SAVED FROM THE HANGMAN, FOR A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH!
Henry Moon (Jack Nicholson), a bandit, is about to be hanged in a small town when Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen), a spinster, takes advantage of an old law and decides to marry the criminal; she needs a worker for her mine. Nicholson’s second film as director relies heavily on his wild-eyed performance as the incorrigible rascal who escapes the noose, but this post-Civil War movie is terribly uneven, ranging from cute to noisy, funny to dull. Not quite as romantic and amusing as it aspires to. Many familiar faces in the cast; Steenburgen is sweet as the serious-minded virgin.Ā
1978-U.S. 109 min. Color. Directed byĀ Jack Nicholson. Cast: Jack Nicholson (Henry Moon), Mary Steenburgen (Julia Tate), Christopher Lloyd (Frank Towfield), John Belushi, Veronica Cartwright, Richard Bradford… Danny DeVito, Ed Begley, Jr.
Trivia: Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft were allegedly considered for the part of Julia. Film debuts of Steenburgen and Belushi.Ā