Main Cast: Richard Farnsworth, Jackie Burroughs, Wayne Robson, Ken Pogue, David Petersen
Release Year: 1982
Country: CA
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Francis Ford Coppola protégé Phillip Borsos directs this elegiac, low-key tale about real-life bandit Bill Miner that has become a classic of Canadian cinema. Having been released from jail in 1901 following a 33-year prison sentence for robbing stagecoaches, Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth) finds himself living in a society that has completely changed from the one of his youth. He tries to put his life of crime behind him and settle down in Washington state with his sister, but the quiet life does not suit him. He feels restless but uncertain as to how to proceed next. The answer comes to him when he sees Edward S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery. Soon, Miner has slipped over the border into Canada and, along with his new partner, Shorty (Wayne Robson), robs the Canadian Pacific Railway Transcontinental Express. Later, while laying low after the crime in a remote corner of British Columbia, he meets the beautiful, strong-willed photographer Kate Flynn (Jackie Burroughs). In writing this script, Borsos reportedly made heavy use of contemporary court documents and testimonies. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival in honor of its 20th anniversary. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Review
Bolstered by an effortless performance from former bit-part veteran Richard Farnsworth, director Phillip Borsos's The Grey Fox is a rich, laconic elegy to Hollywood's Old West. Farnsworth's Bill Miner -- a real-life stagecoach robber released from a lengthy prison stay into a completely different world -- could have been a source of easy laughs, as in 1986's distressingly similar fish-out-of-water comedy Tough Guys. But Borsos and writer John Hunter are too reverent of old Westerns for cheap shots. Instead of being an ironic take on the genre, The Grey Fox is an affectionate tribute to movie history: when Miner decides to resume a life of crime, it's because he was inspired by a screening of The Great Train Robbery. In keeping with the film's mood, cinematographer Frank Tidy gives the rainy Pacific Northwest locales an otherworldly glow. Ultimately, it's Farnsworth's relaxed, observant interpretation of Miner that gives the film an enduring quality; the attention the actor garnered in this film would assure him quality roles for the rest of his career. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Timothy Webber - Sgt. Ferdie; Gary Chalk - Oregon Train Mail Clerk; George Dawson - Accomplice; Thomas Heaton - Tom; Anthony Holland - Judge; Paul Jolicoeur - Conductor; Samantha Langevin - Jenny; Jack Leaf - Shopkeeper; Don Mackay - Al Sims; Bill Meilen - Ducks Engineer; Ray Michal - Gunsmith; Murray Ord - Mountie; Gary Reineke - Detective Seavey; Sean Sullivan - Newspaper Editor; Stephen E. Miller - Danny Young; Frank C. Turner - Hotel Clerk; James McLarty - Accomplice; Bill Murdock - Mission Engineer; Nicholas Rice - Mail Clerk (Mission); Lisa Westman - Farm Girl; Paul Whitney - Mountie; Peter Jobin - Sgt. Wilson; David Crowley - Oregon Engineer; Jack Ackroyd - Fireman (Mission)
Credit
Christopher Ryan - Costume Designer, Phillip Borsos - Director, Frank Irvine - Editor, David Brady - Executive Producer, The Chieftains - Composer (Music Score), Michael Conway Baker - Composer (Music Score), Bill Brodie - Production Designer, Ian Thomas - Production Designer, Frank Tidy - Cinematographer, Phillip Borsos - Producer, Peter O'Brian - Producer, Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer, Joe Grimaldi - Sound/Sound Designer, Austin Grimaldi - Sound/Sound Designer, Rod Crawley - Sound/Sound Designer, Bruce Nyznik - Sound Editor, Peter Thillaye - Sound Editor, Tony Currie - Sound Editor, John Hunter - Screenwriter
Stagecoach robber Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth) is caught and sent to prison for 33 years. He is finally released in 1901. He wanders around, a man out of place in the new century, until he sees one of the first movies, The Great Train Robbery, and is inspired to copy it in real life. After several unsuccessful attempts, he achieves his goal and hides out in a mining town in British Columbia, becoming a respectable resident. There, he meets and falls in love with early feminist and photographer Katherine Flynn (Jackie Burroughs). He considers settling down with her, but one last robbery proves to be his downfall.
The Grey Fox has been designated and preserved as a "masterwork" by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage.[1]
At the 4th Genie Awards in 1983, The Grey Fox was nominated for thirteen awards and won seven:
