Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1681 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-06-18
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 177 minutes

Amazon.com

The lives of two stoic cowboys and five abused Chinese women become intertwined in Walter Hill's sprawling mini-series Broken Trail. Print Ritter (Academy Award winner Robert Duvall) and his nephew Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church, Sideways) agree to deliver a herd of 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming. Along the way, they rescue the young women--most of them still just girls--who're being transported to a brothel to have their virginity auctioned off. When the madam sees she is about to lose the girls, she screams at Tom, "What about my property?" He shouts back, "That's the price of being a capitalist, lady." Unable to overcome the language barrier, Print assigns numbers to the girls. Number Three, Sun Foy (Gwendoline Yeo, Desperate Housewives) is the most fearless and perceptive of them. Though the others don't want to be called Number Four--an unlucky numeral in their homeland--Ye Fung (Olivia Cheng), the most tragic of the group, doesn't care. Targeted for her beauty, she finds herself unable to overcome the trauma. The number suits her, in her mind. Along the way, Print and Tom rescue Nola Johns (Greta Scacchi), the proverbial hooker with the heart of gold, who was forced into prostitution after her husband died.

The cinematography is gorgeous as the camera sweeps over the lush landscape (the Canadian Rockies subbing in for Wild West of the late 1800s) and Hill does a formidable job of pacing this three-hour drama with just the right balance of dialogue and action. For Duvall, Broken Trail is the last piece to his Western trilogy, which started with the mini-series Lonesome Dove followed by the feature film Open Range. He is instantly likeable as a father figure and the viewer never doubts that his intention for the girls is honourable. As for Haden Church, he has never been as appealing as he is in this role. Gruff and flawed, he softens when he exchanges shy glances with Sun Foy. The trek is long and hard and the unlikely band of travellers will face much hardship. If not as satisfying as the rich, detailed Lonesome Dove, Broken Trail makes up for it with a wonderful storyline and some fine acting by all involved. As for the conclusion, it may surprise some viewers who are expecting a more traditional version of the happy ending.--Jae-Ha Kim, Amazon.com

Synopsis
This epic western mini series, directed by Walter Hill (DEADWOOD), stars Robert Duvall (LONESOME DOVE, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING) and Thomas Haden Church (SIDEWAYS) as an uncle-and-nephew team of cowboys, charged with running a herd of horses through the Wild West. The pair encounter a group of Chinese girls who are being sold into prostitution, and after saving them from that bitter fate, they find themselves charged with their care.

Customer Reviews

Is that it?
Thoroughly enjoyed this gritty but sympathetic Western...However, the dvd I have just watched finished so abruptly and without conclusion I am wondering if I should have another part (nothing on other side of dvd and no 2nd dvd).
The dvd had Hayden Church galloping out of town with the girls and Greta;Broken Trail [2006] the last shot being the baddie just glowering at their retreating backs. We just presumed it was an upbeat ending..but was it? enlighten me someone please

TV movie
Hill's Western becomes a road movie, with all kinds of odd characters, from ugly villains to a friendly musician, but the key to "Broken Trail" is that through a series of circumstances, fate has placed the five Chinese innocent girls in the hands of Tom and his uncle... But the reality is another... Their families sold them to that rat captain heading out to the mining camp, where Kate, an odious saloon owner, bought them from an associate in San Francisco...

Our two cowboys save the girls' lives from rape and take them along on their journey...

With great photography, gorgeous vistas, perilous ground, sensible brave girls, good and decidedly courageous men, great action when it is necessary, and a big confrontation at the climax of the movie, Hill's Western is a must see film for the fans of the genre...
Robert Duvall continues proving that he is a great Western actor who can handle mature and complex characters. He is not the Duke or Clint, but has a style all his own. Thomas Haden Church provides a surprisingly strong performance as the reluctant nephew. He has come a long way from his "Wings" days. Many other reviews detail the plot, so no reason for me to rehash it.

I think the two things I enjoyed most about the film are the scenery (stunning) and the harsh depiction of the West. I always imaginged the West to be a dirty, harsh, tough and dangerous setting. The movie does an excellent job of depicting this reality. If you like other Westerns like Open Range, or Lonesome Dove, then you will enjoy this one as well.

Television Western Mini-Series Keep the Genre Alive
I really enjoyed this movie. In my opinion its one of the best westerns made in recent years. Robert Duvall does his now customary 'Gus McRae Act' which I never seem to tire of. Of course he did this in Open Range as well. Thomas Haden Church is great also, completely different to his role in, for example 'Sideways'. The landscape photography, acting and direction are all brilliant. The movie also features at least one 'stand up' all-guns-blazing shoot out. The bad guys are so evil you just can't wait to see if and when they get dispatched to 'the big open range in the sky'.
Bring on more movies like this.