Yes, the movie does miss greatness. But it is far from a failure. As a slice of American with fascinating characters (yes, I like and cared about them), this film is worth seeing. True, there are problems. The husband in particular comes off as emotionally dead, yet I have known of men like that. The wife (Deborah Kerr) comes off almost as hopeless; worse, it is never clear what she wants or what is driving her. Yet, here again I have known marriages like this. I suspect modern viewers will want to be shown the underly rage and desperation of these characters, which has to be present, but like Days of Heaven, they are muted. No doubt, It would have helped if the film had been longer. Nevertheless, it works with great photography and stunt work and is well worth a look. BTW for those who are interested (this is an R-Rated movie after all) even at 48 years, Deborah Kerr looks great nude. I know if I had been the husband in the movie, I sure would have kept trying.