| Director | Sam Peckinpah |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western film, drama film |
| Runtime | 100 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $3.2 million |
| Box office | $2.8 million |
Junior "JR" Bonner is a rodeo cowboy who is slightly past his prime, although he will not admit it. Junior is first seen taping up his injuries after an unsuccessful ride on an ornery bull named Sunshine.
He returns home to Prescott for the Independence Day parade and rodeo. When he arrives, the Bonner family home is being bulldozed by his younger brother Curly, an entrepreneur and real-estate developer, to build a trailer park. Junior's womanizing father, Ace, and down-to-earth, long-suffering mother, Elvira, are estranged. Ace dreams of emigrating to Australia to rear sheep and mine gold, but he fails to obtain financing from Curly or Junior, who is broke.
After flooring his arrogant brother with a punch, Junior bribes rodeo owner Buck Roan to let him ride Sunshine again, promising him half the prize money. Buck thinks he must be crazy, but Junior actually manages to pull it off this time, going the full eight seconds on the bull.
Junior walks into a travel agent's office and buys his father a one-way, first-class ticket to Australia. The film's final shot shows JR leaving his hometown, his successful ride on Sunshine continuing to put off the inevitable end of his rodeo career.