The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) on Netflix
Drinkers in a Vinegaroon saloon beat an outlaw named Roy Bean, rob him and leave him roped to his horse. He survives and returns to appoint himself the region's judge.
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- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.8/1010,364 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes80%
Trailer
Plot summary
At the turn of the twentieth century, Vinegaroon, Texas, is a lawless stretch west of the Rio Pecos. An outlaw named Roy Bean rides in alone, and the men in the saloon beat him and rob him, then let his own horse drag him away. Maria Elena, a young woman from a nearby Mexican village, finds him and helps him. Bean goes back and shoots the men who wronged him, then sets himself up as judge for the region, holding court in the building that served as the saloon and whorehouse, a Texas statute book before him and posters of the actress Lillie Langtry behind him. Maria Elena lives in the small shack beside the saloon. When a band of thieves under Big Bart Jackson arrives, Bean swears them in as his marshals rather than oppose them.
Cast
- Leroy Johnsonas Outlaw (as LeRoy Johnson)
- Fred Kroneas Outlaw
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- John Milius's script reached Paul Newman by way of Lee Marvin, who was shooting Pocket Money with him, and Newman was keen to star; the producers, who did not want Milius directing, paid a record 300,000 dollars to own the script outright.
- Milius liked John Huston personally but thought he had completely ruined the film, and was angry that the part went to what he called a cutesy-pie Paul Newman when he had wanted Warren Oates.
- Milius said his original screenplay had far more humor and a feel closer to Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and that the experience pushed him into directing, as he put it, out of self defense and a desire to control.
- Maurice Jarre's cue for the film, Miss Lily Langtry, turned up again in 2019 in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and on that film's soundtrack album.
