Stephen Farber

“Fonda etches still another brilliant characterization. This time she’s a fiercely independent frontierswoman who’s wary of any human contact. She mistrusts everyone, and she won’t allow any emotional relationship to distract her from her overriding obsession with the land. Her pride is both commanding and maddening, and Fonda doesn’t try to soften the character or make her lovable. She makes us think of those old photographs of western matriarchs with leathery skin and the glint of steel in their eyes. There’s an entire history of American tenacity in the rich character that Fonda creates.

“Although James Caan’s character isn’t as well conceived, he makes a perfect foil for Fonda. In his quiet way he’s just as proud as she is; he’s not intimidated by her severity…. There’s a real sexual chemistry between the two stars, and we relish the slow development of their relationship; it’s in the best tradition of hard-boiled Hollywood romances….

“Pakula may not recognize his own strengths. It’s amusing that this expensive, overproduced epic western is most compelling when two people are talking over the kitchen table, but it drops dead when the camera sweeps over those vast outdoor vistas. However, even the love story runs into problems in the second half of the movie. In the best movie romances, there’s an equal give-and-take between the lovers. Comes a Horseman is out of balance because Caan has nothing to learn from Fonda. He’s perfect even at the start—a proud but gentle man who teaches the cold-hearted heroine how to love. In the later parts of the film Fonda recedes into the background as Caan takes the reins and tames her. Pakula’s films often demonstrate a subtle but troubling sexual prejudice. He is fascinated by strong women but also seems somewhat frightened of them; he wants to put them in their place. In The Sterile Cuckoo the abrasive Liza Minnelli was finally rejected by the sensitive hero; in Klute Jane Fonda was rescued from degradation by supercop Donald Sutherland. Comes a Horseman reworks the same story: A strong, proud woman realizes that her salvation comes in submitting to an even stronger man. My objections to this solution are aesthetic as well as political; the drama evaporates after the heroine melts….”

Stephen Farber
New West, November 6, 1978