Review of The Hired Hand (1971) by Bobby W — 19 Nov 2008

I enjoyed this simple, rather sad tale. Scratch the surface, and this film about the nature of the relationships between men out on the trail. First-time director Fonda mixes some excellent lighting with a solid understanding of framing, camera movement, slow motion and cross-fading to create a visual style far in advance of his novice status, as well as turning in a good lead performance.

It seems something of a shame that he only directed two more films, and seemingly lacklustre ones at that.