---
title: "The Hired Hand: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-hired-hand/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-hired-hand"
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Hired Hand (1971): what the critics said

Critics' score 77 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to The Hired Hand, with praise clustering around its intimate performances and melancholy visual style. Verna Bloom receives particular attention for the nuance of her performance, while Warren Oates also earns praise. The reviews favour Fonda’s restrained, experimental direction and the atmospheric work of the cinematography and editing, with Vilmos Zsigmond’s images singled out for their texture. The shared appreciation is for a downbeat western with psychological depth and palpable feeling.

The reservations concern its stylistic choices rather than its performances. Empire finds it dated but still fascinating, while Time Out offers the sharpest dissent, describing the opening as an unpleasant Western parody of Easy Rider. The recorded responses range from strong enthusiasm to mixed notices, with none classified as negative. Two other entries provide no verifiable verdict or detailed criticism, however, which limits how fully the disagreement can be described.

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2019. 

Ebiri regards the film as a long-overdue masterpiece and one of the great Westerns. He especially praises Verna Bloom’s nuanced performance and Fonda’s restrained, experimental direction.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/peter-fondas-hired-hand-is-a-masterpiece-of-1970s-cinema.html)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic calls Fonda’s debut a dated but fascinating treat. They praise its melancholy cinematography and single out Warren Oates’s performance as a reason to watch.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hired-hand-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen

Rating 4.5/5. 20 September 2018. 

Bowen praises the film as a beautiful, unjustly overlooked western. He singles out its intimate performances and expressive visual style for making its emotional currents feel palpable.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-hired-hand/)

## The Independent

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2001. 

The critic calls the film a small classic and says its performances help raise it to greatness. They single out Verna Bloom’s performance and the film’s atmospheric work by its director, cinematographer and editor.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-hired-hand-12-the-princess-diaries-u-the-mean-machine-15-lovely-rita-nc-the-day-i-became-a-woman-u-9195094.html)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2001. 

French welcomes the restored film as a downbeat, psychologically acute western. He especially praises Vilmos Zsigmond’s textured cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,625672,00.html)

## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 1971. 

The page identifies this as a review of the film, but does not expose Gilliatt’s verdict. It provides no specific praise or complaint about the film.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1971/08/21)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 August 1971. 

The article appears to be a review, but its verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified from the inaccessible page. The available page text contains no review content.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/12/archives/film-the-hired-handpeter-fonda-directs-and-is-cast-as-hero.html)

## Time Out — DP

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review describes the film as a strange hybrid, suggesting a mixed verdict. It singles out its opening as a ghastly Western parody of *Easy Rider* before the description cuts off.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-hired-hand)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-hired-hand.md