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Junior Bonner

Junior Bonner

Western · Drama · 1972

With his bronco-busting career on its last legs, Junior Bonner heads to his hometown to try his luck in the annual rodeo. But his fond childhood memories are shattered when he finds his family torn apart by his greedy brother and hard-drinking father.

Movie details

Junior Bonner

“Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner"”

1972 Western · Drama 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

With his bronco-busting career on its last legs, Junior Bonner heads to his hometown to try his luck in the annual rodeo. But his fond childhood memories are shattered when he finds his family torn apart by his greedy brother and hard-drinking father.

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 Junior Bonner?

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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Cry Macho

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A one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man's young son home from Mexico.

Forty Guns

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An authoritarian rancher rules an Arizona county with her private posse of hired guns. When a new Marshal arrives to set things straight, the cattle queen finds herself falling for the avowedly non-violent lawman. Both have itchy-fingered brothers, a female gunman enters the picture, and things go desperately wrong.

Circus World

Circus World

Drama · 1964

Circus owner Matt Masters is beset by disasters as he attempts a European tour of his circus. At the same time, he is caught in an emotional bind between his adopted daughter and her mother.

Walk. Ride. Rodeo.

Walk. Ride. Rodeo.

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Tells the incredible true story of Amberley Snyder, a nationally ranked rodeo barrel racer who defies the odds after barely surviving a car accident that leaves her paralyzed from the waist down.

Hombre

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John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.

The Last Wagon

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Stagecoach

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Western · 1939

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Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

Drama · 1991

A runaway orphan, young Sonora, persists in a menial job mucking stables in Doc Carver's travelling stunt show. Her great wish is to become a death-defying "diving girl," but Doc refuses her pleas. Undaunted, Sonora's gutsy resolve finally convinces him to give her a break. On the brink of stardom, however, a cruel twist of fate threatens to destroy her dream.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sam Peckinpah

Written by

Jeb Rosebrook

Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen

Junior Bonner

Robert Preston

Robert Preston

Ace Bonner

Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino

Elvira Bonner

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson

Buck Roan

Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker

Curly Bonner

Barbara Leigh

Barbara Leigh

Charmagne

Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy

Ruth Bonner

Court is in session

Put Junior Bonner on trial.

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

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Patience is part of the point.”

Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“A test of endurance, your honour.”

Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.