r/Westerns • u/Character-Witness-27 • 2d ago

Discussion NEVADA SMITH with Suzanne Pleshette and Steve McQueen (1966)

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Critics have generally given Nevada Smith (1966) a mixed assessment, praising Steve McQueen’s charismatic performance and the film’s impressive Western scenery, strong supporting cast, and gritty revenge-driven storyline, while criticizing its excessive length, uneven pacing, and occasionally sluggish direction. Although the story of a young man transformed by grief and vengeance offers opportunities for compelling character development, some reviewers felt the narrative became repetitive and labored, diminishing its emotional impact. Overall, Nevada Smith is regarded as a solid, entertaining Western with notable strengths in its performances and production values, but one that falls short of its full potential because of its drawn-out storytelling.

78 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

1

u/General-Skin6201 6h ago

I like the movie and Steve McQueen, even though he's too old for the role. Characters are calling him a "boy" even though they are close to the same age as McQueen.

1

u/Minimoogvoyager 1d ago

Never knew SP was in this movie 🎥 Knew her as Bob Newharts wife Emily in the 70s Bob Newhart show.

3

u/ZebraExtension2706 1d ago

Great movie and they were both top notch actors

3

u/Early_Emphasis1209 2d ago

Ain’t she purdy?

3

u/Quiet-Try4554 2d ago

Big McQueen fan. Not his best western but I really like Nevada Smith. The changes in scenery were probably my favorite thing in the movie

2

u/Restless_spirit88 2d ago

I like how 36 year old McQueen is meant to be 16 years old in this movie. 🤣

1

u/Kkekm 2d ago

👍❤️

4

u/Comfortable-Dish1236 2d ago

I love this film. But poor Pilar really got used and that was tragic.

2

u/Cool_Hand_Lute 2d ago

I spent some time as a kid in a small town that tested films. Nevada Smith had a gory scene where his mom? gets skinned by bad guys- brutal
scene and it was cut out

1

u/jwdale1376 2d ago

Defending the middle. Pilar is the only soft spot Max gets and you watch the desert take her one day at a time. Without that stretch the rest is a man checking names off a list and the ending does not sting the way it should.

5

u/InternationalPhoto33 2d ago

Fan of the film, and I really do love Suzanne Pleshette, but the sequence that involves her, the prison camp in Louisiana, is just too long a sequence and distracts you from the main plot.