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The Jack Bull [DVD] [1999]
 
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The Jack Bull [DVD] [1999]

DVD ~ John Cusack
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Jack Bull [DVD] [1999]
67% buy the item featured on this page:
The Jack Bull [DVD] [1999] 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
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Product details

  • Actors: John Cusack, John Goodman, L.Q. Jones, Miranda Otto, John C. McGinley
  • Directors: John Badham
  • Writers: Dick Cusack, Heinrich von Kleist
  • Producers: John C. McGinley, Cammie Crier, D.V. DeVincentis, Daniel C. Mitchell, Doug Dearth
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Cinema Club
  • DVD Release Date: 7 Jun 2004
  • Run Time: 111 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00006JY4H
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 54,558 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Jack Bull was produced for and premiered on American television network HBO, but it's easily the most respectable job that feature director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, WarGames) has done in the past two decades. The title refers to a metaphorical Jack Russell terrier that, once it's annoyed enough to close its jaws on something, will hang on to the point of death. This terrier is Myrl Redding (John Cusack), a horse breeder of limited means who has a deeply entrenched sense of justice. His independence galls Henry Ballard (L Q Jones), the crusty land baron out to set his brand on most of the countryside. Ballard insults and cheats Redding several times over and his men beat Redding's Indian horse trainer and friend (Rodney A Grant). When Redding seeks redress from the law, its agents can't be bothered as the local magistrate is in Ballard's pocket. So Redding musters a vigilante army to enforce his own law.

Scratch this handsome but rigorously unromanticised Western—a full hour passes without a shot being fired--and you find the classic Heinrich von Kleist book Michael Kohlhaas transposed to Wyoming Territory on the eve of statehood. The script--by the star/producer's dad, Dick Cusack--is sturdy and uncompromising and willing to engage the knotty ambiguities of embracing vigilantism even in a just cause. Badham's decision to treat the authorities (Scott Wilson, Jay O Sanders, John Goodman) as period caricatures is regrettable but John Cusack is solid as a figure of utterly matter-of-fact integrity. --Richard T. Jameson, Amazon.com

Video Description
DVD Special Features:

16:9 Anamorphic
English Stereo


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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic TV movie!, 29 Jul 2003
By Magneto (London, UK) - See all my reviews
I can't believe I'm the first person to review this film, what is in my opinion one of the best made-for-tv movies ever. Fans of John Cusack should already have seen this, but if you haven't I urge you to buy a copy quickly before it gets deleted, because John gives one of his best-ever performances.

This is a western, and the story in a nutshell (no spoilers) is this; Cusack is forced to leave two of his horses with a local rancher, only to return a few weeks later and find they have been badly treated. Cusack then asks that the horses be cared for properly and returned to the condition he left them in, to which the rancher has absolutely no intention of doing. From here on Cusack does everything he can to see that justice is served. But no matter how hard he tries, of how honourable his intentions are, nothing seems to go his way, and suffer's some dire consequences along the way.

The character of Myrl Redding (Cusack) is one of honour, integrity and morals, but the film never descends into melodrama which it could of have so easily. There's also a strong supporting cast including L.Q. Jones (the main bad guy), and John Goodman who gives a great performance as the judge who - though upholding the law - realises that the wrong man suffers at the hands of "justice". Also look out for Miranda Otto (Cusack's wife) who later went on to star in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Ultimately though, this is John Cusack's film and he gives a powerhouse performance. Its hard to believe that The Jack Bull never had a theatrical release, becasue with it's strong cast, script, direction (John Badham - Saturday Night Fever) and acting - it deserved one.

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars On a par with Unforgiven, 4 Aug 2006
By Mr. Stephen Kennedy "skenn1701a" (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
What fantastic value DVD this is. Hard to believe this was a TV movie - kudos to HBO, once again.
This is an un-romanticised view of the West - telling it like it was. A man of integrity might get justice in one way, but it will cost him dearly in another. From photography in washed out colours, to the slow burn build of events that means guns don't actually get used until late in the movie, this is set out to be both realistic and unflinching. This asks the question - Just what is the value of going vigilante? What is the real cost? Is getting the justice you ask for worth any price? And the wonderful (and certainly non -Hollywood) thing is, you are left to make up your own mind, there are no easy answers.
John Cusack is just terrific here - you might find it a stretch to see him in a Western, but he is utterly credible in a tough role. Miranda Otto as his wife is perfect casting, and in fact the whole supporting cast is spot on - except maybe some of the chief decision makers of the territory who are somewhat two dimensional. Enjoy John C. McGinley (Perry from `Scrubs') in a minor role, and John Goodman in a pivotal role - albeit only in the last third of the movie.
Music by Lennie Niehaus is similar but less minimalist than his score to Unforgiven, and adds in a wonderful way to the poignancy of the movie, along with some spectacular landscapes which crop up from time to time. I'm sure Dick Cusacks (john's dad) would be proud of the end result of his script, produced by his son.
Don't be put off by the fact this is a TV movie - it certainly rises way beyond its genesis to be something of a classic, born from the mould of `Unforgiven'.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie, no bull, 18 Jan 2005
By Dc Grobbelaar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
An excellent movie. Powerhouse performances by John Cusack and John Goodman. In fact, I don't think there's much, if anything, that can be said against The Jack Bull. It's a realistic movie, and decidedly tragic. Don't let that little fact put you down though, because it's what adds dimension to this drama/western. A movie that will make you think... and watch again...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars TV movie- Great
Why it never played on the big screen is a mystery to me. It certainly rivals any western to have come out of Hollywood in quite some time although without the graphic violence,... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Brendan O. Clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unexpected Gem
Put aside the made-for-TV tag, there is absolutely nothing about this film that would provide even a clue to its origin. Is it, as suggested, as good as Unforgiven? Read more
Published 24 months ago by Stephen B. Peddie

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