Comanche Moon Western Author Larry McMurtry knows well the power of the Western ethos in the American consciousness; he's called upon it during a long and storied career spanning decades in which he wrote memorable tales such as 'Texasville', 'The Last Picture Show', 'Terms of Endearment' and 'Brokeback Mountain'.
What he's best known for is for penning the sweeping historical saga 'Lonsesome Dove'. A diverse and fascinating book that follows the adventures (and misadventures) of two old, ornery former Texas Rangers who are now cattlemen with a small ranch in South Texas that decide to drive a heard of cows north to Montana, Lonesome Dove was a smash hit.
Readers instantly identified with the story's two main heroes, the wily irascible Gus McRae with his ever present dry wit and the stubborn, taciturn Woodrow F. Call, his lifelong friend and exact opposite in demeanor. Fighting off outlaws, the vicious nature of the plains, Indians, and the march of time, these two former Ranger captains and their crew make a journey that looks impossible.
In 1989, CBS presented an adaption of the novel as a six hour long miniseries starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones in the main roles.
It was a smash hit, only becoming the most popular television miniseries in broadcast history. The casting was perfect, from the two main stars to the smallest members of the supporting cast. Anjelica Huston, Frederic Forrest, Chris Cooper, Glenn Headley, Rober Urich, Diane Lane, Rick Schroeder, Danny Glover....every single one's performance rang true.
Realizing what a hot property they now had, CBS quickly purchased the rights to any subsequent sequels that McMurtry wrote to the initial story. Three have followed thus far: Dead Man's Walk, Streets of Laredo, and now Comanche Moon, which CBS just aired for the first time in January 2008.
Since it's hard to catch lightning in a bottel twice in a row, none of the sequel books or miniseries they spawned have been nearly as successful as the original.
That's not to say that Comanche Moon doesn't have it's moments. It features some fine acting by Steve Zahn and Karl Urban as younger versions of McRae and Call, as well as a delightfully over the top performance by Val Kilmer as their eccentric Texas Ranger commander.
Following the pair as they take off across the plains of Texas in pursuit of different outlaws, some white, some Indian, the story does tend to bog down in the middle with subplots but does make a memorable finish, setting the stage for original Lonsome Dove, where we first see two old friends whittling and jawing away on their little ranch by the Nueces River, wondering if their best years have passed them by
