The Executioner's Song

This 2 disk bluray set from Kino Lorber has both the chopped up directors cut version at 135 minutes, that version that most people dislike and with good reason... and the other disc has the original version which is 188 minutes, which I'm hoping is the full uncut 3 hour + genuine original. I haven't watched the entire movie yet on this bluray, but have given the disk a chapter by chapter preview to check out the quality and this is definetly a clear resulution high definition picture. The picture quality is absolutely beautiful here, especially the clear and crisp visuals of a young Rosanne Arquette, who plays a huge role in this classic. She's in about 90% of the scenes that I've seen so far. In my opinion, this is the best movie role that she's ever been in and a lead role at that. Tommy Lee Jones also plays his leading role part very well, being an uneducated and estranged from main stream society product of the penal system, having spent most of his life incarcerated in one way or another since childhood. He clearly does not know how to function as a free man and It shows in his acting! That takes some talent to pull that off! I'm a huge fan of both Tommy Lee Jones and Rosanne Arquette and haven't seen this movie since the days of VHS and cable TV ( many years ago ) with a recent exception of a free full movie youtube version that someone generously contributed, but that version is so blurry that I could not stand watching more than 10 minutes of it. This KL studio classics bluray version does not dissapoint! I took a gamble with purchasing this with the many negative reviews of other formats of this movie and I'm glad I did! On a sidenote, the book version, which this movie is based on by Norman Mailer is a very good read as well. Kino Lorber ( KL studio classics ) is doing a fine job restoring these classic 1970s/1980s gems, such as The Onion Field as well as many others!

I remember when this film was first aired on the t.v. --( maybe 1980 -81 )?? --- Anyway--- I was in the 7th or 8th grade and I watched with my father . I still remember him saying " You know -- This is a true story " . ---- (God bless him) -- But anytime I was a kid and something scary came on , he would say the same thing - just to freak me out . Another example - " You know Charles Manson is up for parole soon and I heard that he is heading this way" ( after watching Helter Skelter for the first time ) . Yeah -- Father of the Year, right ? ( He passed away last year and thats the things I remember most -- his pranks - jokes and they way my mother would yell at him from the kitchen (she past last year as well) .-- I am sorry -- great parents for sure ! -- Back to the film !! I thought that the acting was ok and but I have a feeling that Gary Gilmore was more of a monster , than the one Tommy Lee Jones portrayed . I would have to read more about Gilmore before actually making that sort of statement . One day I will . --- And Christine Lahti !?!> Adorable as usual !! I always had a hidden crush on her ( like a guilty pleasure - even as a kid ) . Just something about her . Even in the under-rated movie co-starring River Phoenix , Running On Empty. Anyway - In this film ,she played Gilmores cousin .( I believe kissin'-cousins ) . -- Maybe the movie could of been better . But I liked it a lot . I am sure it could of been done much better ( and I can almost guarantee that it probably will be re-done sooner or later ) .

very entertaining in a melancholy sort of way.

Disc one the Directors cut is the 188 min. version not the 135 min. version as stated on the packaging. Disc two is the 135 min. version not the 188 min. version as stated on the packaging. The packaging has the wrong times and the discs have the wrong labels. The 188 min. version is the Directors cut and the 135 min. version is the original version. Plan accordingly.

No matter your stance on capital punishment, you'll find yourself fully engulfed in the tale that started this modern era of executing convicted killers. Gary Gilmore, played by Tommy Lee Jones, murders two individuals in two separate robberies and, by his own election, becomes the first person put to death in the United States since the U.S. Supreme Court ended a moratorium on the death penalty. This film takes a look back at who this man was. Sure, it only covers the last nine months of his life, but it's still quite a window. For me, it was interesting to see Tommy Lee Jones in a role before he became a big-budget movie star (this movie was made a few years before I was even born.) He definitely had his acting chops down by then as he allowed for some sympathy to be extended to this murderous thief. I do have trouble believing that Gilmore killed those two men for his girl, Nicole Baker. I can believe that he killed them in part because he was angry that she broke up with him, but beyond that...I guess I might just not know enough about this story. This was a television film but it's certainly worthy to have been shown in theatres. One warning: it is long, so set aside plenty of time to watch it. Enjoy.

I was frustrated initially because my two discs were mislabeled. The disc labeled “original version” is really the directors cut whic is about 2 hours and 15 minutes long. It’s the same version as the directors cut dvd. The one labeled “directors cut” is the one tha one that aired on US TV. That version is about 3 hours and 8 minutes long. The cuss words are edited out and at the hour and a half mark it ends, rolls credits and then plays the next half of the movie. This is full screen, not widescreen. The blue ray is a good copy, nice video and audio. I played this on my home projector with a 130 screen, it looked really good but not significantly better than the dvd version. The tv version did have extra footage some of which added to the story and some didn’t. I’m happy with this purchase but I took off a star because I also expected the European version.

Original English language version with alternative Spanish dubbed despite cover.Good value. Will use this supplier again.

Saw it on television when it was made many years ago. Have searched for it ever since. Now I have it. Great.

tommy lee at his best......if not for TV he would have won Oscar

just as good to watch as in theater with good time even better than supported in ad

Very pleased !! =)