Conagher is both a hard-riding actioner and a character-driven look at Western life. Katharine Ross plays Evie Teale, widowed after coming West and forced to prove her mettle in many ways. Sam Elliott plays Conagher, a cow... more »hand who, when not tracking rustlers, drifts in and out of Evie's life. Something about that frontier woman keeps drawing him back. But can Evie ever keep him from drifting out again?« less
Jean W. from JORDANVILLE, NY Reviewed on 6/2/2013...
Not a typical western, but worth watching. Sam Elliott is very good in this, as is Katharine Ross.
Movie Reviews
"It's a hard country kid"
Jerry Fry | Freeman, MO USA | 09/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a fan of westerns but I don't believe there are very many good ones. But this is a good one, it's a good movie besides being a good western. One relief I got from it was I finally got to see a modern western without it making a political statement. All the actors in this show are good. Made me feel like I was really there. I missed "Johnnie" though, the guy who was Chris Mahler's partner and decided to stay with Conagher when Mahler rode off. I wish he had been in the movie longer. Conagher is a tough cow puncher who doesn't have to look for trouble, it has a way of finding him. His life begins to change after he meets Katherine Ross (Evie) and her two kids. Her husband is killed in an accident unbeknownst to them while he goes to buy cattle. Months go by and they know its been too long and he's not coming back. Elliot looks his part, a man who's had a hard life but survived it through thick and thin, mostly thin. Filmed in Colorado, the location and the music match the story well."
MR. AND MRS. ELLIOTT SHINE IN L'AMOUR CLASSIC
D. McAllister | Somewhere in the Field | 05/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While Sam Elliott has become (along with, perhaps, Tom Selleck) the personification of the Louis L'Amour screen hero, it's especially nice in CONAGHER to see him opposite one of the first ladies of western cinema, Katherine Ross. It's especially nice when one remembers that Ms. Ross is also Mrs. Elliott in real life.
The two provide a power-packed performance in bringing Louis L'Amour's classic western tale to life. CONAGHER is the story of an honorable cowhand who almost single-handedly takes on a gang of marauders bent on doing all the damage they can to everyone they meet. Yes, a classic battle of good against evil ensues but it's done sincerely and lacks some of the schmaltz that surfaces in similar western sagas.
Add to Elliott and Ross an all-star western cast including Dub and Buck Taylor, Barry Corbin and Ken Curtis and you have an enduring western classic.
THE HORSEMAN"
A lover of Western American history
John Byhoffer | Ventura, Calif. | 11/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Only a few westerns have become true favorites of mine over the last 40 years. Conagher ranks with the best of them. Why? The movie was not filmed in a movie lot specially made for movies, like Universal Studios or Old Tucson. But rather, you could say it was filmed 'on location' in a rugged, true-to-life environment that honestly represents what it was really like in the Old West. The Teal cabin and the surrounding country, the ranch of Seaborn Tay, the town - all have that authentic realism that lend excellence to the movie. Often in the film the lighting in certain scenes appears lacking as compared to other films in the genre. But actually, this is what gives the film a special feel, a special ring of realism. It's because you feel as though you are really there as a bystander, watching this drama play out right in front of you in the same way it would appear in real life. The direction of the film by Rebaldo Villalobos is superb and the performances by the actors are absolutely memorable. The musical score couldn't have been better because the selections chosen for the soundtrack apply perfectly and leave an indelible impression on the viewer. I don't know what Sam Elliot would think about this, but I believe this film is his best, most memorable performance of his career, bar-none. His rendition of Conn Conagher imprints Sam Elliot on my mind for all time - he IS Conagher. I don't think he has played characters in any of his other films that have struck me the way that Conn Conagher has in this one. But this is not to detract from the other performers in the film: Catherine Ross, Gavin O'Herlihy, Daniel Quinn, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Cody Braun, Anndi McAfee, and the rest - they've all portrayed believable characters that make for a very enjoyable, memorable film that you will want to watch again and again over the years because it brings something special to the heart. Don't pass up the opportunity to see Conagher if you haven't seen it yet - you'll never regret it."
A Western the way it should be
Utah Blaine | Somewhere on Trexalon in District 268 | 05/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a well done, made-for-TV Western based on the Louis L'Amour novel of the same name. There is so much to like in this movie. This is not some grand epic like `Dances with Wolves', the scale and scope of the action are small, and the plot straightforward. The casting and acting are great. Sam Elliot was put on this Earth to play the role of L'Amour's quiet loners. He has such a great voice and presence. Katherine Ross, his love interest in this movie and his wife in real life, is also outstanding. Conagher has some great lines in this movie, as other reviews have alluded to. Ken Curtis (Festus!) also has an important role in this movie. Any Western with Festus can't be bad. The cinematography is terrific. Beautiful shots of the wilderness, the badlands, and the open sky. This movie is also full of atmosphere. Without trying to describe what atmosphere is in a Western, the best Westerns (such as John Wayne's Rio Bravo, and including this film) have it. There is also a certain gritty realism to this movie that is lacking in many Westerns made in the past twenty years. The characters get dirty and tired. One small point about this film that I really found compelling was that the shots and lever actions of the Winchesters sound as they really do. Most gunshots in movies don't sound like real gunshots. This is a small but important detail for realism, and it really adds to the experience of being part of the action, not just a distant observer. The only reason that I don't give this movie five stars is that the editing and transition between scenes are horrible. Perhaps this is an artifact of TV (commercial breaks) or perhaps it indicates that there were more scenes initially shot that were cut from the finished film, I don't know. Scenes just abruptly end, and there are discontinuous, seemingly random jumps, in time and space in the film. It makes the final product somewhat choppy in my opinion. This is a great (and underappreciated) Western in any case, and a worthy addition to any collection."