Bad Company

PG

1972

1 hr. 33 min.

Western

Comedy

List

83%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Out of the frying pan and into the fire: Civil War draft dodger Drew Dixon (Barry Brown) avoids the horrors of war by fleeing west, only to become mixed up with a gang of lawless youths led by the debonair con man Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges). The allure of a free-spirited desperado life is quickly spoiled by a series of mishaps that leave the bandits lacking food and money, and in constant fear of more sinister criminals like Big Joe (David Huddleston).

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Critics Consensus

Well-acted and pleasantly gritty, Bad Company is one of the more authentic Westerns of its era -- and an auspicious debut for director Robert Benton.

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dave s

A forgotten gem from the early 70s, Robert Benton's Bad Company is the picaresque story of Drew Dixon (Barry Brown), a young man trying to escape America's Civil War draft who finds himself in the company of Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges) and his gang of inept thieves as they make their way west to escape danger and find their fortune. It's an episodic Western filled with gentle humor, sudden tragedy, and youthful misadventure, a story of trust and misguided friendships, unlike any Western that you're likely to ever see. With stunning cinematography from the great Gordon Willis, effective direction from Benton (plenty of long takes, many of them beautiful tracking shots), fascinating characters, and strong performances (including a role for John Savage early in his career), Bad Company is hard to find but well worth a watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

s r

A tale of how young in's became outlaws out west. Really, I didn't care for it when not much happened. Nor was there much redeeming to the realism.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

andres s

I'm digging the whole 70's cynical play around vibe of this movie and the whole Western feel to it. It feels authentic with all the attention to detail. Jesus, what a degenerate Bridges' character is. He doesn't give a damn. This Dixon kid made a mistake joining this band of misfits. That scene where Bridge's character is cutting up the rabbit was priceless. You get to see how inexperienced in the real world all these kids really are. Jake's got a lot to learn from Dixon. Jake's way too quick to take the dishonest way. Oh my god! I was not expecting that kid's head to get blown off. Kind of funny the whole thing. The expression on his face and how he was just stealing a pie. It's funny how even though they had guns, they still decided to throw rocks at one another. It just goes to show how juvenile and underdeveloped their minds still are. They're not prepared to shoot a gun or take someone's life. I love how movies back in the 70's had a very real and rawness to them (ex: Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, Godfather). You get the sense that people weren't scared to go there. To get that real without being too depressing or overly dark. Just show it the way that it would be in real life. That's something I can appreciate. Of course I'm talking about the scene with the brothers hanging from the tree and the boy getting shot for stealing the pie. I think part of the reason Dixon always came back to Jake was because he probably reminded him of his deceased brother. Really great little Western movie and a breakout role for Jeff Bridges. The actor who played Dixon also did a terrific job. All around great acting, authentic set pieces and a great story line.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wonky movie that stays entertaining, only slightly funny in my opinion.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Missing something but 2nd tier watchable. (Musical score could be better..and softer in spots!).

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best and unjustly ignored films of its day. A beautiful revisionist Western. The non-pop song real version of Butch and Sundance. Gritty and beautiful cinematography. Two tremendous performances.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/10/19

Full Review

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Robert Benton

Director

Jeff Bridges

Jake Rumsey

Barry Brown

Drew Dixon

Jim Davis

Marshal

David Huddleston

Big Joe

John Savage

Loney

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Bad Company: Official Clip - Trading a Gun for a Meal

2:10

Bad Company: Official Clip - Stealing Food

1:35

Bad Company: Official Clip - Clean Them Out

2:13

Bad Company: Official Clip - Shootout

2:11

Bad Company: Official Clip - Frog Prank

2:08

Bad Company: Official Clip - I Want to See a Man Drop for Every Shot

1:53

Bad Company: Official Clip - Give Me Back My Money

2:07

Bad Company: Official Clip - Hanging a Criminal

2:13

Bad Company: Official Clip - Cleaning a Rabbit

2:10

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

You can perceive the dazzle in the script, but what’s on the screen is pictorial and lifeless.

Sep 21, 2023

Full Review

Candice Russell

Miami Herald

Jeff Bridges' overweening pride in his position of power is the perfect foil to Barry Brown's quiet, well-mannered approach.

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

Despite some interesting ideas and some random achievements, "Bad Company" never really gets itself assembled.

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Richard Schickel

LIFE

It's a hard movie to summarize and a hard movie to forget -- soft-spoken, hard-headed, stylistically singular. Bad Company is good company, the best I have found at the movies in a long time.

Jul 18, 2023

Full Review

Stanley Eichelbaum

San Francisco Examiner

While the film has the merit of originality and contains some adroitly written moments of ironic tragicomedy, it fails ultimately, mostly because it's entirely too replete with commercial ingredients to command our respect, or even our involvement.

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Tom Hutchinson

Radio Times

As an evocation of the past, it's a remarkably successful venture for first-time director Robert Benton...

Rated: 4/5

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Out of the frying pan and into the fire: Civil War draft dodger Drew Dixon (Barry Brown) avoids the horrors of war by fleeing west, only to become mixed up with a gang of lawless youths led by the debonair con man Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges). The allure of a free-spirited desperado life is quickly spoiled by a series of mishaps that leave the bandits lacking food and money, and in constant fear of more sinister criminals like Big Joe (David Huddleston).

Director: Robert Benton
Screenwriter: David Newman, Robert Benton
Production Co: Jaffilms
Rating: PG
Genre: Western, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011

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