Reeling Backward: The Grey Fox (1982)
Stuntman turned bit player turned supporting actor turned leading man, Richard Farnsworth starred in “The Grey Fox,” a Western for those who are not fans of Westerns.
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Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth) was sent to jail for robbing stagecoaches. After decades of incarceration, he is released from prison in 1901. Stagecoaches have been replaced by trains. Early on, Miner sees one of those horseless carriages that runs on gasoline.
After spending time with his sister (and her asshat husband who boots him out) and working a regular job (briefly), Miner jumps right back into what he knows best. Robbing.
On paper, “The Grey Fox” sounds like one of several westerns made by Sam Peckinpah. An aging outsider adjusting to the changing times. A career criminal who tries (briefly) as a crime-free existence, only to get pulled back into that life. I kept thinking early on the underappreciated Dustin Hoffman film “Straight Time.” We've seen these tales on film before, often hit over the head with the message. Not here.
“The Grey Fox” is a western for those who are not fans of westerns. It has some violence, but it's quick and to the point. There's a relationship with a woman who does not need to be rescued or waiting at the porch for him to return. The law is after him, but... (spoiler alert on an almost 40 year-old film) it doesn't turn into a multi-bullet bloodbath.
All anchored by a lovely lead performance from Richard Farnsworth as Miner. After decades as a stuntman and bit player, Farnsworth earned his first Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actor) for the role of Dodger in “Comes a Horseman” (1978). After that, he became one of the top go-to actors for grizzled coots and/or wise old sages for the rest of his career. From “The Natural” to “Rhinestone” to “Misery “and countless others, film fans went from calling him That Guy to committing his name to memory.
His final performance would be his best since this film, as Alvin the lawn mower rider in David Lynch's G-rated “The Straight Story.” He earned a well-deserved Best Actor nomination and what a swan song. A year after that film, while suffering from terminal cancer and was partially paralyzed, Farnsworth shot himself.
“The Grey Fox” is also the directing high point for Philip Borsos, also his feature film debut. He received an Academy Award nomination for his short film “Nails” in 1979. His other credits were the Kurt Russell journalism drama “The Mean Season” (1985), “One Magic Christmas” (1985), “Bethune” (1990) and “Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog” (1995). Borsos died of Leukemia in 1995 at the age of 41.
OK, enough death, back to “The Grey Fox”...
Farnsworth's Bill Miner is a gentleman until he doesn't have to be. We only see him lose his temper a couple times. After smashing a glass over a drunk knucklehead's head, he apologizes to the bartender and fellow patrons before quietly walking away.
There's also a lovely low-key relationship between Miner and a feminist photographer (Jackie Burroughs). Their Meet-Cute happens at the local newspaper office. He's looking for old issues to scout the town, she's balling out the editor. As she is storming out, Miner is able to get the door open for her as she leaves in a fast huff, giving Miner an high-energy "Thank you!" as she storms out the door.
This is soon followed by a montage of their courtship, accompanied by Miner singing in a bathtub.
There's even a moment of afterglow in bed. Hey, older actors who are not models can have a love scene or a post-love scene. On a side note, my wife (the greatest actress I know) will often sit with me working on her laptop, listening to the film mostly. During the scenes with Farnsworth and Burroughs, she actually stopped typing and watched those scenes.
Gorgeously filmed in British Columbia and Washington state by Frank Tidy, who had make his Director of Photography debut with Ridley Scott's “The Duelists” five years prior. Lots of gorgeous mountains and open fields which makes old movie coots bellow that there was no CGI back then.
“The Grey Fox” is a underappreciated film from the 1980s and in that small list of notable westerns from that decade. While Pale Rider, The Long Riders and Silverado are making all the noise in the yard, “The Grey Fox” and “Barbarosa” will be sitting on the front porch, quietly grinning.
Matthew Socey is host of the podcast Film Soceyology for WFYI 90.1 FM in Indianapolis.