zkonedog There are many people who consider "Lonesome Dove" to be the greatest Western saga ever created. While I can't quite go that far in my praise for it, I will say that it was easily worth watching for the iconic characters (bolstered by incredible acting) it cultivates throughout.For a basic plot summary, "Lonesome Dove" tells the story of Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), two cattle ranchers who decide to leave their dusty Texas ranch and move the herd to Montana on the advice of fellow friend Jake Spoon (Robert Urich). Along the way, they deal with the harshness of the Old West territory, Indian warrior Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest), and (more importantly) cultivate new relationships. Lorena Wood (Diane Liane) is a prostitute who wants to turn over a new leaf and start a life with Gus, but first the old cowpoke must deal with his feelings toward old flame Clara (Anjelica Huston). A side plot sees a Sheriff, July Johnson (Chris Cooper), set off with his son Joe (Adam Faraizal) to hunt down Spoon, who murdered another in a dispute and must be given justice.The reason "Lonesome Dove" is such an iconic miniseries is because it creates characters that seem so real. Often, westerns can fall into the "stock character" trap where the participants are a bit too cut-and-dry, or black-and-white. The exact opposite happens here, as pretty much each and every character is given something to do and room to grow.That being said, the whole film pretty much revolves around Duvall's Gus, and fortunately that actor is up to the task. While the surrounding acting performances are also great, everyone else (as characters) are really defined by their relationship to Gus. I don't want to sound like I'm taking anything away from the film as a whole, but I was always invested when Gus was at the forefront (physically or emotionally) and that wasn't always the case otherwise.The only criticism I have of "Lonesome Dove"? I felt that some of the subplots didn't live up to the main emotional backbone of the whole thing. I was underwhelmed by the July Johnson angle, I didn't like Blue Duck's character at all (it felt to me as if he were shoe-horned in because the producers thought an Indian presence was needed), and I felt that a bit too much time was spent on Dish Boggett (D.B. Sweeney), a ranch hand on the drive. The one sub-angle that works in spades? Newt (Ricky Schroder), Call's unrequited son. There was some real emotion there. Other than that though, I felt that those other auxiliary pieces (even if they were still well-acted, for the most part) distracted me from Gus, Call, and the really good material taking place on the cattle drive.So, while I can't put "Lonesome Dove" at the tip top of my list, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to Western film fans. When Duvall, Lane, Jones, Schroder, and Huston were on center stage, this miniseries truly was as good as it gets. The interactions feel real, not derived, and there is real drama, both physical and emotional. It strayed down a few paths that didn't hold my attention (especially in the second and beginning of the third acts), but overall easily deserving of a solid 4-star ranking.

apeurobrotherton I've seen Lonesome Dove at least 10 times in my life. It's 6 hours long, 6 times 10 is 60. I've watched Lonesome Dove for at least 60 hours. I've also read the book twice. I'm 27 years old and have a lot of Lonesome Dove left in me. I'm looking forward to growing old and watching Lonesome Dove over and over until I eclipse the magic 200 hour mark and then I can finally get the t-shirt. The 200 Hour Lonesome Dove t-shirt.Watch this movie or read this book. Or do both at the same time and really dive in. I dove in so far, I got a job next spring herding cattle from Lonesome Dove, Texas to Montana.

Mr-Fusion I don't want to muck about with hyperbole on this, but . . . yeah, "Lonesome Dove" really is that good. And even though the word epic has been vastly diluted lately, it certainly applies here. This miniseries ably translates the sprawling journey to the screen, a story that spans the length of the United States, Texas to Montana (and back). Characters converge, separate and reunite later on, the trip fraught with peril, but a deeply moving adventure nonetheless.Captain Augustus McCrae is one of my very favorite literary characters, and Robert Duvall is the ideal casting choice. Same for Tommy Lee Jones; theirs is a curmudgeonly but unbreakable bond. And they're backed by a cast that's pretty much everyone who was working in Hollywood in 1989.If there's a negative to this, it's that the claustrophobic TV aspect ratio doesn't do the vistas justice. But it works wonders in spite of the format's limitations.Good luck keeping a dry eye by series' end.9/10

walden1914 This has been one huge disappointment. From the comments I had read before ordering "Lonesome dove" I understood this to be one of the greatest western movies/miniseries of all times. But let's see: the dialogues are corny, the acting is stilted; the tone is uncertain, going from serious (rarely) to slapstick (much too often), as if the director could not decide whether to opt for drama or comedy. The only reasons I finished it were, on the one hand, that I had paid for it, and, on the other, that I kept hoping the thing would ultimately redeem itself. Hopes were dashed. Money wasted. I certainly would not recommend it.