Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

It is the late 1840s when Jeremiah Johnson (Robert Redford) arrives on the frontier.  After purchasing a horse, a mule, a Hawken rifle, and some traps, he sets out for the Rocky Mountains.  He makes a variety of greehorn mistakes but is lucky enough to survive anyway.  He eventually stumbles upon an old mountain man (Will Geer) who deigns to train him.  Armed with new skills, Johnson treks deeper into the mountains and has some success.  He acquires a mute son, a Flathead squaw, and a reputation.  He has achieved something like a happy life before tragedy changes him.  The Crow tribe wronged him and now they are at war.

The movie has an unusual structure: Johnson meets people on his journey and meets them again in the reverse order toward the end of the movie.  In the first meeting, he is a novice on the mountains while in the second meeting he is a living legend.

Based on the true story of Liver-Eating Johnson, the movie gets the gist right if not the details.  Johnson had been in the Navy during the Mexican-American War, but left before the peace.  His Flathead wife was killed in 1847, while the war was still in progress.  His vendetta against the Crow is painted as if he was satisfied after killing a handful of them.  In fact, the vendetta lasted for 25 years and saw Johnson recruiting others to assist him.   He earned his moniker by eating the livers of the Crow that he killed, a facet of the man that the film does not explore.

Overall, a terrific movie and great popcorn fun.  Highly recommended.

Absence of Malice (1981)

Joey Diaz, a union official from Miami, has gone missing and is presumed dead.  The federal task force investigating has found nothing after more than 6 months on the job.  Deciding to take a new tact, Elliot Rosen (Bob Balaban) decides to squeeze Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman).  Gallagher's father was a bootlegger, loan shark, and well-connected crime boss.  As such, Gallagher is related to or has contacts with criminal sources.  Rosen leaks his investigation to Megan Carter (Sally Field), a reporter for the Miami Standard.  She prints the story and attributes it "knowledgeable sources."   The story cripples Gallagher's business, since all his union employees strike.  He wants to know who the knowledgeable sources are.  The paper's lawyer explains that there is an 'absence of malice' and thus the paper cannot be sued even if the story proves not to be true.

Paul Newman is good but the role isn't demanding.  He mostly comes off as the righteous man out to correct the record or make someone pay.  It's hard not to like Sally Field in any roles but I didn't much like Megan Carter.  She varies from being charming, manipulative, mercenary, or contrite.  Her arc is the most noteworthy in that she goes from being a full-of-herself reporter to being the interviewee of another full-of-herself reporter.  She gets to see both sides.  Epiphany!  Though he only shows up in the climax, Wilford Brimley dominates the final act.  Newman and Field barely register in the scene.

An interesting film about how the press can parrot false stories from government and take no blame from the harm that may follow.  Wow, 40 year old film covers fake news.  Recommended.

Of course, I watched this today because Wilford Brimley died yesterday.  One of his great roles.  RIP