The more I think about Budd Boetticher’s The Tall T the better it gets. Once again he’s directing one of the best western scripts I’ve come across and it’s telling another cynical story with themes that’d later define the spaghetti era and with an expectedly great Randolph Scott lead, some of the most beautiful blue skies I’ve ever seen in a western, and a gorgeous score playing over the lovely cinematography I have no reservations saying this is one of the better westerns ever made. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the story through a decent portion of the runtime, it doesn’t take many risks but as the themes developed and considering the script telling it is so good that simpleness, like another film I watched and loved today in Ralph Nelson’s Lilies of the Field, was executed to the highest degree possible and the result worked like a charm on me. I should also say the rest of this cast turned in some impressive performances next to Scott, Richard Boone’s villain was fantastic and I loved the quippy dialogue battles he had with Scott and Maureen O’Sullivan had moments that could very easily be argued the best acting of the whole movie. I’m teetering on the edge of a 4 and 4.5 and while parts of my heart definitely want to go higher on it I just wasn’t impacted as much as I’d want from one of my 4.5s, that being said I’ll absolutely rewatch this someday and it’s very possible that I could bump it, even now though it’s still one of the best watches I’ve gotten out of my 2026 western challenge and it’s fully convinced me Budd Boetticher was a master of this genre.
The more I think about Budd Boetticher’s The Tall T the better it gets. Once again he’s directing one of the best western scripts I’ve come across and it’s telling another cynical story with themes that’d later define the spaghetti era and with an expectedly great Randolph Scott lead, some of the most beautiful blue skies I’ve ever seen in a western, and a gorgeous score playing over the lovely cinematography I have no reservations saying this is one of the better westerns ever made. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the story through a decent portion of the runtime, it doesn’t take many risks but as the themes developed and considering the script telling it is so good that simpleness, like another film I watched and loved today in Ralph Nelson’s Lilies of the Field, was executed to the highest degree possible and the result worked like a charm on me. I should also say the rest of this cast turned in some impressive performances next to Scott, Richard Boone’s villain was fantastic and I loved the quippy dialogue battles he had with Scott and Maureen O’Sullivan had moments that could very easily be argued the best acting of the whole movie. I’m teetering on the edge of a 4 and 4.5 and while parts of my heart definitely want to go higher on it I just wasn’t impacted as much as I’d want from one of my 4.5s, that being said I’ll absolutely rewatch this someday and it’s very possible that I could bump it, even now though it’s still one of the best watches I’ve gotten out of my 2026 western challenge and it’s fully convinced me Budd Boetticher was a master of this genre.
mduffin00
8.0★ · 05/26/26
An incredibly pretty, gripping, and cozy movie. The kind of movie I’d like to fall asleep to in the middle of the day in the highest compliment way possible.
An incredibly pretty, gripping, and cozy movie. The kind of movie I’d like to fall asleep to in the middle of the day in the highest compliment way possible.
Kinoman4ek
7.0★ · 04/17/26
Good Old Movie. Director did good job and movie looks amazing. Plot is bit boring but watchable.
Good Old Movie. Director did good job and movie looks amazing. Plot is bit boring but watchable.
Stockton DavisPRO
5.0★ · 04/03/26
Meh not a great film. The plot was good and there were some good thematic themes in this film. But there was nothing in this film that stood out and it really felt to drag at many points. Randolph Scott also isn’t the best actor.
Meh not a great film. The plot was good and there were some good thematic themes in this film. But there was nothing in this film that stood out and it really felt to drag at many points. Randolph Scott also isn’t the best actor.
Ethan
We need way more 78 minute westerns. It also helps when it’s adapted by a steamroller of a Leonard short story.
We need way more 78 minute westerns. It also helps when it’s adapted by a steamroller of a Leonard short story.
