Dick Richards (Farewell My Lovely) made his directorial debut with this unforgiving demythologizing of the Old West. Gary Grimes (The Summer of ’42) is Ben, a naïve young whippersnapper reluctantly hired on by unsentimental trail boss, Culpepper (Billy Green Bush, of Five Easy Pieces) for his upcoming cattle drive. Hardboiled Culpepper is doubtful that Ben has got the sagebrush smarts and cojones to become an efficient cowboy. In the tradition of The Wild Bunch, Richards’ revisionist effort depicts all the spontaneous, casual brutality that can lurk just around the next bend in the road. All manner of villains are encountered, from egomaniacal trail hands, thieving trappers and one-eyed highwaymen to fatcat, ‘I’m-entitled-to-it-all’ empire builders (John McLiam) and duplicitous, hypocritical preachers. With a seventies dream supporting cast, including Luke Askew (Cool Hand Luke), Bo Hopkins (The Wild Bunch), Charles Martin Smith (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid), Geoffrey Lewis (Every Which Way But Loose) and Matt Clark (The Outlaw Josey Wales).
“The Culpepper Cattle Co. is one of the best of the revisionist westerns of the early 70s, just behind Bad Company and Robert Aldrich’s searing Ulzana’s Raid.” – Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant
“Well acted by a fantastic cast of familiar faces and masterfully filmed by the director and his crew, you will feel the dirt, sweat and funk in this tale of hard life and true grit.” – Brian Bankston, Cool Ass Cinema
