Lonely are the Brave
An uncompromising cowboy stages a prison escape and flees into the mountains, where his devotion to freedom collides with the machinery of modern America.
Overview
A cowboy's loyalty leads him to a desperate act of imprisonment for friendship's sake.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- rugged
- intimate
- classic western night
- reflective movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful and unusually thoughtful western, praising its performances, atmosphere, and elegiac treatment of individual freedom confronting modern society.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jack Burns rejects roads, vehicles, institutions, and settled life in favor of roaming freely with his horse.
Burns is an old-fashioned cowboy pursued through a landscape increasingly shaped by prisons, jeeps, helicopters, and modern infrastructure.
After breaking out of jail, Burns is hunted through the mountains by Sheriff Johnson and mechanized law enforcement.
Burns deliberately gets himself imprisoned to free Paul Bondi, only to discover that Bondi wants to remain in jail.
Films like Lonely are the Brave, and why
The Wild Bunch
Shared revisionist western atmosphere, solitary antihero, and conflict between individual freedom and encroaching modern society.
Ride the High Country
Shared melancholy western tone, morally complex lawman figures, and elegiac examination of an obsolete frontier code.
The Last Picture Show
Shared rugged wilderness pursuit, masculine friendship, and tension between independence and social conformity.
Hud
Shared modern western setting, alienated protagonist, and tragic clash between personal autonomy and institutional authority.
Movie Details
- Director
- David Miller
- Release Date
- 1962-04-26
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (175)
Cast
- Kirk Douglas
- Gena Rowlands
- Walter Matthau
- Michael Kane
- Carroll O'Connor
- William Schallert
- George Kennedy
- Karl Swenson
- William Mims
- Martín Garralaga
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lonely are the Brave about?
- An uncompromising cowboy stages a prison escape and flees into the mountains, where his devotion to freedom collides with the machinery of modern America.
- What is Lonely are the Brave like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lonely are the Brave as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Lonely are the Brave violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Lonely are the Brave as mild.
- What did critics think of Lonely are the Brave?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful and unusually thoughtful western, praising its performances, atmosphere, and elegiac treatment of individual freedom confronting modern society.
- Which films are like Lonely are the Brave?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country, The Last Picture Show, and Hud.
- How long is Lonely are the Brave?
- Lonely are the Brave runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lonely are the Brave?
- In United States, Lonely are the Brave is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
