A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-to-one combat on the early frontier.
There are momoments of great beauty and terror and deeply earned pathos. There are as well such not-so-incidental pleasures as John Rubinstein's lovely and serviceable musical score, and a cast of excellent supporting actors.
– Roger Greenspun,
New York Times,
9 May 2005
fresh:
A flawed but immensely appealing film.
– Tom Milne,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
Director Sydney Pollack has given a skilled, observant mounting as he carefully allows the man to grow in experience and knowhow.