Johnny Got His Gun / Lonely are the Brave

JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, 1971, Shout Factory, 111 min. Joe, a foot soldier (Timothy Bottoms) during WWI, loses his legs, arms and most of his face in an explosion. He awakes in a hospital and slowly becomes aware that not only is he imprisoned in a shell of a body, but the doctors think he is a vegetable. Through a series of flashbacks involving his father (Jason Robards), his fiancee and his fantasy encounters with Jesus Christ (Donald Sutherland), we learn about Joe’s character.

LONELY ARE THE BRAVE, 1962, Universal, 107 min. Kirk Douglas, a Korean war vet, is a footloose cowboy who lives most of his life under the stars, going from job to job, and not averse to cutting his way through barb wire fences when they get in his way. His uncompromising spirit is severely challenged when he breaks out of jail after a minor offense, and the entire county’s police force tries to recapture him before he can leave the territory.