King of Texas (2002) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Aging cattle king John Lear decides he should split up his ranch among his daughters before he dies.

He asks them to profess their love for him. When Claudia, the daughter who’s been taking care of him, refuses, he casts her out of his home and divides the immense ranch between Susannah and Rebecca.

Of course, the daughter he cast out was the only one who truly loves him.

No sooner do they have ownership of the land than Susannah and Rebecca begin plotting to raid property to the south, land under the control of a Mexican named Menchaca, ignoring the fact that their father has promised never to make such a move.

And they find willing allies in Emmett Westover, the son of one of John Lear’s oldest friends, and Highsmith, Rebecca’s husband.

Lear objects, but finds he has little say in the matter now that he no longer owns his own ranch. Besides, he’s quickly losing his grip on reality.

So he goes searching for Claudia, and discovers her with Menchaca, whom she had secretly fallen in love with.

Will he be able to save her? Or is he the one who needs saving?

Patrick Stewart as John Lear in King of Texas (2002)

Julie Cox as Claudia Lear in King of Texas (2002)

Review:

Shakespeare’s King Lear goes West with success, thanks largely to a fine performance by Patrick Stewart as John Lear and Marcia Gay Harden as the eldest daughter Susannah.

As Lear struggles with senility, he finds he has only one true ally, a black blacksmith named Rip (David Alan Grier).

Then there’s a subplot in which Lear’s friend Henry Westover is having a similar struggle with his sons, the rebel Thomas and the quietly devious Emmett.

Like Lear, he makes the mistake of disowning the wrong child. And it costs him in one of the film’s most violent moments.

Add a well-staged assault on Menchaca’s home, and you have a surprisingly big-budget look for a TV film at a time when most Westerns are ultra low-budget and feature a far inferior cast.

Marcia Gay Harden as Susannah Tumlinson in King of Texas (2002)

Lauren Holly as Rebecca Highsmith in King of Texas (2002)

Directed by:
Uli Edel

Cast:
Patrick Stewart … John Lear
Marcia Gay Harden … Susannah Tumlinson
Lauren Holly … Rebecca Highsmith
Julie Cox … Claudia Lear
Roy Scheider … Henry Westover
David Alan Grier … Rip
Colm Meaney … Tumlinson
Patrick Bergen … Highsmith
Matt Letscher … Emmett Westover
Liam Wait … Thomas Westover
Steven Bauer … Menchaca

Runtime: 95 min.

Steven Bauer as Menchaca in King of Texas (2002)

David Alan Grier as RIp in King of Texas (2002)

Memorable lines:

Susannah, speaking of her father: “How is he today?”
Rebecca: “More unpredictable than ever.”
Susannah: “Has he done anything crazy?”
Rebecca: “No, but it’s still early.”

Menchaca, confronting Lear over two dead vaqueros: “You hung two men for one cow. What kind of man are you?”

Warnell, after tying Rip up and preparing to whip him: “You got a paper on you saying you ain’t a runaway.”
Rip: “You got a paper on you saying you ain’t a pea-brained son of bitch.”
Rip : “I used to think old people was wise, but they ain’t. You sure the proof of that.”

Lear: “Am I going mad, Rip?”
Rip: “I don’t rightly know.”
Lear: “Don’t let me go mad, Rip. You shoot me first.”

Susannah: “I don’t know what you want out of life, Emmett, but I suspect it’s something big. You don’t aspire to small things, do you?”
Emmett Westover: “Small never appealed to me. It’s just the only thing ever offered.”
Susannah: “Man wants something big, he’s gotta go out and get it.”