There's a certain breed of actor that thrives on character roles and rarely gets the opportunity to excel as a leading player. Among my favorites are Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern and this film's principal player, Harry Dean Stanton. Hopper's most acclaimed role was probably that of the alcoholic, assistant basketball coach in "Hoosiers"; Bruce Dern similarly turned in an Oscar nominated performance as a booze-addled old man on the trail of cashing in a million dollar sweepstakes ticket in "Nebraska". For Stanton, it's this film that will serve well as part of his legacy in a long and distinguished career. Interestingly, among all three actors I've watched dozens of TV and movie Westerns in which one or the other have appeared, usually as villains, and always acquitting themselves well before the end credits rolled.
Stanton's character here begins as a mystery, wandering out of a desert in a fevered daze, and transformed into a mute for a good part of the movie until his past is slowly reawakened with the help of his brother (Dean Stockwell). Impatient viewers will have a problem with the pace of the movie because not much happens in the early going, and repeated attempts by Walt Henderson (Stockwell) to bring brother Travis (Stanton) out of his shell are unsuccessful. Through gradual exposition, we learn that Travis's past included a marriage and a young son, now being raised by Walt and his wife Anne (Aurore Clément). Where I have a little difficulty is the comparative ease in which Travis reestablishes a connection with seven year old son Hunter (Hunter Carson), and consequently, how easy it was for Hunter to decide that he wanted to traipse off with his biological father in a dubious search for his missing mother.
Even more puzzling was the manner in which Travis and Hunter managed to track down Jane Henderson (Nastassja Kinski), happening to be in the right place at the right time to observe the woman making a bank deposit at a drive-in window. That sequence and the one that followed with Travis and Hunter giving chase seemed rather slapdash in execution, particularly since neither one of them had seen Jane in over four years, and the instant recognition (by Hunter no less) defied credibility in my estimation.
What raises the bar for the film however occurs after Travis identifies his former wife as a peep show call girl, and anonymously identifies himself by virtue of relating their past history together to Jane, who initially identifies with his story in the abstract, but eventually realizes that she's speaking to Travis when details of the conversation can only relate to her own past life. The twist of the story meanwhile, is not one the viewer anticipates, as Travis doesn't desire to reconnect with Jane as a couple, but to satisfy a desire to reunite mother and son. Again, perhaps a dubious reconciliation given the circumstances of the family's break-up, but satisfying enough when we see the look of contented fulfillment on the face of Travis as he rides off after completing his mission. I can't say I really understand the entire dynamic of the family drama at the center of the story, but the picture makes a fascinating character study out of Travis and his search for reconciliation, even if he was working from a cold deck.
Stanton's character here begins as a mystery, wandering out of a desert in a fevered daze, and transformed into a mute for a good part of the movie until his past is slowly reawakened with the help of his brother (Dean Stockwell). Impatient viewers will have a problem with the pace of the movie because not much happens in the early going, and repeated attempts by Walt Henderson (Stockwell) to bring brother Travis (Stanton) out of his shell are unsuccessful. Through gradual exposition, we learn that Travis's past included a marriage and a young son, now being raised by Walt and his wife Anne (Aurore Clément). Where I have a little difficulty is the comparative ease in which Travis reestablishes a connection with seven year old son Hunter (Hunter Carson), and consequently, how easy it was for Hunter to decide that he wanted to traipse off with his biological father in a dubious search for his missing mother.
Even more puzzling was the manner in which Travis and Hunter managed to track down Jane Henderson (Nastassja Kinski), happening to be in the right place at the right time to observe the woman making a bank deposit at a drive-in window. That sequence and the one that followed with Travis and Hunter giving chase seemed rather slapdash in execution, particularly since neither one of them had seen Jane in over four years, and the instant recognition (by Hunter no less) defied credibility in my estimation.
What raises the bar for the film however occurs after Travis identifies his former wife as a peep show call girl, and anonymously identifies himself by virtue of relating their past history together to Jane, who initially identifies with his story in the abstract, but eventually realizes that she's speaking to Travis when details of the conversation can only relate to her own past life. The twist of the story meanwhile, is not one the viewer anticipates, as Travis doesn't desire to reconnect with Jane as a couple, but to satisfy a desire to reunite mother and son. Again, perhaps a dubious reconciliation given the circumstances of the family's break-up, but satisfying enough when we see the look of contented fulfillment on the face of Travis as he rides off after completing his mission. I can't say I really understand the entire dynamic of the family drama at the center of the story, but the picture makes a fascinating character study out of Travis and his search for reconciliation, even if he was working from a cold deck.