I really enjoyed Red Headed Stranger, which is a great movie project for Willie Nelson. The film has some similarities to Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider. Obviously, both films have preacher characters that stand up for justice (and deliver, Old Testament style). Willie Nelson's Shay shows more vulnerability and is not as hard ( invincible) as Clint. Well, nobody did westerns quite like Clint. The film here is pretty solid and showed how violent and corrupt the untamed land could be. The movie looks great and is paced well with a mix of Willie Nelson's music to go alongside the story. Western icon RG Armstrong gives one of his best performances as Sheriff Scoby. Morgan Fairchild is some serious eye candy as The Preacher's ill fated wife. Everything here was done well in my opinion and I really enjoyed watching this.
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Uriah439 March 2016Based on the album by the same title, Willie Nelson stars as a preacher who goes by the name of "Julian Shay" who has recently married and subsequently sent out west to the small town of Driscoll, Montana. Unfortunately, when they get to their destination both he and his bride, "Raysha" (Morgan Fairchild) soon realize that their new hometown is extremely cold and inhospitable. This prompts Julian to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Raysha, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with it and leaves at the first opportunity. This is when the trouble really begins. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a strange but interesting movie primarily due to the acting of R. G. Armstrong (as "Sheriff Reese Scoby"), Royal Dano ("Larn Claver"), the aforementioned Willie Nelson and the presence of two beautiful actresses like Katherine Ross ("Laurie") and Morgan Fairchild. On the flip side, the story itself could have used a bit more substance and character development which might have helped it to seem less raw and to flow more smoothly from one scene to the next. In any case, it was still entertaining for the most part and I rate it as slightly above average.
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When one thinks of singers trying to act, the first culprits that come to mind are Frank Sinatra in "From Here to Eternity" and "The Manchurian Candidate", or Elvis Presley in anything. Usually, the crossover does not work because a particular kind of singer may just have too much personality (or "baggage") to fit himself into a particular role.
Here, though, the transfer works, and it is a result of the kind of singer Willie Nelson was, and always has been. His style of delivery as a musician is all understatement, quiet nuance, and behind-the-beat phrasing. There is a sort of conversational verisimilitude in his singing that crosses over into acting (screen acting, at least). His style of singing is almost the equivalent of the "method" school of acting -- it is all psychological and physiological recall.
So, Nelson is nearly perfect as Parson Shays, for that reason, and for another; the character was already fully-realized in the musical album version of "The Red-Headed Stranger." The screenplay is largely just a fleshing-out of Nelson's narrative vision. If you doubt that, give the album another listen; it has a surprisingly coherent, and direct storyline that connects all of the songs (even several not penned by Nelson himself, most particularly Hank Williams's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain").
Now, of course, the question still remains: how good is the story itself, and how well has it been rendered on-screen? This is not a Western on par with Leone's, Ford's, or Eastwood's. Nor it is meant to be. It is, however, remarkably well-crafted bit of movie-making. For those who object to the seemingly amoral content (the murdering of women), the only response is that a piece of narrative fiction is not a sermon, and artistic judgment is not the same as moral judgment. Furthermore,the old-school, "white hat/black hat" type of Western was already on its way out around the time of "Shane." -
gazineo-114 September 2004Average western drama highlighted by the always welcome presence of charismatic Willie Nelson in the lead role. The story is simple but effective for western style: a preacher (Nelson) became a furious and violent gunman after his wife (Fairchild)leaves him for another man. As a gunman, he must fight against cruel landowner (Dano) and his violent sons for the right of use of a water fountain in a distant and poor town.
Good scenes of fight and a decent photography made this one really watchable. A bit too predictable and slow at same points. But the good cast (R.G. Armstrong, as Nelson' old friend is terrific)is another great background. -
Boy oh boy, if this film didn't star Willie Nelson I hazard to think what the reviews might be like. This is one mess of a story, defying logic and credibility even in the days of the Wild West. The wedding scene at the start of the film is where it all begins, I initially thought Willie was the father giving his daughter away. That he was marrying a character portrayed by Morgan Fairchild might have been an interesting hook, but as it quickly turns out, the marriage is doomed from the start. But not in any way you might expect.
There's the usual predictable opposition on hand to give Preacher Shay (Nelson) a hard go of it, and Sheriff Reese Scoby (R.G. Armstrong) isn't much help at first. There's no single event that triggers the sheriff to righteous action, he just suddenly sees it his duty to help the new Preacher oppose town boss Larn Claver (Royal Dano) and his clan. That opposition takes focus in the windmill project that promises to relieve the town's reliance on Claver's control of the only available water supply. Through it all, Raysha Shay (Fairchild) grows increasingly disillusioned with frontier life, and longs to return home to Philadelphia.
Only a quick furtive glance at the opening wedding scene gives a hint of what's to come. When a former suitor takes Raysha away from Montana, Nelson's character transforms from a man of God to a man of the devil. Tracking down the lovers to a saloon in another town, the good Reverend simply guns them down. Two shots and it's all over, and no one arrives on the scene to see what all the fuss is about. The Preacher draws a bye and gets away with murder. Sheriff Scoby, who's been run out of his own town for failing to keep the Claver's at bay, tracks Shay to a secluded farm where he's taken in by a woman who sent her shiftless husband packing a couple years earlier. Katherine Ross should have known better, but hey, it's what the part called for.
How this all translates into anything remotely believable is beyond me. Sheriff Scoby shoots Shay at point blank range but doesn't kill him, he goes into an alcoholic depression, Shay recovers to shake Scoby out of his stupor, and the pair heads back to Driscoll to square things with the Claver's. I'll have to assume that one's takeaway from all this should be that Preacher Shay is a tortured hero whose singular brand of justice is fitting retribution in a lawless wilderness. Instead, all I got was that Shay got away with murder more than once, backed by a pretty decent soundtrack.
I guess if you're a Willie Nelson fan, the story is forgivable given the "Red Headed Stranger's" real life reputation and charisma. But if you expect anything remotely plausible coming out of this flick, you'll be left with blue eyes crying in the rain. -
jamesrl487 April 2003I love this movie because I like the music and feel it is probably the best one Willie ever did. Willie Nelson is as good an actor as he is a singer and this movie made me appreciate that all the more. The songs are ones you can sing along to and that is a real bonus. The plot, the scenery is all real. R.G. Armstrong, who is noted for strong performances as a bad guy is exceptional, especially in the bar scene where he wants the young man to kill him. Look into those eyes!!!! Morgan Fairchild and Katharine Ross don't hurt anything either. I have seen this movie several times, never get tired of it. Maybe because beyond the music I feel Willie's pain and can relate to the frustrations of the preacher.
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warp200325 November 2003Not much dialog for a movie that I enjoyed. The music was excellent, I guess because I like Willie Nelson. Sad and reflective. It shows how a person can change not just from good to bad but back again. Willies expressions were always sad and for the most part the movie was to.
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jthivai30 April 2002Along with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson has been making films as well as albums for years. _Red Headed Stranger_, an idea based on the album of the same name, is pretty much spaghetti-western fare. Nelson plays a preacher, his band plays the bad guys, Morgan Fairchild plays the wife and the carnage begins.
While certainly not Oscar-worthy, it is a must see for any true Nelson fan. I recommend getting some friends, a Willie-style "cigarette", a bottle of whiskey and this movie. Featuring tracks from the album _Red Headed Stranger_, the soundtrack is better than the film. Another notable film is _Honeysuckle Rose_, where Nelson plays basically himself.
All in all, cheesy fun. And, the film was shot in Texas, behind Nelson's Perdenales recording studio and golf club. -
sykespj28 August 2020It must have been an absolute delight for Willie Nelson to be in a position to turn his classic Red Headed Stranger album into a movie. The greatest country album of all-time serves as the soundtrack and, like the record, the film moves at a steady pace through a story saturated with heartache, revenge and redemption. Nelson's acting has certainly improved since his earlier efforts, while the still-beautiful Katharine Ross turns in a charming performance. The production values are a little lacking, but the story more than makes up for it. Add a half-star to the rating.
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This independent western has generally been dismissed by critics. It certainly has some big faults - some terrible direction (some key scenes are shot *at a distance*), and yes, Morgan Fairchild is indeed awful in her role.
I would say that one of the biggest faults of the movie, however, is with its pacing - this is a *very* slow-moving movie, and with a total running time of about 110 minutes, this slowness becomes even more deadly. The other big fault I had with the movie is that we never know what's going on in the head of Willie Nelson's character. His preacher character doesn't have that much dialogue, and what he says doesn't really give us that much insight into him. The explanations to the big decisions the character therefore decides upon remain a mystery.
Nelson isn't a great actor, but he manages to be watchable here by keeping his performance low-key. And even though the movie has its deadly slow pace and all those other problems, I did find it watchable - though in the sense of something being watchable during a boring weekend. Plus, there is occasionally some good stuff to see. For instance, the production values are dead on - all the weathered and rickety buildings look like they were indeed built in the middle of nowhere over a century ago. The cinematography is pleasing as well.
Verdict: Will do the job... but only for those who love westerns, have a high patience level, and have nothing else to do. -
jk90us10 May 2010It starts off like a potentially cool film with a tough preacher out to save a town. Then it suddenly veers off into WTF-ville when he just rides off and kills his wife and some guy? I don't care if she did leave him, why would he just shoot her in cold blood like that? Was he mentally unstable? Even if it was the heat of the moment, any normal human being would have calmed down and come to his senses in the time it took to find her. And this guy was a man of God??
Did he have a history of psychotic behavior? They never give a logical reason for his actions. When he was later asked by some horny single mom -- who apparently can't find an eligible guy in the huge town nearby -- why he killed his wife, he mumbles something like "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Seriously?
And then the mom just shrugs and lets it slide! Was she so freaking desperate for a guy she'd let ANY random murderer shack up with her (and her young son!), even a beady-eyed, scraggly-looking buzzard like Nelson? Then the sheriff comes looking for him and shoots him down. But not because he murdered his wife (as well as several other people, including a defenseless young girl outside a bar). He did it because he rode off and left the town to fend for themselves against the bad guys!!
Seriously?
Finally, the Sheriff and WIllie become best buddies again and kill the bad guys. And in the end WIllie goes back to the horny, desperate mom and the film ends. Apparently this idiotic, pointless film expects us to be happy he finally found a peaceful life, yet all I kept thinking was -- he freaking shot his wife i cold blood!
Willie did more vile, horrifying things in this film than the crabby old man and his inbred sons! The mentally slow son had more reason to shoot the one guy trying to shoot his "pa" than Nelson had to shoot his wife. Nelson deserved to hang until he was dead!
BTW, I gave it a "3" rating but only because I thought Nelson did a decent job acting and for Morgan Fairchild's nips through her wet blouse. -
chris-h-39 August 2021I was surprised this was released in 1986 as watching it the film felt much more like a western from the early 70's in both tone and filming style. I don't know if this was planned or due to the limited budget but either way it perhaps helps and gives the film some more charm.
It opens, and indeed the first hour, is very mild mannered and quite a family friendly western story... I won't go beyond that but I did find the change of pace and tone jarring initially. However by the end of the film it all actually all works well.
There is a great performance by R. G. Armstrong given more room to act here than his normal roles often gave him. Other than perhaps Barbarosa, I've never been 100% convinced by Willie as an actor, that said his charm shines through every scene and he's always very watchable.
I very much enjoyed this film, it is flawed and a tiny bit dated, watching it you do wonder quite how the marriage at the beginning of the film ever came to be. But while the pace is perhaps leisurely as it opens the story does keep moving and there are a lot of great original scenes and great performances. And there is the music too of course. -
emilfranzi18 June 2008Moves slowly as some have pointed out and Willie ain't exactly Gary Cooper, but the general plot line too many bitch about is hardly as off the wall as most of Eastwood's or Peckinpah's stuff. Royal Dano plays a great villain, and some of the lines are priceless. I particularly like the one where Katherine Ross asks (paraphrase) if a horse is worth a man's life and Willy answers "can't say- didn't know him." Now THAT is a moral tale.
The closing gun fight scene is realistic and the old town looks like many did. Costuming is fine and the armorer did a good job. Willy's character is too complex for Willy to play completely well and Morgan Fairchild seems out of place, but that's probably why she ran away.
Better than many and worth a two hour viewing.
Emil Franzi, Tucson -
gurustump27 December 2001I'm just guessing here, but I think that those who voted for this movie and somehow talked themselves into giving it a "10" rating are unabashed Willie Nelson fans whose views are unmarred by the requirements of reality. They must think that anything Willie does is perfect, by definition. Either that or they are family members of the film's director. In any case, it's really not a very good movie. Admittedly, it might be that the filmmakers were going for a sort of homage to the French new wave by having nothing but unlikable characters with unheroic actions, who somehow manage not to get their come-uppance by film's end. Or maybe they were just trying to capture the abject nastiness of the content of many country and western songs where wives leave husbands, who then proceed to shoot the wives. Whatever the case, or whatever the intentions, I really don't think the movie worked at all. Morgan Fairchild was a prop. Katharine Ross appeared very suddenly and very late in the movie, which to my thinking unbalanced the whole plot. The scene where Odie was hanged may have been well thought out...I imagine that a group of very dumb people in that situation would have acted very much as did the actors. However, any pathos that we the audience was supposed to feel was lost since the scene ended up being so darned funny.
Perhaps the worst problem of all with this film is the way it deals with themes. The message of the film seems to be "go ahead and shoot a bunch of women in the head...they deserve it." I wonder if the writer was in the midst of a divorce when he penned this thing. Now admittedly, in real life men shoot their wives and the wives' lovers. Horrible things happen. But I don't think this film was going for real life. I'm trying to skirt a spoiler here (not that you couldn't guess how the film ends), but if you haven't seen it and don't want it wrecked, don't read the rest of this. At the end, the hero/spouse-murderer still rides off into the sunset. That's not reality. That's a standard Hollywood happy ending. I don't know what it's doing at the end of this film, though. If Goddard had done this one, no one would have survived.
In Willie's defense, I don't think his performance was as bad as one might expect a singer's to be. I admit it lacked some levels, but I'm rather proud of him for just keeping it subtle and using that wonderful stoic face of his to some advantage. It doesn't save the movie, but hey, at least there's a bright point. Too bad he had to wreck it by playing a character who kept gunning down women.
I suppose the lesson learned here is that it's very hard to do a movie where the characters are stupider than the audience, and still make it interesting to the audience. Forrest Gump got away with it by being frightfully insightful into human emotions. This film didn't manage that. It just showed a lot of brain-weak people shooting each other and left a bad taste in my mouth. Sorry guys, if my rating is VERY low, but I felt it a duty to counterbalance all the rollicking 10's the film has received here on IMDb. -
inaurabass11 August 2021This is a decent Western, definitely not in the elite tier, but respectable. I was surprised that it plays out more like an Eastwood classic than the concept album it is named after. The events of the album are a little understated here, we get a visual representation of some of the lyrics with the actual songs overlaid as if narrating the scenes, but not much more development. In fact I would say that is the pain point of the film; character development. We never really learn much about Julian, "the stranger", and the film never really substantiates the relationship with his wife or the man she runs off with. Otherwise, a passable piece of entertainment.
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pmtelefon7 August 2021"Red Headed Stranger" ends up being a very good movie. It does suffer from a small budget but that's noticed less and less as the movie goes on. Another problem is the casting. Many of the cast are either miscast or seem to be non-actors (including Willie's drummer Paul English). That said, there are some very good performances in this movie as well, with stand-out work by Willie Nelson and R. G. Armstrong. "Red Headed Stranger" takes a little while to get into its groove but it all leads up to a terrific last twenty minutes or so. Honorable mentions: a wet Morgan Fairchild and a very dreamy Marinell Madden.
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Red-Headed Stranger, I have to say, is nothing like what I was expecting. I had no idea that it was going to be as violent and powerful in action as it is. From the few glimpses I had seen of it before and from its description, it didn't sound like it was going to be a very good movie, but I was surprised. Willie Nelson and R.G. Armstrong steal the show. Nelson as a preacher-turned-murderer and Armstrong as a coward-turned-hero sheriff. The plot to this movie is pretty unusual. A preacher and his wife come to a town somewhere in the West to take the place of a retiring preacher and find out that the town's supply of water is owned by a rowdy man and his sons. But before long, the preacher and the sheriff uncover water at the abandoned well and anger the rowdy clan. Before long, a deputy is murdered and the killer is hanged. All of this turns the man and the rest of his sons against the preacher and the sheriff. And in the meantime, the preacher's wife is upset by now unfair the town is and runs away with another man. The preacher then turns into a killer and tracks her down, kills his wife and the man she's fleeing with. And before long, he's killing people who just get on his nerves. And eventually, he reunites forces with the sheriff from the town and they return to get revenge on the men who were the real cause of all of the misery and death inflicted upon everyone. A very interesting movie, definitely worth checking out. And don't miss the thrilling action-packed shootout at the end.
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Let's get two things straight before we begin.
First - Willie Nelson is a great singer, writer, and composer of music. Second - Willie Nelson cannot act.
This inability to act can be seen throughout the movie as the director cuts away from Mr. Nelson's facial expressions during so many of the scenes. The director William D. Wittliff probably saw the expression on Willie's face as he waited for his next line and the look of confusion at the end of each take while going through the dailies. This would explain the camera cutting away from Willie's face so quickly after he says his lines. Any one who even bothers to write a detailed review on this movie's meaning or values, should get a reality check. There are none! Two words for this movie: "Don't Bother" It is without a doubt a waste of good film, makeup, costumes, and realistic looking sets. There is absolutely no legitimacy to this movie what so ever! Not even a comic book adventure is as far fetched as this debacle. Here we have a so-called preacher (Willie Nelson), come to a town and try to make right of the wrongs that he sees (the town needs water). He preaches and he is "holier than thou" at this point in the movie. Then he loses his mind and kills his wife. Thereupon, he becomes docile again and meets Laurie (Katherine Ross). Are we to believe after the preacher kills his wife and her boyfriend that the character of Laurie would just put that to the side and have anything to do with this schizophrenic. Let's get real here. Next, we have sheriff Reese Scoby (R.G.Armstrong) track Willie down and shoot him. After that, they become best friends. Now the preacher becomes violent again. He can now go back and can kill everyone who he did not kill in the beginning of the movie. DUH!!! William D. Wittliff tries to pass Mr. Nelson's character of Reverend Julian Shay as a hero, but in reality he is just a "psychopath". Anyway, you get the point. "What we've got here is... failure to communicate" (I apologize, I could not resist taking that line from "Cool Hand Luke") The failure is definitely on the part of William D. Wittliff and his inability to write and direct. I would suggest that the reason Mr. Wittliff had a success three years later with the magnificent epic, "Lonesome Dove" was due to the exquisite writing of Larry McMurtry and the masterful directing of Simon Wincer. -
I loved this movie. Of course, anything starring Willie Nelson is bound to be FANTASTIC!!! The times were hard, simple but, exciting back in the Old West. No boring days back then. Soon I will be touring the west and hope to be able to make a stop in Luck, Texas (the down Willie built to film this movie). I just wish Willie would make more movies.
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I LOVE Willie Nelson but Willie was stoned most the time & constantly forgetting his lines which is why I presume they keep cutting away. Extremely time consuming on the set! Saying that, his performance is fine for a non actor. Not great but even likeable. The set was full of inexperienced young drug infused crew. Teamsters were supplying copious drugs. Everyone was coked up & full of themselves. Everyone sleeping with everyone. It shows in the end result of film. Morgan Fairchild is a cringeworthy. So many female actors could have done this part well & the film justice. But as she's a mate of Willy, she got the job. Money was a factor obviously too. But many other actresses would have pulled this off for the same fee I'm sure. A very nice person though! They chose such weak LEAD female actors EXCEPT Catherine Ross who was totally wasted! RG Armstrong stands out as the sheriff & everyone was raving about him at the time. No one appreciated the sanity of Catherine Ross. Women generally were meat on this set. The editor was infatuated with Maribel Madden (Cindy Logan). She visited the editor frequently so he wouldn't cut her out of the film because of her terrible performance, (that was the news in close circles anyway). Don't think she's had a part since. It was all a bit of a mess!!
But the Art Direction and set dressing & costumes are superb, not exactly what draws me to a film! Could have been made so much better if they picked people who could act. -
helpless_dancer8 April 1999Willie played a peaceable man who is singled out for harassment by a group of thugs and killers. His life becomes a mess because of these people, making him cynical and hard. A good woman attempts to bring him back from his hard hearted ways. Very good western with a good message.
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douglastoddwatts17 July 2020I love this movie but cannot find it streaming anywhere. Would like to know why or where can I find it streaming?
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The screenwriter wrote the movie based on Willie's album. He and Willie directed and produced it together--and it shows. The song is better than the movie, but not really enough to support nearly 2 hours of story. When you write a song, you don't have to explain how a religious fellow becomes a drifter who shoots people--you just start and end the song where it feels right.
In the movie, most of the plot makes little sense. A preacher drags his young citified wife to Montana to a godless town terrorized by a rogue family, ignores her unhappiness until she leaves with a former suitor, then kills them both.
Morgan Fairchild has about a dozen lines total. None of them are memorable. The preacher kills another townswoman who has turned to prostitution and tries to rob him. In a typical western, zero women get shot by the hero, so this is a not-so-refreshing change. Katharine Ross has a much better role (though very little dialogue) and gets a chance to act a little. Her character is the best in the movie.
The second half of the film is a lot more watchable, though still fairly unrealistic. The sheriff vacillates from his original apathy to helping the preacher try to reform the town...to hunting him down after he kills his wife...to becoming a drunk who wants someone to kill him (the sheriff)...to joining back up with the preacher in a typical last stand that snuffs out the bad guys. The preacher and the sheriff have all the good lines...and there really aren't that many. Music: A-; movie: D+ -
mandate01 March 2022Interesting story. Lots of gunplay plus a love story. Will watch again when I get the chance. Not Academy Award show but very enjoyable. Music makes it all worthwhile!
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someinfo18 April 2003This is a story about a preacher man who speaks what he understands to be the truth and willing to work hard to accomplish good. He sees trouble, understands it for what it is, and with courage meets it head on. With words or with action, he sticks to his beliefs. "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
Unfortunately, he fails to see a truth too close to his heart until after it's too late, then the reality sets in and turns his heart to stone. He then goes about making payments where payments are due, hard and cold, in the only way his heart will let him. Along the way he comes across another kindred soul. The resulting reflection gives him pause. Katherine Ross later asks him, "What made you do that? Just show up here that one day and start plowing?" To that, Willie Nelson replies, "I guess I had already gone as far as I could go the other way."
After reverting to rightness he has what one could interpret as a final relapse. In working to help another man recover his pride, Nelson's character goes back to make one final payment and close all accounts.
This film didn't get high ratings but it can be riveting in its delivery. Haunting lyrics sung by Nelson himself parallel the film's drama. The single and slow guitar notes are genius. Danger is portrayed as much more than mere physical peril. Action is brutal and cold. The film's slow pace makes it a dramatic effort, with hard action for good measure. Location properties look genuine. It must have taken good work and attention to details to get them to look so real. Camera shots are good enough. Interestingly, the overall film's style resembles Sam Peckinpah in "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Although "Red-Headed Stranger" is not the best Western, it's pretty good. I consider this Nelson's best film, the ratings notwithstanding.
A mystery remained unexplained. Looking at life from his perspective with equivalent responses, how did he become a preacher? What did he do before choosing the life of a preacher?
This film was released in 1986. My short research revealed the soundtrack came from his vinyl album "Red-Headed Stranger" which came out in 1975 causing trepidation among Columbia Records management before its release. Recorded in Texas, it cost Willie $20,000 and he used his personal seven-piece touring band. All management fears disappeared after the album was released and it "launched Willie into the stratosphere," after years as a hit songwriter and modestly successful singer. [paraphrased and quoted from a review by Rich Kienzle]. So, the album came first, then the film 11 years later. Good match. Good film.