The Survival Movie Series begins with one of the most well-known survival films: Jeremiah Johnson. It hooks you in the first few minutes with the promise of freedom and adventure, then spends the next two hours grinding the main character, Jeremiah Johnson, down with one hard truth after another: survival can be really difficult.
A man heads into the mountains to live free. No plan. No real skills. Just determination and a rifle. What he gets is a relentless series of tests and lessons—about the land, about solitude, and about the cost of learning too late.
For anyone who has ever daydreamed about bugging out in a disaster or just leaving it all behind, this film offers some valuable lessons wrapped in buckskin and wilderness.
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TL;DR: Jeremiah Johnson (1972) is more than a western—it’s a tough, realistic survival story that shows what happens when grit meets the unforgiving wilderness.
Quick Look at What You’ll Learn
Watch the Original Trailer for Jeremiah Johnson
Ratings & Reviews at a Glance
Why I Like This Movie
It’s one of the first movies I remember watching that made heading out into the woods seem exciting and something to actually consider. Just head on up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and figure it out.
I also like it because it has that old-school pacing and grit. My 82-year-old father watches old black-and-white westerns and cop shows—this probably hits a bit of nostalgia for me from a simpler time when life was ahead of me.
Jeremiah Johnson is one of the reasons I love camping and the outdoors. It’s why I enjoyed the Boy Scouts and the infantry. And it’s one of the reasons I enjoy living in the woods now.
Jeremiah Johnson Survival Lesson
From a modern-day preparedness perspective, some people consider bugging out to a national forest or remote area. And if things get bad enough in your PACE plan (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency), you might find yourself forced to do just that. For most, though, that’s not realistic—because it will only happen as a last resort. Why, because most people know they’ll die if they try to survive by living off the land.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972) shows what it really looks like in a society without modern conveniences. There’s no tech to answer questions or point you in the right direction. No YouTube tutorials. No freeze-dried meals. Just you, the wilderness, and whatever knowledge or grit you bring with you.
Favorite Scenes or Moments
- I like the opening scene of a young, adventurous person heading out to make his way in a wild world.
- The scene where Jeremiah Johnson meets Hatchet Jack, his savior and mentor, shows that we all need help at times.
These are just a few of the valuable preparedness mindset lessons woven throughout Jeremiah Johnson.
Additional Resources
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeremiah Johnson
Robert Redford plays Jeremiah. Also featured: Will Geer (Hatchet Jack), Stefan Gierasch (Del Gue), and Matt Clark (Qualen). Co-written by John Milius (Apocalypse Now). The film was directed by Sydney Pollack, who later won an Oscar. Redford did too. Full Cast on IMDb
Filmed in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, including scenes in Zion National Park and Ashley National Forest. Filming details on Wikipedia
The film doesn’t show his death. In legend, the real-life figure he’s loosely based on (John “Liver-Eating” Johnston) lived into old age and died in 1900.
Not exactly. It’s inspired by stories about John “Liver-Eating” Johnston, but most of the film is fictionalized.
A Hawken rifle is iconic among mountain men of the era. It’s a .50 caliber muzzleloader and one of the most reliable rifles of the frontier. Replica Hawken .50 Caliber – Muzzle Loaders
📌 Next StepsHave a Jeremiah Johnson movie night. Watch it through the lens of preparedness. Then come back here and drop your thoughts in the comments below. Whether it’s one sentence or a complete debrief, it’s all great perspective from real-world preppers—perspective that can help others become better prepared.
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