Stephen Bly
Last Stand at Saber River Western Movie Review by western author Stephen Bly
Wife Janet went to the big city of Spokane for a few days to Christmas shop, so I I caught up on watching a western movie marathon. I pulled out Last Stand at Saber River, a western movie I watched once when it came out in 1997 on Turner Cable Television. Turner and AMC have kept the classic western movie genre alive over the years.
Last Stand at Saber River is based on an Elmore Leonard western story. Lots of writers I know like to read Elmore Leonard novels. He can spin a good tale, although his vocabulary is not always the same as mine.
Paul Cable (Tom Selleck) is a disillusioned Confederate soldier who returns home just weeks before the end of the Civil War. With his strong-willed
pioneer wife and two children, he returns to his Arizona home to resume a quiet life. Instead, he finds Union sympathizers have taken possession of the ranch. He and his wife fight for the ranch … and, at times, with each other. Even when news that the war is over reaches him, he faces one more tough battle.
Good Western Movie
Last Stand at Saber River is a good western movie. They got most (but not all) of the details right. That always pleases me. Tom Selleck is best if he plays roles like Tom Magnum or Matthew Quigley (Quigley Down Under). And this is a Quigley type part.
Suzy Amis
Suzy Amis is excellent as his strong-willed wife. She wears the correct dress for the Old West era, has no makeup or jewelry. She’ll do to ride the river with.
And for you film buffs, there’s a very young (9-yrs-old) Haley Joel Osment as Tom Selleck’s son. Haley Joel splashed onto our screens with his terrific performance in The Sixth Sense. But we first met him when he played Tom Hanks’ son, Little Forrest, in Forrest Gump. His list of movie credits is impressive and will one day, no doubt, win him an Academy Award.
Copyright 2008 – Stephen Bly
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Haley Joel Osment
Another review of western movie Last Stand at Saber River
Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack Reviews FILMTRACKS REVIEW
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Book Recommends
Matthew Blackburn’s list of 12 Best Western Books. He includes authors such as Ron Hansen, Dee Brown, Zane Grey, Larry McMurtry, Cormac MMcCarthy, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Patrick DeWitt, Willa Cather, Charles Portis, and Louis L’Amour. See titles HERE 12 BEST WESTERN BOOKS
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You might also enjoy “Coming Home” Audio Podcast and Blog article by Stephen Bly HERE COMING HOME PODCAST
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