Dead Man's Walk is an American epic Western adventure television miniseries starring

David Arquette David Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film franchise ''Scream'', for which he won a Teen Choice Award and two Blockbuster E ...

as Augustus McCrae and

Jonny Lee Miller Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film '' Trainspotting'' (1996) and as Dade Murphy in ...

as Woodrow F. Call. It was directed by

Yves Simoneau Yves Simoneau (; born October 28, 1955) is a Canadian film and television director. Simoneau was born in Quebec City, Quebec. Recognition His acclaimed 1986 crime drama '' Intimate Power (Pouvoir intime)'' garnered multiple Genie Awards nomina ...

. It is a two-part adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

and is chronologically the third book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but regarded as the first events in the Lonesome Dove franchise. In this prequel to ''

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but the third installment in the series chronologically. The story revolves around the relationships b ...

'', it is 1840s Texas, and two young men join the Texas Rangers unit that's on a mission to annex Santa Fe. While the miniseries has been broken up into 3 parts for the DVD release, the series was originally broadcast by ABC over two nights in May 1996, and was later nominated for several awards.

Plot

Part 1

The series begins in the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from M ...

in 1842, as Comanche warriors led by

Buffalo Hump Buffalo Hump ( Comanche ''Potsʉnakwahipʉ'' "Buffalo Bull's Back") (born c. 1800 — died post 1861 / ante 1867) was a War Chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche Indians. He came to prominence after the Council House Fight when he led th ...

use the full moon to conduct slave-raids on settlements in northern Mexico. Woodrow Call and Augustus "Gus" McCrae are junior Texas Rangers of a larger party heading west to scout a road from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

. Tasked with night watching the camp, a drunk McCrae wanders off exploring and is chased and wounded by Buffalo Hump. The next morning, the group is ambushed and two of the party are killed and one wounded. Three months later in Austin, a large group is being assembled in order to seize Santa Fe from the Mexicans as the

Texan Santa Fe Expedition The Texan Santa Fe Expedition was a commercial and military expedition to secure the Republic of Texas's claims to parts of Northern New Mexico for Texas in 1841. The expedition was unofficially initiated by the then-President of Texas, Mirabeau ...

. McCrae encounters Clara Forsythe at the local store and Call meets Maggie at the local whorehouse. News of a Comanche raid takes the Rangers group west over the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

, where they are ambushed while resting. Call manages the only kill of the punishment squad's raid and is promoted to corporal as a result, whereas McCrae proposes to Clara. Rejoining the expedition, they encounter Buffalo Hump again and learn (after inviting him to parley at their camp) that it was his son who died at the hands of Call.

Part 2

The expedition begins to break up as it is slowed by heavy rains and many of the civilians opt to return to Austin. The increasingly rocky terrain of

Comancheria The Comancheria or Comanchería ( Comanche: Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ, 'Comanche land') was a region of New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860s. Historian Pekka Hämäläinen has argued that the Comancheri ...

also proves troublesome for the wagons. After meeting the ranger Charlie Goodnight, who explains that they're heading into country with no water, their native guides desert, stealing horses as they go. They again encounter the natives who harry them by shooting Call, stealing more horses and setting fire to the grasslands. Now on foot, with no horses and limited supplies, the party splits over gathering food and which way to travel to find water. McCrae, weakened by hunger and thirst, is haunted by a dream of Buffalo Hump riding a buffalo. Wallace, Call, and McCrae are arrested by Mexican militia after stumbling into a remote Mexican village. En route to San Lazaro to be tried, the camp is attacked at night by a grizzly, allowing them to escape with rifles. In the darkness they re-find their companions, and the morning reveals a large Mexican army camp nearby. Now around 30, weakened by hunger, and with limited ammunition, Colonel Cobb enters the camp and surrenders to the Mexicans - but not without resistance from Call who attacks Cobb and receives 100 lashes as punishment. The army breaks camp and moves with their prisoners through Apache lands. As they travel, the nights become increasingly cold, increasing the suffering of the travellers. They soon find the corpses of the Mexican general and his retinue, killed by the region's rogue natives, led by an Apache named Gomez - including Cobb who survived blinded and crippled. Many of the group are unfit for the "dead man's walk" through the wastelands and across "the big dry", more so after Cobb decides to die in a blaze of glory, killing Shadrach and injuring several others in the process. Finally they begin the desert crossing.

Part 3

Continuing to cross the desert, their horses are soon stolen by the Apache. Their numbers dwindle as they are picked off one by one, until they finally reach the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

having survived the

Jornada del Muerto The name Jornada del Muerto translates from Spanish as "Single Day's Journey of the Dead Man" or even "Route of the Dead Man, though the modern literal translation is closer to "The Working Day of the Dead". It was the name given by the Spanish ...

. Here the prisoners are transferred to a French Major in charge of a troop of lancers, and the disgraced Mexican Captain is told to return across the desert to his post despite the dangers. Told to bathe in a river, the prisoners panic when the army begins a practice military maneuver, and several more are killed by accident. They soon arrive at San Lazaro, a leper colony, and the seven surviving men are forced to select lots to decide who among them will be executed for treason. Bigfoot Wallace is among those executed. Also in the colony is an English prisoner, The Lady Carrie, who along with her son Willie, and Lady-in-Waiting Emerald, having been ransomed and released, asks to travel back to Austin with them and offers to provision the journey. On the way back they again travel back through

but are able to spook the Comanche with an aria, a snake, and a sword. Back in Austin, McCrae calls again on Clara, and Call turns to see Maggie leave the store. Clara and McCrae kiss while Call looks on awkwardly. Call looks out the window to see Maggie and the two share a meaningful look with each other.

Cast

* F. Murray Abraham as Caleb Cobb *

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series ''Deadwood' ...

as William "Bigfoot" Wallace *

Patricia Childress Patricia Childress is a film and television actress, director, producer and writer who lives in Los Angeles where she works with many of the entertainment industry's most respected talents. Childress is the recipient of two Emmy Awards. Life ...

as Matilda Jane *

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in o ...

as Major Chevallier *

Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1989), ''American Me'' (1992) (which he also dir ...

as Captain Salazar *

Eric Schweig Eric Schweig (born Ray Dean Thrasher; 19 June 1967) is an Indigenous Canadian actor best known for his role as Chingachgook's son Uncas in ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1992). Early life Schweig was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He is ...

as Chief

Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...

as Shadrach *

Augustus "Gus" McCrae The ''Lonesome Dove'' series is a series of four western fiction novels written by Larry McMurtry and the five television miniseries and television series based upon them. Overview The novels and miniseries follow the exploits of several mem ...

Woodrow F. Call The ''Lonesome Dove'' series is a series of four western fiction novels written by Larry McMurtry and the five television miniseries and television series based upon them. Overview The novels and miniseries follow the exploits of several members ...

* Ray McKinnon as Bill "Long Bill" Coleman *

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Comp ...

Clara Forsythe Allen The ''Lonesome Dove'' series is a series of four western fiction novels written by Larry McMurtry and the five television miniseries and television series based upon them. Overview The novels and miniseries follow the exploits of several members ...

Tim Blake Nelson Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor and playwright. Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), Gideon in '' Minority Report'' (2002), Dr. Pen ...

as Johnny Carthage *

Chris Penn Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American actor. He was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn. Noted as a skilled character actor from a prominent acting dynasty, he was typically cast ...

Charles Goodnight Charles Goodnight (March 5, 1836 – December 12, 1929), also known as Charlie Goodnight, was a rancher in the American West. In 1955, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Early y ...

* Alastair Duncan as Captain Billy Falconer *

Brad Greenquist Brad Greenquist (born October 8, 1959) is an American actor. Career Greenquist appeared in ''Pet Sematary'', the 1989 film adaptation of Stephen King's 1983 novel of the same name, and in films such as ''The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer''. From the ...

as Kirker *

Kieran Mulroney Kieran Mulroney (born September 24, 1965) is an American actor known for his numerous television appearances. He is also a musician and screenwriter. Early life He was born on September 24, 1965 in Alexandria, Virginia, where he graduated fro ...

as Jimmy Tweed *

Jared Rushton Jared Michael Rushton (born March 3, 1974) is an American former actor. He is best known for his roles in several films from the late 1980s, including '' Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'', ''Big'', and ''Overboard''. He has been nominated for two Saturn ...

as Wesley Buttons

Production

The series teleplay was co-written by author Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, who had also worked on other parts of the

Lonesome Dove series The ''Lonesome Dove'' series is a series of four western fiction novels written by Larry McMurtry and the five television miniseries and television series based upon them. Overview The novels and miniseries follow the exploits of several members ...

, and later went on to write the screenplay for

Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written b ...

Reception

A review by Don Heckman in the May 11, 1996 edition of the L.A. Times stated that "Director Yves Simoneau did the best he could with a script--by McMurtry and producer Diana Ossana--that provided little in the way of workable character development."

Awards

The series and its actors was nominated for several awards: *1996 Emmy Awards: Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special, David Bell. *1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards: Best TV Teleplay, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana *1996 NCLR Bravo Awards: Edward James Olmos won for Outstanding Individual Performance in Made for Television Movie or Mini-Series

Home media

Videos of the series were first released in August 1998 (see cover art). It was released in Region 1 on DVD on October 23, 2001.

References

External links

* {{Yves Simoneau 1996 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings 1990s American drama television series 1990s American television miniseries 1990s Western (genre) television series Fiction set in 1842 Lonesome Dove series Television series about the Texas Ranger Division Television series set in the 1840s Television shows directed by Yves Simoneau Television shows set in Texas