Bite the Bullet

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Bite the Bullet

PG

Released Jun 20, 1975

2h 11m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A disparate group of individuals enter a horse race through 700 miles of the Wild West to win a large cash prize. The contestants include two ex-Rough Riders (Gene Hackman, James Coburn), an aging cowboy who refuses to slow down (Ben Johnson), an inexperienced youth (Jan-Michael Vincent), a Mexican (Mario Arteaga), an Englishman (Ian Bannen) and a woman (Candice Bergen). Over the course of the trek, the riders begin to shed their biases toward gender, race and age, and appreciate one another.

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Variety Staff

Variety

An excellent, literate action drama probing the diverse motivations of participants in an endurance horse race.

Apr 8, 2008

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Time Out

Any random thought ever committed to paper about the intrinsic 'messages' of the Western genre here turns up as a line of speechifying dialogue: the result is a folly stultified by its own seriousness.

Jun 24, 2006

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

In spite of all the care, the money and the hardships that apparently went into its production, the movie looks prefabricated, like something assembled from other people's earlier, better inspirations.

Rated: 2/5

May 9, 2005

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Jacoba Atlas

Los Angeles Free Press

Like a folk tale, this movie is a story well told, worth hearing again.

Nov 27, 2019

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Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Unusual, big budget western concerning horse race to deathly finish.

Rated: 4/5

May 22, 2008

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TV Guide

Spendid period piece about an endurance horse race.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 8, 2008

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CodyZamboni Z

This movie should be more compelling. Given it's about racing horses over a long distance. Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen keep it watchable, And speaking of long, the running time is too long, Major editing was needed.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

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malani w

i gave up immediately

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

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Zinjx W

A long distance horse race with a handful of characters with weak dialog. The film is actually held together by Gene Hackman and James Coburn. Boring at times, not recommend to a classic western lover.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/06/23

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kevin o

...a different twist on the western is full of great actors and has a excellent story. Try it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

I have a couple of questions, #1) What kind of sleep 'medication' was Sam Clayton given, that made him sick? #2) What were the names and breeds of the horses the contestants rode?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

jon c

a Western that's a bit more lively and upbeat than the typical grim, dark, and overly-violent outings in the genre inspired by true events in the early 1900's this one has a bit of flair to it since it focuses on a newspaper called the Western Press holding a 700 mile race, everyone is competing in to win $2,000 who's going to to come out on top though with all that prize money? Gene Hackman stars as Sam Clayton an ex-rough rider who could care less who wins while a young Candice Bergen stars as Miss Jones wanting to bail her husband out of jail for bank robbery along with 9 other contestants it's not just the long trek of the journey they'll each have to endure but the intense heat, the cold nights, the wildlife, taking care of their horses but also learning to look past their own biases and prejudices these actors take the reigns of their goal with hardship, the music is lively, the landscapes of the Old West are beautiful, and I like that this is like a race against time, nobody wants to fall behind and each rider has their own reason to finish some don't win for winning, they win for the prize, you win you get noticed and you're something, you lose you're nothing, each of us has to take a pause for our place in the world if we end up winning or losing, if you don't win you're not American, If you need a break from the traditional Western gun-toting mix well then this story of a horse endurance race is a nice distraction testing people's limits not just as racers but their will power and character, too very episodic and moves briskly along breaking down sportsmanship decency from it's best to its worst

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Richard Brooks

Director

Gene Hackman

Sam Clayton

Candice Bergen

Miss Jones

James Coburn

Luke Matthews

Ben Johnson

Mister

Ian Bannen

Norfolk

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Synopsis

A disparate group of individuals enter a horse race through 700 miles of the Wild West to win a large cash prize. The contestants include two ex-Rough Riders (Gene Hackman, James Coburn), an aging cowboy who refuses to slow down (Ben Johnson), an inexperienced youth (Jan-Michael Vincent), a Mexican (Mario Arteaga), an Englishman (Ian Bannen) and a woman (Candice Bergen). Over the course of the trek, the riders begin to shed their biases toward gender, race and age, and appreciate one another.

Director: Richard Brooks
Producer: Richard Brooks
Screenwriter: Richard Brooks
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Vista, Persky-Bright Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 14, 2010
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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