Junior Bonner

"Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner""

1972 1h 40m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🔥

92%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 120🍅92%Rotten Tomatoes★6.7IMDB · 7,015

WesternDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

With his bronco-busting career on its last legs, Junior Bonner heads to his hometown to try his luck in the annual rodeo. But his fond childhood memories are shattered when he finds his family torn apart by his greedy brother and hard-drinking father.

“Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner"”

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Cast

Steve McQueen
Junior Bonner
Robert Preston
Ace Bonner
Ida Lupino
Elvira Bonner
Ben Johnson
Buck Roan
Joe Don Baker
Curly Bonner
Barbara Leigh
Charmagne
Mary Murphy
Ruth Bonner
Bill McKinney
Red Terwiliger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Writers: Jeb Rosebrook
Languages: English, Spanish
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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sam Peckinpah, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve McQueen and Robert Preston and Ida Lupino carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner"".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0068786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sam Peckinpah directs. Lucien Ballard behind the camera. Jerry Fielding scores. Frank Santillo cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Sam Peckinpah, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Fielding. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frank Santillo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Steve McQueen and Robert Preston and Ida Lupino carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner"".
8IMDB entry: tt0068786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien Ballard
Original score: Jerry Fielding
Editing: Frank Santillo
Makeup / hair: Donald W. Roberson
Sound: Richard Portman
Stunt coordinator: Michael Gilbert
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Junior Bonner (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 7,015 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

5 nominations

Also by

Sam Peckinpah

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-05-09
★ 7/10
Average film but it does feature a cracking lead performance. The film itself is interesting enough, even to those not interested in its core subject of Rodeo, and it's a story that I think most viewers can get onside with. The title character played wonderfully by Steve McQueen returns to his home town of Prescott, Arizona, to find that the family he left behind is now fractured and that age has caught up with him and his Rodeo life. It's a very up and down piece that on the surface doesn't seem like a directed effort from Sam Peckinpah. But there's some very special treats in the film to look out for. I have never been to a Rodeo so I have no frame of reference as regards the power of the Rodeo scenes here, but they certainly hit the spot of this particular viewer, in fact, I was transfixed by them. The film is also dotted with interesting and nicely drawn characters that are thankfully well realised by the acting talent on show. Ida Lupino, Robert Preston & Ben Johnson all help to keep the film way above average, but ultimately it's Steve McQueen turning in a memorable lead performance that actually deserves a better film than the one it ends up being. So 7/10 for the film as a whole, but a genuine 10/10 for the affectingly deep turn from McQueen.
John Chard2017-05-09
★ 7/10
Above average film featuring a cracking lead performance. The film itself is interesting enough, even to those not interested in its core subject of Rodeo, and it's a story that I think most viewers can get onside with. The title character played wonderfully by Steve McQueen returns to his home town of Prescott, Arizona, to find that the family he left behind is now fractured and that age has caught up with him and his Rodeo life. It's a very up and down piece that on the surface doesn't seem like a directed effort from Sam Peckinpah. But there's some very special treats in the film to look out for. I have never been to a Rodeo so I have no frame of reference as regards the power of the Rodeo scenes here, but they certainly hit the spot of this particular viewer, in fact, I was transfixed by them. The film is also dotted with interesting and nicely drawn characters that are thankfully well realised by the acting talent on show. Ida Lupino, Robert Preston & Ben Johnson all help to keep the film way above average, but ultimately it's Steve McQueen turning in a memorable lead performance that actually deserves a better film than the one it ends up being. So 7/10 for the film as a whole, but a genuine 10/10 for the affectingly deep turn from McQueen.