This is a John Wayne flick filmed in the same time period as True Grit (1969). It has the same techno colors and somewhat sanitized countryside and sets. The similarity ends there, though. This is a movie that relies on boys and Roscoe Lee Browne for a novelty factor. (John Wayne's crew for the cattle drive all took off for a gold rush and he is forced to hire schoolboys.) Individually, all are fine - Mr. Browne gets to use his impressive voice to good effect, for example. But the movie is cute and predictable at best. At worst, the dialog is pathetic and the use of the children is unsettling. They are first viewed as cute, immature children, but by the end of the movie they are killers looking for vengeance. The transition is poorly done and not believable due to the sad, laughable quality of the villains and a lack of urgency in the plot.
I would not recommend this movie ever.
If you want a John Wayne film that is good, watch True Grit or The Shootist for an example of his later work, or Stagecoach - an old John Ford film. For non- John Wayne try Pale Rider, Once Upon A Time in the West, The Wild Bunch or The Magnificent Seven.
No comments:
Post a Comment