MOVIEVIBE ← Back to Home

The Big Country

1958 2h 47m
Drama Western Romance
MOVIEVIBE Rating
7.6/10
428 reviews
Your Rating
The Big Country

Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

"Big they fought! Big they loved! Big their story!"

Top Billed Cast

Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
James McKay
Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Julie Maragon
Carroll Baker
Carroll Baker
Patricia Terrill
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Steve Leech
Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Rufus Hannassey
Charles Bickford
Charles Bickford
Major Henry Terrill
Alfonso Bedoya
Alfonso Bedoya
Ramón Guiteras
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Buck Hannassey

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

J John Chard Verified TMDB Critic
2017-02-07

I'm not going to go on living in the middle of a civil war.

Retired sea Captain James McKay (Gregory Peck) arrives in the sprawling land of the West to marry fiancée Patricia Terrill (Carroll Baker). With an amiable, almost pacifistic approach to life, McKay confounds the ranchers he is now mixing with. Particularly the Terrill ranch foreman Steve Leech (Charlton Heston) who takes an immediate dislike to him. Not only that but it seems that James has landed right in the middle of a family rivalry between the Terrill's and the Hannassey's: just as it's about to fully ignite into war.

Di...

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2023-04-13

Gregory Peck ("McKay") is a well off, retired, sea captain who arrives to marry his fiancée "Pat Terrill" (Carroll Baker) and finds himself amidst the mother of all turf wars between her father "Major Terrill" (Charles Bickford) and his arch rival "Rufus Hannassey" (Burl Ives) and his disparate sons. Add to the mix, quite a bit of rivalry from Charlton Heston ("Leech") who is the Major's right hand man, and a man who has designs on "Pat" and finally Jean Simmons who own the "Old Muddy" - the river that both are essentially fighting over and we've got a great recipe for a top class action adve...