Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson has built a devoted audience in Australia on HBO Max, and in the US on Kanopy among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 697 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Robert Redford — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Put it on tonight on HBO Max and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Jeremiah Johnson is worth clearing space for. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Jeremiah Johnson earns every emotional beat it goes for. A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-on-one combat on the early frontier. Robert Redford and Will Geer lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1972. The performances in Jeremiah Johnson do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Jeremiah Johnson is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Robert Redford's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.