SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

zkonedog There are many people who consider "Lonesome Dove" to be the greatest Western saga ever created. While I can't quite go that far in my praise for it, I will say that it was easily worth watching for the iconic characters (bolstered by incredible acting) it cultivates throughout.For a basic plot summary, "Lonesome Dove" tells the story of Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), two cattle ranchers who decide to leave their dusty Texas ranch and move the herd to Montana on the advice of fellow friend Jake Spoon (Robert Urich). Along the way, they deal with the harshness of the Old West territory, Indian warrior Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest), and (more importantly) cultivate new relationships. Lorena Wood (Diane Liane) is a prostitute who wants to turn over a new leaf and start a life with Gus, but first the old cowpoke must deal with his feelings toward old flame Clara (Anjelica Huston). A side plot sees a Sheriff, July Johnson (Chris Cooper), set off with his son Joe (Adam Faraizal) to hunt down Spoon, who murdered another in a dispute and must be given justice.The reason "Lonesome Dove" is such an iconic miniseries is because it creates characters that seem so real. Often, westerns can fall into the "stock character" trap where the participants are a bit too cut-and-dry, or black-and-white. The exact opposite happens here, as pretty much each and every character is given something to do and room to grow.That being said, the whole film pretty much revolves around Duvall's Gus, and fortunately that actor is up to the task. While the surrounding acting performances are also great, everyone else (as characters) are really defined by their relationship to Gus. I don't want to sound like I'm taking anything away from the film as a whole, but I was always invested when Gus was at the forefront (physically or emotionally) and that wasn't always the case otherwise.The only criticism I have of "Lonesome Dove"? I felt that some of the subplots didn't live up to the main emotional backbone of the whole thing. I was underwhelmed by the July Johnson angle, I didn't like Blue Duck's character at all (it felt to me as if he were shoe-horned in because the producers thought an Indian presence was needed), and I felt that a bit too much time was spent on Dish Boggett (D.B. Sweeney), a ranch hand on the drive. The one sub-angle that works in spades? Newt (Ricky Schroder), Call's unrequited son. There was some real emotion there. Other than that though, I felt that those other auxiliary pieces (even if they were still well-acted, for the most part) distracted me from Gus, Call, and the really good material taking place on the cattle drive.So, while I can't put "Lonesome Dove" at the tip top of my list, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to Western film fans. When Duvall, Lane, Jones, Schroder, and Huston were on center stage, this miniseries truly was as good as it gets. The interactions feel real, not derived, and there is real drama, both physical and emotional. It strayed down a few paths that didn't hold my attention (especially in the second and beginning of the third acts), but overall easily deserving of a solid 4-star ranking.

VioleTAK I was about 10 years old when I first watched Lonesome Dove.My parents were away, working hard to provide for our family, and I was left at home with a few channel. To my blessed luck, Lonesome Dove aired in one of those channels. I watched the first part, and counted the days, hours, moments, for next week's part. I was only 10, but I knew I was struck by something meaningful... Among all the junk that was being aired in between, all the TV reporting of wars in my country, all the political corruption I cared nothing about... I will tell you this: Lonesome Dove gave me faith in humanity.To this day, I can say this was the only cinematic film to ever truly touch my heart. I have seen many films/series since, but none has made an impact as beautiful and true as Lonesome Dove.Gus and Call's friendship in this 4part masterpiece, has defined my very idea of what friendship could look like in real life.Today I have a couple of dear friends. People I enjoy sharing my life with. People I'd follow to the ends of the earth if asked. And remembering dear old Gus and Call's journey, is something that brings tears to my eyes. For me... it was real. For me, their friendship was a lighthouse of hope. It was shining the words: "Never give up on your brothers and sisters, they are your light in the darkness".To friendship!

melissawhall Everyone who has anything to do with current TV should watch this mini-series to see what is possible, to understand that not only does TV not need to be crap, but can be truly great. Epic, sweeping, tear-jerking, gritty and just utterly fantastic in every way. The writing is superb, the acting Oscar quality, the cinematography and locations are tremendous. The chemistry between the characters, especially between Tommy Lee Jones' Woodrow Call and Robert Duvall's Augustus McCrea is remarkable. It's one of those movies that you never really want to end. And when it does, it's as if your friends have moved away - You miss them. I set aside 6 hours at least once a year to watch this movie - and never ever get tired of it. I laugh in all the same places, and cry in all the same places. Call and Gus, Deets, Pea Eye, Newt and Lori, and all the Hat Creek gang are some of the best characters to ever, ever be seen on TV. LOVE it. Read the book too, it's just as great.

rsimanski About 10 years have passed since most of the other reviews were written, and if anything, the quality of Lonesome Dove in relation to even the best of the miniseries shown on television today is painfully obvious. Lonesome Dove is simply one of the best of all times. Even the high-quality HBO productions pale in comparison. I agree with the reviewer who wrote that it should be ranked with the greatest theatrical Westerns, such as The Searchers and Red River.What more could any fan of Westerns ask for? It's a great story. The film features several great actors, such as Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, and Angelica Huston, in their prime, with an excellent supporting cast. The cinematography is stunning, the music deservedly won a major award, and the production values are closer to those of a good theatrical film than to a typical made-for-TV movie.I bought a poor-quality DVD release of LD seven or eight years go. Fortunately, Lonesome Dove is available on Netflix streaming video in a high-definition, wide-screen version. I recommend it highly.