetting how much I loved "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." So, nearly 30 years later, Turner Classic Movies gave me the opportunity to correct what might have been a mistake. Had I erred in 1970? Well, yes and no. Yes, because "Monte Walsh" now joins my list of one of the five best westerns ever made; and, no, because at the tender age of 21, I would not have appreciated this masterpiece; which, in these especially troubled times, seems more relevant than ever.According to TCM host, Robert Osborne, William Fraker directed only 4 films during his distinguished career, preferring his role as director of photography. If "Monte Walsh" is any example, then director Fraker missed his calling; as, "Monte Walsh" boasts outstanding ensemble acting, unusual unless the director is especially gifted. Many in this cast give the best performances of his or her career, particularly Jim Davis and Mitchell Ryan. "Monte Walsh" should be the role for which Marvin is remembered, as "Chet" should be the role to remember Jack Palance. It's a joy and a privilege to watch Marvin and Palance interact, even more enjoyable than Marvin and John Wayne in their frequent pairings. The first two thirds of "Monte Walsh" is largely upbeat, even in the hard times portrayed, while the final third left me both numb and aching."I won't p**s on 30 years of my life," is one of the many profound quotations in "Monte Walsh." It defines Monte's code of honor; a decent, loving and honorable man unwilling to compromise who he is. I give "Monte Walsh" a "10".