Forced Movies 2017 #11 – The Reivers (1969)

“You can be scared if you want to – you can’t help that – but don’t be afraid, son. ” – Boon

Number of Times Seen – 1 (9 May 2017)

Brief Synopsis – A coming of age tale at the turn of the early Twentieth Century where a young boy from Mississippi and his friend go on a 4 day trip to Memphis.

My Take on it – This is a film that I had never heard of before and was excited to see since I’ve always been a fan of Steve McQueen’s films.

I found this to be quite an engaging coming of age film that is done differently than most films of the genre.

We easily feel the changes that occur in the young boy’s life due to his exposure to the events of the film because many of his adventures are quite eye opening.

They expertly deal with many situations that 11 years old normally don’t encounter yet do so in such a tasteful manner that we get a better understand of how these events affect this young boy’s outlook on the world and how it changes based on his experiences.

McQueen is cast a bit against type here yet he still shines the whole way through.

His young cast mate Mitch Vogel also does a wonderful job here as the main character and we genuinely feel that they are portraying realistic characters.

Both McQueen and Vogel were nominated for Golden Globes for these roles yet neither was able to win the award that year.

The music by John Williams also adds so much to the atmosphere of the story and helps transport us to another time and place quite easily.

Bottom Line – Very interesting coming of age film that makes us truly feel the changes in the boy’s life due to his new experiences and his eye opening trip.  The themes depicted here are all not your typical themes generally explored by an 11 years old yet they are dealt with tastefully and help us understand how they affect his young life’s outlook on the world.  McQueen plays a bit against type here yet still shines through as does the young Vogel. Great music by Willaims. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Steve McQueen brought along with him, on locations, martial artist Bruce Lee. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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