Dead Man’s Walk
1996  NR  WESTERN/TELEVISION  4h 43min
CAST— F. Murray Abraham, Keith Carradine
MUSIC— David Bell  DIRECTOR— Yves Simoneau  BASED ON— Dead Man’s Walk (novel), by Larry McMurtry

     Once again, another Western miniseries from creative mind Larry McMurtry. Serving as the first entry of the Lonesome Dove saga, this sprawling epic sees Augustus McCrea and Woodrow Call at the beginning of their careers as Texas Rangers. After avoiding being scalped in the Texas wilds they return to Austin just in time to sign up for an even bigger expedition: under the command of a former pirate they are to scout a road to Santa Fe. But it won’t be a picnic; they are to traverse harsh, unforgiving terrain through Comanche country, with Comanche warrior Buffalo Hump continuously stalking the expedition, toying with the men before he viciously strikes. Add to that incompetent direction by the murderous pirate leading them and there you have a recipe for a rough ride. Throughout their journey the expedition loses many a man to, not only Indian marauders, but to fire, the elements, the Mexican army, etc. Will they make it to Santa Fe before death befalls them all? Even though this is a Lonesome Dove tale, Gus and Call are really supporting characters here, two of a large but dwindling ensemble (which is fine, since the casting choices for the two are thoroughly unconvincing). Proves interesting as a Western tale but fails at capturing the grandeur of the classic original miniseries.
OUR RATING— ** ½
FOLLOWED BY— Comanche Moon (2008), Lonesome Dove (1988), Streets of Laredo (1995)