Home/Episodes/Jeremiah Johnson
‘Jeremiah Johnson’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Bill’s Dad
October 7, 2025 · Jeremiah Johnson (1972) · Adventure · Drama · Western · 1:36:08
Categories
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsWas Jeremiah Johnson a deserter? Yes, he was a deserter who left before the Mexican War ended▶ 9:44
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsThis movie in the Redford catalog - it's really important and stands apart from his other roles▶ 46:54
Butch's Girlfriend Award
William SimmonsJeremiah surviving all his injuries (axe in the back, spear in the stomach, almost losing his left eye) with no medical attention▶ 56:03
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsDoug (character), though also mentions the crazy morning lady who lost her family▶ 1:00:45
Chris RyanQuestions the appropriateness of judging grief performance, mentions spending time with Ruffalo but doesn't give clear pick▶ 1:00:37
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsThe movie needed more kills - he counted 14 total kills but wanted 28-30, saying they left some murders on the table▶ 1:04:31
Chris RyanRedford should have made two or three more survival movies - it was an untapped micro genre for him between this and All Is Lost▶ 1:01:11
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsLee Marvin — Originally intended for Lee Marvin, then Clint Eastwood with Sam Peckinpah directing before Eastwood left for Dirty Harry. Suggests McQueen would have been interesting but not as good as Redford. Decade recasting: 1982 Harrison Ford, 1992 Daniel Day-Lewis, 2002 Russell Crowe, 2012 Brad Pitt. Struggles with 2022 options, considers Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Gosling, Glenn Powell but finds issues with each.▶ 1:05:15
Chris RyanChris Pratt — Suggests Chris Pratt for 2022 casting, considers Austin Butler but questions his age and beard capability. Notes that modern actors seem 'too Hollywood' compared to the real guys of previous eras. Questions whether a British actor could play Jeremiah Johnson.▶ 1:08:47
William SimmonsRobert Redford — Agrees McQueen could have been very good and could handle the physical action, but believes Redford was perfect because he loved nature and his whole life outside acting was about being at peace with nature and Utah scenery.▶ 1:05:45
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsMultiple facts: filmed 100 locations across Utah, Sidney Pollack mortgaged his home, too cold for second takes, Dell talked to himself because tribes considered crazy people sacred and untouchable, premiered at Cannes as first Western ever accepted, crew suffered seven cases of frostbite/four strep throat/two pneumonia, they chose less budget to film in Utah instead of California▶ 1:11:33
Chris RyanObservational responses about the production challenges - questioning how they got crew out there with generators, noting they tried to give bigger budget to shoot in California but filmmakers preferred Utah location▶ 1:12:22
Hanks or Cruise
Bill SimmonsTom Cruise — Initially picks Hanks as the obvious choice, but then says he wants to see the Cruise version more because it would be hilarious as Jeremiah Johnson▶ 1:16:53
William SimmonsTom Cruise — Against Cruise, citing the Jack Reacher casting as a violation and saying he can't see Cruise in any of these roles▶ 1:17:14
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsWhy didn't he eat his dead horse when people are starving, and how do the Crows keep fighting him 1v1 without figuring out how to beat him or catching him off guard▶ 1:19:44
Chris RyanThere should have been better communication about not going through the burial ground, and Jeremiah Johnson wouldn't have followed the cavalry to save Christian people since he had given up on religion▶ 1:20:36
William SimmonsThe timing of Swan's blue trinket appearing in the burial ground doesn't make sense - the Crows would attack when he enters the burial ground, not when leading toward the wagon train▶ 1:21:12
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsDan Orlovsky — Dan Orlovsky - doing play-by-play analysis of Jeremiah's combat tactics▶ 1:25:23
Chris RyanNell (woman who loses family goes Nell) and Chris Collinsworth doing football commentary on the action▶ 1:24:30
Who Won the Movie
Chris RyanRobert Redford — Acknowledges Redford will win, mentions voting Newman for The Sting previously▶ 1:31:25
Movies Referenced (42)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crow (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, William Simmons | ▶ 18:26 |
| John Wick (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 15:33 |
| Brokeback Mountain (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:14:01 |
| Three Days of the Condor (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:06 |
| Dances with Wolves (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:19 |
| 2012 (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:07:57 |
| All Is Lost (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:01:19 |
| Cast Away (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:33:39 |
| Conspiracy Theory (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | William Simmons, Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:14 |
| Eyes Wide Shut (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:15 |
| Out of Africa (1985) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:13 |
| Rushmore (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, William Simmons | ▶ 47:29 |
Directors Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Eastwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven | ▶ 7:33 |
| Sam Peckinpah | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:05:25 | |
| Iyi Tubi | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Ex Machina, World War Z | ▶ 50:09 |
| James Mangold | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 14:53 | |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 1:01:35 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 49:38 |
Actors Referenced (48)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Redford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 40 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, William Simmons | The Natural, Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | ▶ 1:37 |
| Mountain Man | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Silver Linings Playbook | ▶ 2:37 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, William Simmons | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 1:16:46 |
| Brad Pitt | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith | ▶ 1:07:57 |
| Dogu Aytun | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:06:56 | |
| Charles Bronson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Death Wish, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Great Escape | ▶ 11:19 |
| Churton Season | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:16:33 | |
| Molly Hatchet | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 24:36 | |
| Russell Crowe | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind | ▶ 1:07:36 |
| Ryan Gosling | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Blue Valentine, La La Land | ▶ 1:09:35 |
| Andrew Garfield | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Hacksaw Ridge, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Social Network | ▶ 1:10:27 |
| Billy Bob Thornton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Sling Blade | ▶ 1:19:01 |
Writers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Milius | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Conan the Barbarian, Jeremiah Johnson, Apocalypse Now | ▶ 19:38 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 21:02 |