An iconic Western is hailed by fans as “required watching” and is the source of a classic internet meme. Jeremiah Johnson (1972) is an adventure film set around the mid 1800s starring Hollywood icon Robert Redford as the titular character, who is a veteran of the Mexican-American War.
Disillusioned by his time in the US army, Johnson decides to return to live as an outdoorsman and reconnect with nature in the Rocky Mountains. But his hopes of a quiet life don’t pan out as planned.
The film was directed by Sydney Pollack and is partly based on the life of John Jeremiah Johnson, a legendary mountain man of the Old West.
The 50-year-old film was also the source of the a popular meme that came to prominence from as early as 2012 according to Know Your Meme.
It shows Redford’s character nodding as the camera zooms before his smile widens.
One Audience Writer on Rotten Tomatoes called the film “one of the most underrated Western Biopics that I had ever seen or heard about”.
Another said says the film is a “now classic movie about the frontier, survival and isolation. Now often considered a piece of cinema history.
“Harkens back to a time when people were cut from a different kind of cloth. Enjoyable tale that stands the test of time.”
One fan on IMDb said Redford is at his “finest in this beautiful Western with a difference”.
“RR makes it his from the start as he stamps his mark indelibly on the film,” they said.
“Have you ever seen such magnificent scenery as in this film [?]. This is one of the finest and most intelligent Westerns of all time.”
Another fan gave it 9/10 and called it “one of the greats”, saying the “only reason I’m not giving it a 10 is because how dated it is”.
“You’ll hear it in the score as soon as the movie starts. STICK WITH IT. This flick has some of the best dialogue in ANY movie, ever.
“Moments where I was in tears, laughing so hard. Redford, of course, is amazing. But that’s to be expected. You will be amazed at how entertaining this movie is – for an early 70s film. Somehow as fun as it is gritty.
“And it is very gritty, especially for its time. They didn’t hold back when it came to any subject of the mountain man’s life.
“Required watching for cinephiles. I have no doubt if it wasn’t a Redford film, it would have already been remade. A great story, from start to finish.
The film is highly rated Rotten Tomatoes with a 91% score on the site’s Tomatometer (which reflects the percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given it a positive review).
Its also well-regarded among general audiences on the site, with a 89% Popcornmeter score.
Jeremiah Johnson is available to rent or buy on various platforms including Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.