Lonely Are the Brave

Released May 24, 1962

1 hr. 47 min.

Western

List

93%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Ranch hand Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) feels out of place in the modern world. Jack deliberately gets into a bar room fight to be imprisoned alongside friend Paul (Michael Kane), arrested for helping illegal aliens. Jack tries to convince Paul to flee with him, but, as a family man, Paul has too much at stake. Jack escapes after a beating from a sadistic police deputy (George Kennedy) and heads for the hills. An extensive manhunt breaks out, led by sympathetic Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau).

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Peter G

A film for those who have have difficulty abiding Douglas as an actor. This is one of his greatest performances, IMO, as well as being a slightly off beat role for him. He plays a modern day cowboy at odds with a disaffected society who in seeking to live a chosen independent life runs afoul of the law & escapes a minor jail incarceration & with his horse attempts to exercise his freedom of choice. Gena Rowlands & Walter Matthau round out the cast effectively with early roles for Carroll O'Conner & George Kennedy. The splendid black & white cinematography of the mountainous region where Douglas evades his pursuers visually adds greatly to the films atmosphere & this is certainly one of Douglas' greatest roles. The message, courtesy of Dalton Trumbo, concerning an individuals struggle to remain true to his basically decent nature, is still a potent statement after some 60 years. Well worth seeing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Shioka O

This is said that Kirk Douglas's favourite role. What a tragic and ironic ending! This is truly moving because the film is mostly uplifting until that moment, but it was hinted in the beginning. Oldschool vs modern. Friendship between he and his humble horse 'Whiskey' is a gem.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/21/22

Full Review

isla s

This is a film about one man and his horse - as the title hints at, its a loner tale and its somewhat poignant at times. It has a bit of a classic feel to it with it being in black and white and I'd say its the sort of tale that most people may be able to relate to, to one extent or another, of the individual who isn't as keen to move on with the times as others. It features a decent cast and while its a little slow or even bland at times, mostly it was a good watch and so I'd recommend it to others.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

joey v

This may be a cowboy movie but its not a western and has an interesting dynamic the main character is a cowboy struggling with modern life in Albuquerque and ends up running from the law leading to a suspenseful chase in the Sandia mountains (very close to where I live) Kirk Douglas proves to be a charismatic leading man its not a stretch to say that this might be the best movie he ever made I didnt get bored once and would definitely watch it again

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

delysid d

I saw this along with Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970) two of the best movies ive seen in ages

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/22

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies ever!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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David Miller

Director

Kirk Douglas

Jack Burns

Gena Rowlands

Jerry Bondi

Walter Matthau

Sheriff Morey Johnson

Michael Kane

Paul Bondi

Carroll O'Connor

Hinton (truck driver)

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 5/5

Apr 18, 2003

Full Review

George Perry

BBC.com

Rated: 4/5

Apr 17, 2001

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

It's worth noting that Kirk Douglas long professed that Lonely Are the Brave contains one of his own favorite performances.

Rated: 3/4

May 23, 2020

Full Review

Sergio Benítez

Espinof

Such a shocking beginning is the first of many attributes that place this film as the best - and most atypical - western in which Jerry Goldsmith was involved throughout his professional career. [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 11, 2019

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

Afterwards, [Kirk Douglas] made no mystery of his love of the film, later declaring it his all-time favorite of his work. And why not?

Rated: 8/10

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Isabel Quigly

The Spectator

Lonely are the Brave, a film fairly stuffed with symbolism, shows how inevitably the heroic, human, in its real sense unsophisticated world of the West and its values are crushed by the synthetic, the mechanical, the wasteful and vicious in modern life.

Jul 13, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Ranch hand Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) feels out of place in the modern world. Jack deliberately gets into a bar room fight to be imprisoned alongside friend Paul (Michael Kane), arrested for helping illegal aliens. Jack tries to convince Paul to flee with him, but, as a family man, Paul has too much at stake. Jack escapes after a beating from a sadistic police deputy (George Kennedy) and heads for the hills. An extensive manhunt breaks out, led by sympathetic Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau).

Director: David Miller
Screenwriter: Edward Abbey, Dalton Trumbo
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal International Pictures
Production Co: Joel Productions
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 24, 1962, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2015
Sound Mix: Mono

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