Bite the Bullet is a 1975 western directed by Richard Brooks starring Gene Hackman, James Coburn and Candice Bergen. It concerns a grueling 700 mile cross-country horse race taking place in the early twentieth century and the way it affects the lives of the various participants. It touches on the themes of sportsmanship, friendship, animal cruelty, the yellow press, racism, ageism and much more. Two former Rough Riders, a lady of easy virtue, a punk kid, a Mexican with a toothache ( who provides the films title), an old man and an English gentleman are the main protagonists of the race which tests not only the endurance of horse and rider but also their philosophies of life and the meaning of winning and losing. For the actor, see Richard Brooks (actor) Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912-March 11, 1992) was a Hollywood film writer, director, and (occasionally) producer. ... Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born 30 January 1930) is an Oscar winning American actor. ... James Coburn in Sam Peckinpahs Cross of Iron (1977). ... Candice Bergen, in a picture from a fashion magazine from the late 1960s. ...

Quotes

• Mister:"God, what ain't I tried. Pony express rider, Overland Stage driver, lawman, gambler, riverman, rancher, rodeo hand, barman, spittoon man... old man. Never much to remember. Of course, there ain't much to forget, either. Nobody's got much use for an old man. I can't blame 'em much. That's why I'm going to win this here newspaper race. When I cross the finish line, I get to be a big man. Top man. A man to remember."

• Mister: "I've never saw a man who could hold his liquor like a bottle."

• Clayton: " The people some people marry."

• Miss Jones: "Killing a man don't prove you're a man".