Action movie legend Steve McQueen is Junior Bonner. Junior is an aging rodeo star who has seen better days. He heads back to Prescott, where he was raised, to take part in the annual 4th of July Frontier Days Celebration. Here he'll have a rematch with a bull he was previously thrown from. When he gets back to Prescott, he once again has to deal with his messed up family. His father, Ace (Robert Preston), is obsessed with heading to Alaska to find gold. His brother, Curly (played by the coolest cowboy ever, Joe Don Baker) is intent on making his fortune in real estate. Junior just kind of falls somewhere else and is content to do his thing but is there still a place in the world for men like him? He seems almost old fashioned compared to everyone around him.

Coming from a director who was nicknamed 'Bloody Sam' because of his penchant for onscreen violence, Junior Bonner is surprisingly restrained and quiet. It has about as much in common with The Wild Bunch, at least on the surface, as it does with something like Porky's. Those going into the movie expecting slow motion gunfights and Mexican whorehouses, both staples in many of his better known films, are bound to be disappointed that there's none of that to be found in this film. It's a quieter, more melancholy Peckinpah we see in this film, though it's a side of him that is no less fascinating than the angrier, chauvinistic renegade we all know and love.

Steve McQueen shines in the lead and while most of us nowadays associate Joe Don Baker with b-movies like Final Justice and Walking Tall (the original, not the Rock infested remake!), he's great in his supporting role as curly. Ira Lupino and Robert Preston are also great as Junior's parents, playing their roles quietly and sympathetically and blending into the cast of characters quite deftly.

The closest thing stereotypical Peckinpah action are the rodeo scenes. It's during these scenes that the familiar slow motion photography kicks in to capture the harder edged parts and it's here that the movie really shines visually. The rest of the film isn't hard on the eyes either with plenty of sweeping long distance shots and some interesting facial close ups as well, complimenting each other and keeping things looking good.

So while Junior Bonner isn't Peckinpah's best film, it's no less an interesting one that deals with many of the same themes his more recognized works have also tackled – alienation, man fighting against the norm, and most obviously, the death of the old west. It's worth reevaluating as it stands as an fascinating comparison piece in contrast to some of his other films.

The video on this release is, sadly, not enhanced for anamorphic television sets. Seeing as this was an MGM release, I was quite surprised to find that but regardless, that is the case (I'd assume this has something to do with whatever elements were made available to MGM). As far as the transfer itself goes, the first few minutes are a little muddy looking but once you hit the twenty to twenty-five minute mark, things get better. Picture quality is high with some sharp detail and reasonably good color reproduction. Black levels remain consistent and dark while fleshtones also look realistic and natural. There is some edge enhancement but it's not severe and overall this transfer is decent, despite the fact that the bit rate on this disc rarely goes over 6.

Junior Bonner gets slapped onto this disc with its original Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack intact. Removable subtitles are included in English, French and Spanish. Clarity on this track is just fine and the background music and sound effects are balanced nicely with the dialogue and never make anything difficult to follow. Speech sounds natural and clear, not tinny or flat like many older mono tracks tend to sound.

The only real extra on this DVD is a fully fleshed out and very informative commentary track from Paul Seydor (author of Peckinpah – The Western Films), Garner Simmons (author of Peckinpah – A Portrait In Montage, and David Weddle (author of one of the finest director biographies I've ever had the pleasure of reading, If They Move, Kill'em – The Life And Times Of Sam Peckinpah) and which is moderated by Nick Redman. All three of the principal participants have obviously got a great deal of knowledge to share on their subject and while sometimes it can get a little dry, it's ultimately quite rewarding to listen to as their enthusiasm for Peckinpah's work and the amount of knowledge given here is admirable.

One of Sam Peckinpah's most maligned films gets a nice DVD release from MGM. The commentary is sure to please Bloody Sam's many fans and the transfer, while sadly non-anamorphic, is very nice. Recommended.

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.