The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean poster & wallpaper
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Paul Newman, Victoria Principal, Anthony Perkins, Ned Beatty, Jacqueline Bisset ... see more see more... , Tab Hunter , John Huston , Ava Gardner , Bruno , Jim Burk , Dean Casper , Jack Colvin , Richard Farnsworth , John Bear Hudkins , Francesca Jarvis , Roy Jenson , Leroy Johnson , Steve Kanaly , Stacy Keach , Fred Krone , Roddy McDowall , Bill McKinney , Billy Pearson , Michael Sarrazin , David Sharpe , Dean Smith , Don Starr , Neil Summers , Anthony Zerbe , Stan Barrett , Matt Clark , Gary Combs , Bennie E. Dobbins , Jeannie Epper , Terry J. Leonard , Frank Soto , Howard Morton , Alfred G. Bosnos , Fred Brookfield , Karen Carr , Dolores Clark , Margo Epper , Barbara J. Longo , Rebecca Lee Meza

Paul Newman plays the title role in John Huston's surreal, revisionist western as the infamous Texas hanging judge. Upon arriving in the tiny West Texas town of Vinegaroon, Roy Bean draws a moustache ... read more read more...on a wanted poster of himself, marches into a saloon, and declares his presence. He is immediately robbed, beaten within an inch of his life, tied to a horse and dragged out into the prairie, then left to die. Rescued by a young Mexican girl, Maria Elena (Victoria Principal), Roy Bean heads back into town and murders everyone in the local saloon, declaring that he'll kill anyone of the same sort who turns up. He also sets himself up as the sole arbiter of law and order and renames the town Langtry, in honor of the legendary actress Lily Langtry (Ava Gardner). The community prospers as Judge Bean dispenses his own brand of frontier justice upon strangers passing by, robbing or killing anyone who tries to make their way through the town. But when Maria dies, Bean's old associates begin to turn on him, one at a time (in response to his constant harping on their wives, many of whom were former prostitutes) and Bean is forced to leave. Years later, Bean rides back into town, called back to the place to save his daughter from trouble - and finds that the community has been taken over by a shady character called Frank Gass (Roddy McDowall) - a circumstance that requires Bean to dispense his own unique brand of justice once again. Stacy Keach lends a neat comic turn to the film as Bad Bob, an albino gunslinger whose dining habits consist of chowing down on raw onion, drinking hot coffee from a pot, and demanding that an entire horse be cooked for his supper. John Milius (Red Dawn) scripted. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

67% liked it

3,480 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

7 critics

PG, 2 hr.

Directed by: John Huston

Release Date: December 18, 1972

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DVD Release Date: June 3, 2003

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Stats: 135 reviews

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The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean Miss Langtry finally arrives in Langtry, Texas. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean Jacqueline Bisset as Rose Wallpaper Roy Bean meets a new guest in his town and home. Judge Roy Bean Wallpaper The judge behind the bar. Poster Art for John Huston's excellent film. Early shot of Mr. Newman as Mr. Bean Looking at a corpse. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean Bad Bob rides into Vinegaroon. Tab Hunter as Sam Dodd Anthony Perkins as Reverend Mr. LaSalle Anthony Zerbe plays a hustler. Stacy Keach as Bad Bob. Jim Burk as Big Bart Jackson Matt Clark as Nick the Grub.
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Flixster Reviews (135)

  • tsigur
    January 4, 2010
    tsigur
    Really entertaining film and it owes a lot to what I think is one of Paul Newman's best performances. I enjoyed the film and it's funny watching this and realizing what a pot head John Huston was. The film looks gorgeous and it's both hilarious and sad at the same time. I don't k... read morenow why, but the ending got to me even though the whole idea is bat shit crazy. Great cast.
  • kenstachnik
    July 2, 2007
    kenstachnik
    If for the crazy Albino alone...this movie is fan-fuck'n-tastic
  • gator681
    May 1, 2010
    gator681
    At the start of "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," the title character(Paul Newman) is not yet a member of the legal profession. Quite the opposite, in fact, as he is an outlaw in the badlands west of the Pecos, intent on bragging, drinking and whoring but is instead savage... read morely beaten and left for dead. However, Marie Elena(Victoria Principal) takes pity on him, nurses him back to health and gives him a gun. After Bean gets his revenge on all concerned, Reverend LaSalle(Anthony Perkins) comes along to give some advice and help bury the bodies. Bean decides to take up being the law of the land with help from some incompetent criminals who make betters marshals.

    Written by John Milius, directed by John Huston and performed by an eclectic cast(wait until you see Stacy Keach), "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" is a mischievous and irreverent western. By going a different route, the movie gets quite a lot right in how the west was won, going from lawlessness to legal brutality to respectability, as Judge Roy Bean helps make Texas safe for normal people. At the same time, the movie gives a very good idea about the kind of people who moved west to make a new life for themselves, many of them outcasts.
  • broadwaymo
    June 2, 2007
    broadwaymo
    My parents took us kids with them to see this film when it was released. I have to assume that they thought this would be a western/comedy in the same vein as Cat Ballou, which unfortunately it wasn't. I can still remember the look on my father's face as we were leaving the theat... read morere...it was a mixture of disgust and embarrassment. A truly horrid film...
  • cacutshaw
    February 20, 2007
    cacutshaw
    A really bizarre Stacy Keach performance is one of the highlights in this excellent western.
  • bradwest
    October 15, 2008
    bradwest
    Almost a tall tale brought to the silver screen. Excellent cast walks a tightrope between western drama and campfire story.
  • mkatchan
    May 6, 2008
    mkatchan
    Truly excellent Western! Huston's direction...Newman's presence...Principal's adorable beauty...a masterpiece!
  • flixsterbum
    February 7, 2008
    flixsterbum
    Great '70's-era Western, meaning a very fast and loose plot structure and colorful, morally ambiguous characters. Newman's portrayal of the Judge is one of my favorite performances of his thus far, ranking up there with Hud and Butch. Victoria Principal is beautiful (and nearly... read more unrecognizeable) in her screen debut, a great cameo by John Huston, and a fine early performance by Ned Beatty. One of the reasons the cinema of the 1970's was so great.
  • saroz162
    May 4, 2007
    saroz162
    Everyone is having fun in this film, and if you get into its mindset, the episodic adventures of the dryly humorous, ever-irritable Bean can be very entertaining. Director John Huston isn't aiming for art, here - more a sort of film version of a cheap, yellow paperback, complete ... read morewith guest stars who show up for one scene and then disappear (each having managed to increasingly steal the show). When it's over, you won't get any real insight into the life of Judge Bean, but you'll be glad you met him.
  • frasierandniles
    April 10, 2007
    frasierandniles
    Texas border story at it's best, in Langtry, TX. The man was not even a judge by law.lol-my kind of fellow.

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Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
September 25, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Milius' screenplay is acridly flavorful, Huston gives it a mellow reading Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
January 2, 2005
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com

Newman and bear: Good. Movie: Bad. It's a toss up, but I vote for hanging. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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

Click to read the article Full Review

Don Druker
January 1, 2000
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Jake Euker
February 18, 2007
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
June 30, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Rebecca Murray
April 13, 2005
Rebecca Murray, About.com

No review available.

Jules Brenner
February 16, 2005
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals

No review available.

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

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