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The Hi-Lo Country

The Hi-Lo Country

Drama · Romance · Western · 1998

An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West, post-World War II, in its twilight. Pete and Big Boy are masters of the prairie, but ultimately face trickier terrain: the human heart.

Movie details

The Hi-Lo Country

“A woman like Mona can drive men to extremes.”

1998 Drama · Romance · Western 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

An intimate story of the enduring bond of friendship between two hard-living men, set against a sweeping backdrop: the American West, post-World War II, in its twilight. Pete and Big Boy are masters of the prairie, but ultimately face trickier terrain: the human heart.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Hi-Lo Country?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

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Two estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved in order to care for their ailing father.

Butcher's Crossing

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In the 1870s, a young Harvard dropout seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters led by a man named Miller. Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity.

The Big Country

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Jubal

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Stephen Frears

Written by

Walon Green

Billy Crudup

Billy Crudup

Pete Calder

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson

Big Boy Matson

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz

Josepha O'Neil

Patricia Arquette

Patricia Arquette

Mona

Cole Hauser

Cole Hauser

Little Boy Matson

John Diehl

John Diehl

Les Birk

Sam Elliott

Sam Elliott

Jim Ed Love

Court is in session

Put The Hi-Lo Country on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.