For anyone who is wondering about it…my advice is don’t waste the time.

Poor plot and story line that really doesn’t make a lot of sense. Nick Cage makes a horrible western actor. I am a fan of his and think he is a good actor and has had some great movies, but he isn’t cut out for doing a western.

Preposterous story line, 4 guys ( one a drunk with only 1 hand ) find a huge herd in a remote mountain pass and kill 4700 buffalo in a little over 3 weeks and skin them all, get snowed in and wait out the winter in a remote pass. Are supposedly able to load 1500 hides onto one wagon pulled by two mules. Make it back to find the bottom has fallen out of the hide market.

I give it a D -

One interesting note, I believe they actually did kill two buffalo for the film. In one scene he says “ I’ll shoot this one in the lungs”, and then the camera pans to a grazing buff who then gets brained with a shot behind the ear and its back legs fall out from under it. I suppose it could be CG but it looked more realistic than most other kill shots on screen.

I didn't think it was that bad. It was shot very well. Acting is meh. Plot was different than anything I've seen before. Great shooting scenes with the sharps 50-70 and the Springfield Trap Door. Though it looks like a 50-90 not a 50-70 in the reloading scenes. I thought the same thing about the amount they shot being carried in one wagon, lol. I'd give it a C+ for the unique plot, cinematography, reloading ammo and the guns.

I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m sure Cage over acts as usual. He seems to have the same intensity in a gunfight scene and a scene where he’s picking flowers…..

Hmm I would have guessed this was about some kind of small town meat market lol.

Yeah there is hints of that but it isn’t as bad as in past films.

The filming and production as mentioned earlier were very good. But the plot didn’t elaborate on any scene and when something is introduced it doesent tie up the end of the story. It’s like one giant run on with very little closure to topic.

They tried to be somewhat accurate in the filming but it isn’t gonna pass the sniff test with anyone who is in the know about historic rifles or buffalo hunting. Like when he says “ lung shot” and then they head shoot one. Or that he is hand loading enough rounds by the fire every night to kill 4700 buffalo.

It’s one of those films that when it’s over, leaves you wondering “ what in the hell did I just watch ?”

Yeah, we watched it a while back. I was bummed that I used a "guy flick" point on it.

It did show how the market ended overnight and the havoc that causes. Same thing can still happen today.

I am sure that, given enough time, the entire THF will be able to find forgiveness in their hearts

That Stanley mug crash coming in 3, 2, 1....

Stanley mugs are nothing but a hipsters yeti.


Like Pabst blue ribbon and carhartt, what once was a symbol of masculinity has now been adopted by kale eating suburbanites.

The poor Stanley, which was once a receptacle of the working man, is now employed to transport $6 a bottle wine to bus stops and soccer games all across the country. What a fall from grace.

Hey, I'm derailing for a second 'cause of QuitShootin's double-T Tech sig. On vehicles, when I see a Tech symbol, I always look for a second or third, 'cause like 0.01% just have one. There wasn't a license plate holder that said "Tech", no second sticker, no nuthin'. Then I saw it. He was turning right. And his taillights had the double T in them. I gotta admit, they did look cool.

I have another question in the same vein, being as I did not go to a 4 year university:


Why do people who graduated from a University continue to support the school/wear their colors, fly their flags, etc LONG after graduation? I saw a car yesterday that had the license plate "guns up" and when i pulled up beside it, it was driven by a 50+ year old man. We have an A&M plate here that is driven by a lady who graduated in 99'. My neighbor has a Wisconsin Badger Flag and they graduated damn near 20 years ago, and haven't lived in Wisconsin since 2008. I sold a property to a family here in San Antonio that was just outside of College Station, strictly on the basis that it was close to Kyle Field.


What is the hold that a college has on a person that carries with them their entire life? Was it the greatest 4 years they ever had? Just some things I ponder as I drive down the highway

I enjoyed the movie. It's one of those dark movies where they get kicked in the nuts, things get better for a second then they immediately get kicked in the nuts again and the process repeats until the grand finale nut kicking.

College was pretty fun for many. It was a lot of work and an accomplishment to complete. Many develop a bond with the school spirit.


But the basic answer to your question is humans generally have an innate desire to belong to a tribe. It's our instinct for safety, security, food, comfort, survival etc. going back to the dawn of man whether that be Adam & Eve or evolution. This very old desire to belong to something is manifested that way.

An analogy might be a modern pet dog howling to a fire engine siren.

Great answer!


Thank you, the Tribe/wanting to belong mentality makes sense. I see that being obvious in many aspects of life.

I agree with many, not a great movie.

Watched it because of Cage…

It sucked…

One and done!

Will keep following thread for entertainment value…..

THIS IS ONE REASON I LOVE THF!

The A&M/Kyle field thing is a whole 'nother universe. I have great respect for the school and have seen on more than one occasion how one Aggie will help another, especially in applying for a job and the like. I have known a very wealthy older gentleman for years that is huge in the alumni organization. I consider him a friend, so I'll refrain from using the word "cult", but there are others who would use that word.


Isn't the town in the movie named "Butchers Crossing"? They did a fair job of portraying how rough and thrown-up many places like that were across this country, inhabited with very rough men and, if any, rougher women. Some disappeared. Some became nicer, more modern towns and cities, with decent people settling in. And then there's Junction, TX.

People are herd animals.

Most people are “herd” animals….

Not “all people”. Jes sayin

Honestly, you could take the same story line, same characters, replace the buffalo with cedar trees, the buffalo hides with cedar staves, the blizzard with a flash flood and you would pretty much have the town of Junction

Turkeyhunters reply showed, again, to me, that he is a smart guy.

Creek started a thread about this movie a good while back. I watched it and replied on that thread that I was really disappointed in it. I dont watch many movies and usually if Im able to "escape" during a movie then I am easily entertained. This one just did not do it for me. Maybe, since I tend to like all Westerns that I expected much more. I wrap it up similar to everything that Txtro has said.

Someone mentioned they thought the shooting scenes were well done. Did you notice how he rested that rifle??....
And that final shot of Cage at very end-what was that?? He was crazy?? Ok, I got that earlier.
So we are supposed to write our own end on the kids future?
I never really understood Cages reason for his obsession either. Surely it was deeper than the surface.

I thought the same thing.

1500 hides on one wagon is preposterous.

1500 hides plus all the gear and equipment that let them live up there for 3 or 4 months

well, to be fair, the wagon didn't make it very far

The book is pretty good.