

Will Penny
Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a job on a ranch which requires him to ride the line of the property looking for trespassers or, worse, squatters. He finds that his cabin in the high mountains has been appropriated by a woman whose guide to Oregon has deserted her and her son. Too ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter winter of the mountains sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; the lonely man and woman soon forget their mutual hostility and start developing a deep love for one another.
Critics Sentiment
Will and Catherine prepare for Christmas with Horace
Quint's family bursts into the cabin and holds them hostage
The film drops sharply from Will's domestic happiness at Christmas to the violent invasion by Quint's family, representing the destruction of his brief chance at family life.
Will Penny follows a mature sentiment arc that builds steadily through Will's discovery of love and family, peaking during his winter romance with Catherine. The film maintains strong positive sentiment through most of its runtime, with critics consistently praising Heston's understated performance and the authentic portrayal of cowboy life. While the villain subplot receives mixed reactions for feeling somewhat contrived, the unconventional ending where Will chooses his solitary nature over domestic happiness is widely praised as honest and mature storytelling.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 22
Charlton Heston
Will Penny

Joan Hackett
Catherine Allen

Donald Pleasence
Preacher Quint

Lee Majors
Blue

Bruce Dern
Rafe Quint

Ben Johnson
Alex

Slim Pickens
Ike Wallerstein

Clifton James
Catron

Anthony Zerbe
Dutchy

Roy Jenson
Boetius Sullivan

G.D. Spradlin
Anse Howard

Quentin Dean
Jennie

William Schallert
Dr. Fraker

Lydia Clarke
Mrs. Fraker
Robert Luster
Shem Bodine
Dal Jenkins
Sambo

Matt Clark
Romulus Quint

Luke Askew
Foxy

Anthony Costello
Bigfoot

Gene Rutherford
Rufus Quint
Crew
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