Rating: - Before Woody and Gus, there were the Sacketts
"The Sacketts" is a sprawling, epic-length Western, based on two novels by Louis L'Amour, that was first aired as a TV miniseries in 1979. Maybe because the Western began its rapid decline around this time, or maybe because it was a TV miniseries, many people seem to have forgotten about this film, but it is a fine example of the genre and a must-see for true fans of Westerns.

Orrin and Tyrel Sackett, played by Tom Selleck and Jeff Osterhage respectively, leave their Tennessee home in order to avoid further killing in a blood feud with another family. Shortly thereafter, they both are with the same cattle outfit on a drive led by Western legend Glenn Ford, who plays Tom Sunday and who is also running from events in his past. Tell Sackett, played by Sam Elliott, has become a gold prospector since the Civil War ended. He is eventually reunited with his brothers, although they split again because he chooses to continue prospecting. Yet another Western legend, Ben Johnson, leaves the cattle outfit and joins Tell at prospecting for gold. From this point on the two stories, as well as the Sackett brothers, take divergent paths again until the opportunity arises to reunite them at the end.

Sam Elliott and Tom Selleck went on to star in some of the best Westerns of the past 20-25 years, most of which they also filmed for TV (the TNT network in most instances). In "The Sacketts" and in their later Westerns, great care was always taken to have realistic costumes, settings, and props. In the only special feature on this two-disc set, an all-too-brief 'making of' featurette, we find out just how committed to realism these two stars were. Some network bigwigs didn't like that Elliott and Selleck were always unshaven and that they looked "dirty" (as another reviewer also has commented), and they wanted the two of them to be cleaned up. After the two stars were informed of this, they threw dirt on one another before every shoot just to make extra sure that they would look authentically dirty.

This movie has everything a Western needs: great stars (Elliott and Selleck in their pre-stardom days), great supporting actors (Ford, Johnson, and other well-known Western character actors), and great storylines by the legendary Louis L'Amour (whose input into the film also helped to ensure its authenticity and who narrates brief voice-overs at the beginning of both discs). It's a Western that even kids can watch because it is neither graphically violent (though, of course, there are shootouts and fights), nor does it contain any profanity (real men, which these cowboy characters definitely are, don't need it). I highly recommend this film.

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