I had the pleasure of seeing the new western film True Grit (2010), the latest Coen Brothers movie. It is said to not be a remake of the John Wayne version some 41 years ago, instead it is more true to the novel of the same name written by Charles Portis in 1968. I hope to see Wayne’s version next to compare the two films, but I have a hunch that the Coen Brothers film will best it.
The storyline revolves around a determined young girl named Mattie Ross Continue reading
This is the apex of the Dollars trilogy. Leone created a violent, chaotic world, set amidst the American Civil War and the carnage that follows as the Confederacy is fleeing the superior forces of the Union. The notion of war being hell is mirrored by the immorality of the films 3 titular heroes. Leone uses humor throughout the film, even using the name of the film itself. Clint Eastwood is “The Good,” (also called Blondie) but he is by no means a good man. He and the bandit Tuco (The Ugly) played by Eli Wallach have a money making scheme whereby Blondie captures Tuco and receives a reward from the sheriff, only to help Tuco escape so they can together go and receive another award from another county. Continue reading
In spaghetti western fashion this western film comes out swinging with strong violence, minimal dialogue, over-the-top drama, and a vendetta (make that duel-vendetta). The opening scene of Death Rides a Horse shows the rape and murder of a little boy’s family in enough detail that I almost had to fast forward through it due to how uncomfortable it made me. That little boy remembers every man’s face from the fateful evening (except one), and when he grows up he becomes the fastest gunslinger around that still seeks revenge. Continue reading
After a 3 year acting hiatus between 1962 and 1965 Lee Van Cleef decided to quit his painting gig and return to his acting roots in the spaghetti western For a Few Dollars More. He chose quite a movie to make his comeback, playing co-lead with Clint Eastwood. Sergio Leone’s second installment of the Man with No Name Trilogy is almost as good as the first one, A Fistful of Dollars. Leone’s vision of the west is more violent, grittier, and less moralistic than the classic westerns that preceded his work. He continues this vision with For a Few Dollars More. Continue reading
A Fistful of Dollars is a great western film that should have been titled A Fistful of Awesome. This spaghetti western is the first in Sergio Leone’s “The Man With No Name Trilogy.” This movie has the essentials for every western: a laconic hero, evil dudes running a town, gunfights, and the triumph of good. Well, that last part could better be phrased ‘the defeat of evil’ because the hero is not actually a ‘good’ guy. He’s in it for the dollars, a whole fistful of ‘em. About the only thing missing is a prostitute with a heart of gold and a train leaving (or arriving) by a certain deadline. Continue reading
Broken Arrow is director Delmer Daves attempt to give us a more balanced look at Indians. Instead of being always depicted as savages, this western film takes us into the heart of the Apache Indian culture’s homeland to portray them as people with feelings that are fighting for the land that is rightfully theirs. The point is even made in the film that an Apache mother would cry over the loss of her child. The movie tries too hard to make its point with dialogue that becomes preachy and an Indian hero that is almost a saint. I think you should be suspicious of any movie that wins an award titled Golden Globe for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. Awards like that are given to preachy films, not films that stand on their own merit. Continue reading
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Stagecoach is a John Ford masterpiece, the brilliance of which could be lost on a contemporary audience. Other directors imitated him so much that we take for granted the way movies are made today. A quick Wikipedia search on this western film reveals that Orson Welles claimed to watch it over 40 times while he was making Citizen Kane. When Stagecoach was filmed big budget westerns had fallen out of favor. The western was a trivialized genre, overtaken with b-movies produced on Poverty Row. John Wayne even estimated that between 1930-1939 he had appeared in about eighty Poverty Row westerns. They’d have to be low budget turkeys to get that many under your belt in such a short time frame. Stagecoach showed the world that westerns weren’t all about weak plot lines and low budgets, but could be well written, produced with good quality if the budget is sufficient, and be cinematically groundbreaking. Continue reading
Joe Kidd is a senseless and fun western film. It’s a quickie at only 88 minutes, and don’t expect anything too deep from it. But who cares? Clint Eastwood being a tough guy is fun to watch. And the setting of the movie is awe inspiring. Director John Sturges surely didn’t break any new ground with this film, but it is a strong movie that will always entertain. Continue reading
This is another fine John Sturges film (to add to Gunfight At the O.K. Corral just to name one) about a marshal that goes into a town controlled by a cattle baron to apprehend two men who raped and killed his wife. And just to makes things interesting, one of the two men is the son of the powerful cattle baron. Kirk Douglas gives a strong performance as the widower marshal that will risk making his own son an orphan in order to bring the murdering rapists of his wife to justice. Continue reading
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a classic western film that explores the topic of building one’s success on a foundational lie. The film had a strong cast in John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin. This was the first time John Wayne and James Stewart co-starred. The writing was also well done, with good dialogue as well as a good plot line. It was also superbly directed by the brilliant John Ford. So, there you have all the ingredients for a fantastic film, and fantastic is an understatement for this movie. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance should be on everyone’s must see list. Continue reading
