Although it never quite escapes the pitfalls of pretension, this film
was Kirk Douglas's bid for the affections of the art house crowd, and it
remains one of his best efforts. The star plays unreconstructed "rugged
individual" Jack Burns, who rides throughout the modern west knocking
down man-made fences. Visiting his equally rebellious friend Paul Bondi
(Michael Kane), Burns deliberately gets himself thrown in jail to be
nearer his pal. Frustrated that Bondi doesn't want to join Burns on the
road, Burns breaks out
of jail, thereby becoming a fugitive. His trail is dogged by Sheriff
Johnson (Walter Matthau), a frustrated frontiersman who secretly admires
the freewheeling Burns.
Meanwhile, a truck driver (Carroll O'Connor) is
ominously driving down the highway with a truckload of toilets. If you
think there's supposed to be some symbolism in this seemingly peripheral
character, you're absolutely right. Bill Raisch, a genuine amputee who
played the one-armed man on TV's The Fugitive, is Douglas' surly
opponent in the café brawl sequence. Filmed on location in New Mexico,
Lonely are the Brave was adapted by Dalton Trumbo from Edward Abbey's
novel Brave Cowboy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
