JUNIOR BONNER
Special Features: Intro by Silver Spring-based author, producer and screenwriter George Pelecanos on Feb. 21
An under-appreciated gem in both Sam Peckinpah and Steve McQueen’s filmographies, the rodeo world dramedy JUNIOR BONNER was a flop upon release in June 1972, soon overshadowed by the director and star’s second collaboration released that year, the box-office smash THE GETAWAY. Steve McQueen plays aging rodeo rider Junior Bonner, returning to his hometown of Prescott, Arizona, for the Independence Day rodeo after years away chasing glory on the circuit. Junior visits his family home only to discover it is about to be bulldozed by his brother Curly (Joe Don Baker), a would-be real estate magnate who plans to replace it with a trailer park. Their father, Ace (Robert Preston), an inveterate dreamer and womanizer, and long-suffering mother, Elvira (Ida Lupino), are now estranged. Maybe Junior can’t go home again, but if he can ride a Brahman bull named Sunshine, he can win enough cash to get through the season. Peckinpah’s signature themes — the closing of the West, the end of a rugged individualist’s way of life and the corruptions of greed and capitalism — are all here, just without the spectacular screen violence “Bloody Sam” is also known for. Lucien Ballard’s widescreen cinematography, including several stylish, inventively shot and edited rodeo sequences, is a master class in image-making, making JUNIOR BONNER a must-see on the big screen. DIR Sam Peckinpah; SCR Jeb Rosebrook; PROD Joe Wizan. U.S., 1972, color, 100 min. RATED PG
Run Time: 100 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
Genre: Western drama