Bad Company

"They're young, desperate, dangerous—a long way from home, but a short way from Hell."

1972 1h 33m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

84%

FRESH

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 107🍅84%Rotten Tomatoes★6.9IMDB · 4,738

WesternDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After Drew Dixon, an upright young man, is sent west by his religious family to avoid being drafted into the Civil War, he drifts across the land with a loose confederation of young vagrants.

“They're young, desperate, dangerous—a long way from home, but a short way from Hell.”

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Cast

Jeff Bridges
Jake Rumsey
Barry Brown
Drew Dixon
David Huddleston
Big Joe
Jerry Houser
Arthur Simms
Geoffrey Lewis
Hobbs
Ed Lauter
Orin
John Savage
Loney
Jim Davis
Marshal

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Benton
Writers: David Newman, Robert Benton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harvey Schmidt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown and David Huddleston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're young, desperate, dangerous—a long way from home, but a short way from Hell.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0068245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Benton directs. Gordon Willis behind the camera. Harvey Schmidt scores. Ralph Rosenblum cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Harvey Schmidt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Ralph Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown and David Huddleston carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They're young, desperate, dangerous—a long way from home, but a short way from Hell.".
7IMDB entry: tt0068245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Original score: Harvey Schmidt
Editing: Ralph Rosenblum
Production design: Paul Sylbert
Costume design: Anthea Sylbert
Makeup / hair: Hank Edds
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Bad Company (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 4,738 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

1 nomination

Also by

Robert Benton

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2018-08-05
★ 8/10
Say, how'd that Jane Eyre turn out? Bad Company is directed by Robert Benton and Benton co-writes the screenplay with David Newman. It stars Jeff Bridges, Barry Brown, Jim Davis, David Huddleston and John Savage. Music is by Harvey Schmidt and cinematography by Gordon Willis. Young men dodging the Union Army draft for the Civil War escape to the West in the hope of finding fortune and freedom. What actually awaits them is something completely different. The 1970s saw a slew of Westerns released that were a far cry from the golden frothy production line of the 1950s. Film makers big into the genre were quick to latch onto more sombre stories or quirky non conformist pieces. The climate of the World was changing and so directors and writers were comfortable in portraying the Wild West as not being romantic or heroic at all. One such gem is Bad Company. Benton's film quickly sets out its stall with its opening salvo, as Union soldiers round up young boys in child snatching fashion, all that is missing is big chins and lollipops. Enter one young man named Drew Dixon (Brown), a God fearing youngster packed off by his Mum to the West to start a richer life. Soon enough he is falling in with bad company, company fronted by Jake Rumsey (Bridges), the main man for a ragtag band of young thieves. The West painted here is a dour place, Rumsey's gang think nothing of robbing young children of their pocket money, or tormenting a feral feline. We are often throughout the picture reminded that folk come West for fame and fortune etc, but have found nothing but misery. A man quickly spies an opportunity to solicit his wife out to the young gang for $10 a pop, an elder gang think nothing of robbing the younger upstarts. Weapons have to be traded just for a meal (slop really...), and of course there is no honour among thieves, doing each other over will come naturally. And naturally pain, death and rude awakening are just a heartbeat away. And yet the pic is not without humour, much needed humour as it bears out the naivety of youth, or misplaced cockiness, or just in fighting camaraderie. There are laughs to be had here, some choice dialogue or a put-down, but given the nature of the story, a shock or heartache scene is never far away. A Technicolor production, the colours are however stripped down to autumnal filters, this perfectly aids the naturalistic flavours of this particular Western broth. Schmidt offers up a range of piano dirges, flitting between perky and morose as per the scene it accompanies. Cast are great, Bridges and Brown hold court in believable fashion, the other youngsters guided well by their director. Big Joe's (Huddleston excellent) gang consists of reliable character actors who Western fans will be pleased to see, such as Geoffrey Lewis (The Culpepper Cattle Co. High Plains Drifter), Charles Tyner (Jeremiah Johnson, The Outlaw Josey Wales) and Ed Lauter (Breakhart Pass, Dirty Little Billy). Myths of the West debunked, Bad Company is a must see for Western fans seeking the more earthy approach to Western story telling. 8/10

Production companies