As an Edward Abbey fan, I've been wanting to see this movie for a long while. It did not disappoint at all, whether you read the book or not. It plays with your expectations of the standard Western right from the start, and you are clued in quickly that this one may not play out like a typical tale.Kirk Douglas is Jack Burns, oh how he brings it. He hides somewhat behind his smiling exterior, but is truly himself and at home out on the range. The movie packs All Stars- Walter Matthou always makes the character more deep and wry than likely was in the script, a young George Kennedy as a tough cop, Carroll O'Connor driving the truck, and apparently (according to IMDb) Bill Bixby gets no film credit for being one of the helicopter co-pilots.The real star is Whiskey, the horse!