Now Streaming: JEREMIAH JOHNSON, An American Epic

Film director Sydney Pollack has proven time and time again that his talents are nothing to be looked down upon. This 1972 classic is no différent.

In this Robert Redford starring Western epic, Jeremiah Johnson is a Mexican-American war veteran who later becomes a trapper and sets out on a series of incredible adventures with other drifters, Indians and soldiers. He gets hunted down, marries an Indian woman and goes on a killing spree to survive. It's nothing short of awesome.

Redford's Johnson takes on a subtle and non-bombastic character that is driven by pure instinct and never by emotion. His stoic figure and unbothered demeanor almost never waver with each scene that takes place in the film. He truly represents the all-American spirit with unfettered vigor and relentlessness written in the fabric of his being.

Moreover, Duke Callaghan's cinematography is incredibly gorgeous to look at. Each shot of every frame looks like something out of a vivid painting that was lovingly crafted by Bob Ross during his half-hour show. With each shot perfectly framed and with the well-staged blocking at hand, it almost seems that the audience has been flung right into the mountains of the old West.

Looking at the character Jeremiah Johnson, despite everything that he has been through, he still manages to endure through the pain and suffering he encounters throughout the film. Johnson works as a representative for rugged masculinity that shapes and molds men into greatness. This film does that with passion and fervor.

You won't be able to take your eyes off this epic masterpiece for one second. It takes you on a thrill-ride of your life and never lets go. It kind of amazes me that his movie does not get the justice that it deserves.

The film is now streaming on Max.