The Hired Hand

A gorgeous, meditative Western. Most of the credit could be given to Vilmos Zsigmond, whose photography is consistently stunning, but the excellent work of Warren Oates helps too. Fonda is also great...judging from this film, he had quite a bit of directorial talent, shame he never really got to show that to the mainstream crowd.

I really appreciated how they accurately showed gun violence as realistic and horrible, but despite this the movie was still pretty boring

an ambient western dotted with settlements built like everyone stopped bothering halfway through, its heroes weary thirsty ghost-men dreaming of lost pasts and future comforts out of reach. abandoned women care nothing for the dreams of men and persist tight-lipped with earthly concerns, tending to their homes and children, hooking strangers to sweep their own cobwebs when needed. dormant tenderness can resurface like a hard-worked crop, but the next drought is right around the corner.

A little slow at times but it's backed by Zsigmond's framing and his excellent use of the beautiful landscape. This is NOT your regular sunday-morning western and should be seen at night to better experience the dreamy-like feel of the film.

I couldn't find myself holding interest as this movie was playing. I will probably like it better upon rewatch.

If you’re a fan of westerns and like to smoke the good stuff, this is the most surreal and relaxing style/pace I’ve encountered in the genre. It’s a therapeutic chapter in an otherwise supercharged and masculine book. Great soundtrack. Decent story. Warren Oates.

It's so heavy-handed that some of the narrative choices come off as interestingly off-kilter, which includes one of the clumsiest shootouts I've seen, and it does have Warren Oates, but nothing really compensates for the ultimate blandness of the mid-section.

Contemplative and lonely, Fonda's western is a bit of a forgotten gem. The story is about duty and friendship in a time where both seem hard to maintain. Really great New Hollywood.

The opening montage is pretty stunning and signals an artistic sensibility that is not common in Westerns. But the film is completely accessible--at least for those who like character driven dramas (Fond and Oates are terrific). This film deserves more attention. If you're a film lover who happens to also love Westerns, make it a point to see this film.