The Ballad of Cable Hogue poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, David Warner, Strother Martin, Slim Pickens ... see more see more... , L.Q. Jones , Peter Whitney , R.G. Armstrong , Gene Evans , William Mims , Kathleen Freeman , Susan O'Connell , Vaughan Taylor , Max Evans , James Anderson , Felix Nelson , Victor Izay , Darwin Lamb , Mary Munday , Matthew Peckinpah

After the intense bloodshed of The Wild Bunch (1969), this comic western fable took the opposite approach to director Sam Peckinpah's continuing examination of the end of the West. Left for dead by a ... read more read more...couple of lizard-slaughtering desperados in the middle of the desert, prospector Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) is saved by his unexpected discovery of water "where there wasn't any." Hogue turns the water hole, felicitously located near a stagecoach route, into a thriving business, creating a rest stop for a never-ending series of parched travelers. On his occasional trips to the closest town, he meets chipper prostitute Hildy (Stella Stevens), who joins him in his oasis, completing Hogue's little paradise. But even though Hogue may be able to succeed and avenge himself against his original attackers, there is one thing that he cannot stop: progress. Completed before The Wild Bunch was released, and replete with comical and even musical interludes, Peckinpah's gently picaresque telling of Hogue's rise and fall stands in distinct contrast to the visual violence of its predecessor. The underlying message about the cost of modernity, however, equals The Wild Bunch in seriousness. The callous randomness of Hogue's fate is as shocking as the Bunch's final blaze of glory; as in Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller from the same period, a tool of "civilization" provokes a most uncivilized end for an Old West dreamer. Although the film was as light-hearted in approach as the 1969 smash hit revisionist western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Warner Bros. mishandled the release and it did barely any business; Peckinpah returned to his trademark gore in his next film, the controversial Straw Dogs (1971). Still, The Ballad of Cable Hogue is less an anomaly for a master of violence than an ironically charming chapter in Peckinpah's career-long elegy to the western. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

3,514 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

13 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Sam Peckinpah

Release Date: May 13, 1970

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: January 10, 2006

Get It:

Stats: 154 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones The Ballad of Cable Hogue The Ballad of Cable Hogue Jason Robards and Stella Stevens Jason Robards and Stella Stevens Robarts, Martin and Jones The Ballad of Cable Hogue Warner and Robards Jason Robards and Stella Stevens The Ballad of Cable Hogue The Ballad of Cable Hogue The Ballad of Cable Hogue The Ballad of Cable Hogue The Ballad of Cable Hogue Warner and Robards Jason Robards and Stella Stevens The Ballad of Cable Hogue Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones
Upload a Photo | View All The Ballad of Cable Hogue Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (154)

  • pier007
    December 12, 2011
    pier007
    Peckinpah buries his favorite genre with the help of an outstanding trio: Jason Robards as an outlaw with strict moral codes, Stella Stevens as a town whore with too much heart, and David Warner as a preacher full of lust. This isn't by any means a languid, morose funeral; but a ... read morefestive farewell to a time and place that seemed to stay isolate from the rest of the ever changing modern world.
  • adammahler1
    October 9, 2011
    adammahler1
    The heart of this movie, which make the rest of it come alive -- zigzagging dissolves and all -- is Robards' and Stevens' performances and some of Lucien Ballard's shots, mostly cloudscapes he catches behind the characters. I don't know whether Peckinpah had to direct this, and ... read moreI don't mean because of the low level of violence. It's a comic elegy to the pioneer individualist where the system isn't trying to beat him down. He slides one way, while the system slides the other; both taking 'er easy. Of course the system slides the pavement under Hogue's feet, but there's no dialectic Peckinpah is experimenting with this time. Yeah, I know we're all charmed with what Hogue represents and we hate to see him go, but almost a whole movie about collectively basking in that feeling? Even the banker is nice in this one.

    ------------------
    A reconsideration, with some SPOILERS:

    ***

    Maybe we're deliberately left with handful of unsatisfying suggestions about what he might represent in history. "He was a man," I think the Preacher says solemnly -- emptily???

    The movie basks in our feeling for this guy, who is between worlds that won't fully have him -- since he is his own man, by choice. It's sad to watch that feeling contrast with the quickness of each character's mourning for him at the end. ??"He was a man" ... Maybe this movie ends up being about loneliness as our sacrifice in living out American ideals. Cable makes that sacrifice more honorably than most of us would even aspire to, without any regrets.
  • mjgildea
    March 10, 2011
    mjgildea
    The Ballad of Cable Hogue was proof that Jason Robards is possibly the most underappreciated actor ever. Sam Peckinpah's uncharacteristically upbeat Western wasn't what I expected and despite the contrast with Peckinpah's usual fare, I really liked it. Robards steals the show, bu... read moret the rest of the cast (especially David Warner) was great. The Ballad of Cable Hogue is by no means a perfect movie as the duet with Robards and Stella Stevens was a tad on the painful side and the goofy sped-up nonsense was cringe-worthy, but the last 20 minutes and a scowl-inducing but necessary and perfectly sensible ending more than justify it.
  • ythelastman89
    September 2, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A completely different movie than you'd probably expect, given the director and actors. This is really a light-hearted western compared to Sam Peckinpah's others. It's about a man finding his place in the world and admitting that he's not as tough as he might like to be. Jason Ro... read morebards does a great job in his role, bringing such a charming person to the screen. This does have beautiful cinematography like The Wild Bunch and Pat Garrett so you shouldn't expect a downgrade in quality.
  • flixsterman
    September 9, 2009
    flixsterman
    Peckinpah lite. A western comedy with heart featuring the immensely likable Jason Robards and the always BEAUTIFUL Stella Stevens. A surprising amount of warmth and romance for a Sam Peckinpah film.
  • tsigur
    November 28, 2008
    tsigur
    Robards and Peckinpah. Why haven't I seen this movie sooner? The final death scene is genius and the character actors that make up the cast are amazing. I could watch this movie for hours.
  • jonnycrumley
    April 11, 2009
    jonnycrumley
    Decent enough western from Sam Peckinpah. The cast put in likable performances, but the story is too slow and a little uninteresting.
  • Dracula787
    December 22, 2008
    Dracula787
    Sam Peckinpah?s follow up to The Wild Bunch probably confounded fans expecting another blood soaked epic. What they got was a lighter, more allegorical, slightly theatrical film. It chronicles the plight of the titular character who finds water in the middle of the desert, stak... read morees a claim to the well, and opens a way station for travelers. The film is greatly elevated by a magnificent performance by Jason Robards, who?s able to perfectly match the film?s tone with his work here. The film is marred by a few misguided moments of broad comedy, but it makes up for it with a great ending which is at the same time both bizarre and touching.
  • AD917
    September 6, 2009
    AD917
    Not your usual Sam Peckinpah film. A kinder gentler story, with more humor, and less violence than most of the director?s other work. Hell, there?s even something closely resembling a tender love story.
  • mpghoul1973
    December 3, 2008
    mpghoul1973
    Sam Peckinpah has never made a more gentler film than The Ballad Of Cable Hogue. This was his reply to critics who thought he was nothing more than a blood and guts director. This is Peckinpah defying expectations and making a relativly non violent western. Cable Hogue is a comed... read morey western and theres even a musical number!! This is the film he immediatly followed The Wild Bunch with. But its still trademark Peckinpah. He films the west better than anybody because he was a product of the west. The way he frames the landscape in the background, he makes it a central character.
    Jason Robard is strong in the lead as the title character. And David Warner is freakin halarious as the preacher who uses gods sermons to get a titty feel.

View All The Ballad of Cable Hogue Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A fine movie, a wonderfully comic tale we didn't quite expect from a director who seems more at home with violence than with humor. Full Review

Roger Greenspun
May 21, 2003
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

Peckinpah's gentlest, boldest, and perhaps most likable film to date. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Sam Peckinpah followed The Wild Bunch with this intimate, eccentric, appealing 1970 comedy, which treats many of the same themes in a soft, regretful mode. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 10, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Robards' warm performance makes the film into a casual delight. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
August 8, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

The calm between Peckinpah's tempests Full Review

August 30, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not a hit at the box office, it remains one of his finest efforts, funny, touching and never mawkishly sentimental. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
February 8, 2006
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A funky and appealing Western parable directed by Sam Peckinpah. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 6, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Peckinpah shows atypical humor and sense of music too in this original and lyrical comedy-Western-musical, with Jason Robards in top form as one of the director's most sympathetic character. Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten
March 10, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

Jason Robards shines in one of his most touching and humorous performances, and David Warner is memorable as a sinning preacher man. Full Review

Philip Martin
May 13, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Junior Bonner
    Junior Bonner (75%)
  • Stagecoach
    Stagecoach (100%)
  • Unforgiven
    Unforgiven (71%)
  • Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West)
    Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta... (100%)

More Movies like The Ballad of Cable Hogue

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Ballad of Cab... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Ballad of Cable Hogue Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Ballad of Cable Hogue to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?