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I apologize for the delays in reviews. My work schedule has been incredibly busy in the past few months, but hopefully things have settled down now and I can get back to a regular posting schedule.
Speaking of “settling”, today we’re gonna take a look at a little-known Disney film starring Ron Howard that he himself wishes was more well-known. Here’s my review of The Wild Country!
And remember, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Directed by Robert Totten, The Wild Country takes place in the late 1880s and the beginning introduces us to the Tanner family, a family who has recently moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Turner, played by Steve Forrest, got a ranch from a cousin of his in Wyoming and decided to leave the city life for the country life. He brought along his wife, played by Vera Miles, and their sons, Virgil and Andrew, played by Ron Howard and Clint Howard, respectively. Mrs. Turner is hesitant and weary about the move, but she tries to do her best to support her husband.
It’s not easy though when they finally arrive at the ranch and find it in a broken-down condition. To top it off, the ranch seems to be sometimes inhabited by a local trapper named Thompson, played by Jack Elam. Thompson is happier to meet the Turners than they are to meet him. But soon enough, the Turners become tolerable of Thompson and Thompson moves out of the ranch.
Things really take a turn for the worse when they meet Mr. Ab Cross, played by Morgan Woodward. Mr. Cross is probably one of the most evil live-action Disney villains we’ve seen. He’s a rich landowner who pretty much has the town in the palm of his hands and believes he can do anything. So when his cattle go rampaging through the Turners’ property breaking fences and uprooting their garden, Mr. Turner pays him a visit. But Mr. Cross refuses to apologize or even pay for the damages. This animosity grows throughout the movie resulting in a fistfight between the two men, Mr. Cross closing a dam on his property to prevent water from flowing down to the Turners, and even Mr. Cross shooting at Mr. Turner and Virgil when they enter his property to try to unblock said dam.
As a last resort, Mr. Turner writes a litter to the US Marshal to get him involved in this situation. Eventually a lawman arrives with a court order for Mr. Cross demanding that he stop preventing the water from reaching the Turners’ ranch to which he begrudgingly agrees. The Turner family is happy with this victory, but Mr. Cross seeks his revenge by setting their barn to fire one night. As the Turners and him fight it out, Virgil shoots Mr. Cross dead before Mr. Cross can shoot Mr. Turner.
Despite all they’ve been through, the family decides to remain in Jackson Hole, although their experiences have definitely brought a coming-of-age to Virgil.
And that was The Wild Country! It’s definitely a more mature and more raw type of story compared to the usual Disney film. We witness all the hardships the family endures from a tornado to Mr. Cross’ bullying to being sold a broken-down ranch to shootings to death. This family just doesn’t get a break!
We see the struggle that Mrs. Turner goes through to support her husband despite wanting desperately to return to Pittsburgh. We see Virgil mature through these incidents as well as Andrew, to a degree. There is even an interesting scene where they witness a horse giving birth.
The acting is great all around; even Ron Howard and Clint Howard give great performances!
I think my biggest criticism is that I feel the film could have been like 10 minutes shorter. But besides that, I agree with Ron Howard that this film should be more well-known.
So, my final score for this film is 27/35 = 77.14% (C+) !
The next review will be posted on May 13, 2025.
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