There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Barbarosa is one of the best westerns ever made. The subject here is myth and the people who become mythic heroes. Barbarosa is, on the one hand, a legendary bandit and, on the other, an ordinary Texan who steals for a living: "Cattle, horses...Anything except sheep. You couldn't give me one of those wooly bastards." A young man on the run becomes Barbarosa's companion, then his acolyte. Both men are looking for a place in the world and the role they find is that of outlaw hero, players in a mythic drama that gives them meaning. The myth is that of the Outlaw Lover ( as in Hughes' The Outlaw or Brando's One-Eyed Jacks ) and both Nelson and Busey play their roles to perfection. The directing is excellent and the dialogue nigh perfect -- a great western! A swell movie!

I've seen this movie several times over the years, since it first came out on VHS. All of the people in and behind this movie should do more movies like this, again...Schepisi has the confidence to let this story tell itself at its in own pace. Although the plot may seem to skip over key details, I really feel that Schepisi was only trusting in the audience's intelligence and ability to piece the puzzle together. The way he presents the different approaches of the families' blood rivalries is particularly subtle . Busey is amazingly lively. Nelson and Roland each have great screen presences, are good throughout, but particularly in their one scene together. I enjoy this movie everytime I see it.

Back when this movie came out Siskel and Ebert were still on PBS doing "Sneak Previews" and I remember them recommending it. Back then I frequently went to see less mainstream films on their recommendation and this was one that always stuck with me. Recently it came out on DVD and I picked up a copy. It has managed to stand the test of time pretty well over these last couple of decades. The story is almost Shakespearean in scope and the pacing isn't as fast as most audiences seem to demand, but there's a lot there for the patient viewer.Barbarosa (played by Willie Nelson) and Karl (played by Gary Busey) have both been involved in killings that have turned families against them. They meet in the wilderness and slowly form a friendship, each having some empathy for the life the other leads as a hunted man. As the movie progresses we learn more about the situation each man finds himself in. The movie doesn't offer any easy answers and it doesn't wrap things up neatly and address every question an audience might have. In the end, it becomes more of a meditation on how these men have lived their lives than any kind of morality play (which seems to be what the western is often used to convey). The acting is all top-notch, the sets, locations and costumes are perfect. Even little things like the way Busey calls, "Hello to the house." in one scene are perfect (my grandmother told stories of her father approaching homes that way back in 'horse and buggy days'). The movie also features Gilbert Roland in his last role. This is a film that reconciles the legend of the old west with its realities and becomes more powerful as a result. It meets somewhere in the middle and works in a style all its own. It's a pity the DVD is only available as a pan-and-scan disc, but it's still certainly worth owning. At the very least, see if you can rent it. I notice Netflix has it in stock.If you love westerns, you're sure to enjoy this one.

The second half was an improvement over the first, but I never really could get into the movie. It bounced around too much, taking too long to give the viewer a grasp of what was going on. The Big Bend country was spectacular, but the film was an also ran.