Robert Redford’s 91-Rated% Western Gets Dubbed ‘Greatest Mountain Man Movie’ by Fans

Everyone who isn’t into Westerns can guess that the genre’s main stars are Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, whose classics paved the way for all modern Western flicks and heroes. However, there are also a number of outstanding actors who belong there.

These include Robert Redford, the industry veteran who is also a great Western actor. Genre lovers may have seen his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) or The Electric Horseman (1979), but there is one Western starring Redford that beats them all.

The movie’s plot revolves around a Mexican-American War veteran, who decides to live in isolation in the mountains. Luckily, he finds help from a mountain man who teaches him how to survive there, as well as a native bride and an adopted son to live together.

You can guess that the protagonist is yet far from living his calm life, as he gets in the way of the local Indian tribe. They are willing to disturb his family’s peaceful existence.

It may come as a shock, but this Western is based on real-life events — it depicts the life of the legendary mountain man that was already recounted in a number of books.

Paying respect to the original story, Redford’s film perfectly balances between its drama and action aspects and doesn’t forget about the required realism. Presumably, that is the reason why it’s now considered the best mountain man movie ever made.

In this respect, it can be compared to several other gems of this kind, starting from Richard Harris’ Man in the Wilderness (1971) to Leonardo DiCaprio ’s cultish The Revenant (2015).

If you enjoy stories about strong-willed men on their complicated ways towards justice and peace, you are definitely missing out on Redford’s Western, titled Jeremiah Johnson after the name of the protagonist and the real-life mountain man.

Although it’s not reminiscent of classic Westerns, it’d be a perfect choice for every genre veteran, with its overall greatness being added by the stellar performance of its lead actor.

Check out Jeremiah Johnson, as it’s now available for streaming on Prime and Apple TV+ .