It's another "Western Wednesday" and I'm going with a John Wayne movie again this week (last week I reviewed The Train Robbers, you can check out that review by clicking HERE). Today's movie is 1973's Cahill United States Marshal.
In this one John Wayne plays J.D. Cahill, a U.S. Marshal who's job often keeps him away from home and his two sons Danny and Billy for long stretches of time. One night, while Cahill is away, Danny and Billy help a gang lead by Abe Fraser (played by George Kennedy) rob the local bank. The gang has the perfect alibi because, as far as everyone else knows, they were all in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct the night of the robbery and Billy is tasked with hiding the stolen money. When Cahill returns to town, he and Danny set out to find whoever robbed the bank with the help of tracker named Lightfoot. While Cahill is out of town looking for the criminals, Fraser and his gang ambush Billy demanding to know where the money is hidden. The problem is Cahill's sons feel guilty and want to return the money to the bank, but Fraser will stop at nothing to get it. The result is a showdown in the forest between the Fraser gang and the Cahills.
As a film, this is a pretty average, by-the-numbers Western. There's no interesting camera work, amazing musical score or incredibly complex characters. However, this is the kind of movie that is really elevated by John Wayne's larger then life presence, which makes it an enjoyable watch. Plus, I've always liked George Kennedy and he's also good in the movie. Cahill United States Marshal isn't a flick I'd recommend to everyone but, I think it's a "must-see" if you're a John Wayne fan.
3 out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment