Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Will Penny

Play trailer Poster for Will Penny 1968 1h 48m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
When aging loner Will Penny (Charlton Heston) is hired to ride the lines around a vast ranch, he stumbles upon Catherine Allen (Joan Hackett) and her son, who are secretly living in an abandoned cabin. Penny gives Catherine and her son a week to move out, but an encounter with some ghosts from his past leaves him wounded and reliant on her. Penny soon finds himself falling for Catherine and becoming a father to her son, but his past continues to haunt him, hurtling him toward a confrontation.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Will Penny

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Renata Adler New York Times But for one scene too cruel for the story to support, and one scene in which the hero is taught Christmas carols too maudlin to believe, "Will Penny" might have been the best cowboy movie in some time. May 9, 2005 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Perhaps we should make a distinction between Westerns and cowboy movies, one we can use when a film like Will Penny comes along. This isn't a Western; it's slung too close to the ground for that. But it is the best cowboy movie since Hud. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It’s not a lament for a passing way of life as much as it’s a look at the limits enforced by such a lifestyle. Rated: 3/4 Jul 11, 2023 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 'Will Penny' has a lovely, elegiac flow, with supple cinematography by the Lucien Ballard ('The Wild Bunch'), and a focus on character and place. Rated: 3/4 Jul 1, 2023 Full Review Tracy Moore Common Sense Media Cowboy character study mixes violence and depth; some peril. Rated: 4/5 Sep 30, 2014 Full Review Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Rated: 3/5 Aug 4, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (58) audience reviews
Deke P 1968! CHARLTON HESTON! & a GREAT CAST!! By todays Ho'wood standards, wouild be considered slow and schmaltzy in parts, but that is ROMANCE & modesty and character development. And interesting. And some action. Giving it 3.5 good RT starsh. Saw most of it for the first time, 1.11.2024, Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/24 Full Review Audience Member Really a good movie. James Welch Henderson Ar 11/19/2023 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/21/23 Full Review Jared Z Charlton Heston gives perhaps the finest performance of his career in this thrilling, heart-breaking Western classic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member When I was a kid, in the late 1960s early 1970s this was one of my favorite films. Chuck Heston, needed much reflection time working in an extremely at many time rough tough environment to help society. The main theme of him, a cow poke, yes, but a gentleman help a lady & son, a family with a missing dad in developing dire extremely difficult winter cold & other weather circumstances, such as the pretense of a so-call preacher role played by Donald Pleaeanse using his thespian craft hired to play a marauder. The wife of a missing husband, played by Joan Hackett with a gentlemanly son played by, Jon Gries, the director Tom Gries' son, on their way west needed to stay at an abandoned cabin as presented. Bruce Dern, an excellent thespian playing anther antagonist as a marauder, helped the presentation of the magnitude of danger in that time of history in these United States Of America. Lee Major, also a thespian applying his craft in "Will Penny,' from "The Big Valley," fame, also. While I will not give away the ending, we each in the image and likeness of God, do enjoy harmfulness vanquished by goodness, also the official trailer presents this. The discerning watching of the film does present questions, such as follows. _____ >|What is Creator's Sent Impartial Light Of Justice & Peace Embraced Divine >|Providence Of Truth Constantly Eternal in Creation for Creation of individuals, >|making up families, groups, even Church with State, in referring to The >|Declaration Of Independence? ______ Some of the actors here employed in their craft, such as, lead thespian in this film, did play other roles, even formed from the most printed book by so many accounts, The One True Holy Bible. Thank you for your precious time, have a wonderful day. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member I remember seeing this movie as a kid and thinking it was as boring as all get out. I'm 61 now and my opinion hasnt changed one iota. It's slow and goes nowhere. And, to add insult to injury, at the very end they do their best imitation of Shane. I can not recommend this movie despite a strong cast. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review steve d Only Donald Pleasence makes it memorable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Will Penny

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Once Upon a Time in the West 96% 94% Once Upon a Time in the West Watchlist True Grit 88% 84% True Grit Watchlist TRAILER for True Grit The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 95% 92% The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Watchlist Shane 97% 81% Shane Watchlist TRAILER for Shane The Sons of Katie Elder 100% 81% The Sons of Katie Elder Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis When aging loner Will Penny (Charlton Heston) is hired to ride the lines around a vast ranch, he stumbles upon Catherine Allen (Joan Hackett) and her son, who are secretly living in an abandoned cabin. Penny gives Catherine and her son a week to move out, but an encounter with some ghosts from his past leaves him wounded and reliant on her. Penny soon finds himself falling for Catherine and becoming a father to her son, but his past continues to haunt him, hurtling him toward a confrontation.
Director
Tom Gries
Producer
Fred Engel, Walter Seltzer
Screenwriter
Tom Gries
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2011
Runtime
1h 48m
Most Popular at Home Now