Western Wednesday: The Star Packer

The Star Packer is a 1934 John Wayne film, and was one of NINE films to star 'The Duke' that year (the others being The Lucky Texan, Blue Steel, 'Neath the Arizona Skies, The Lawless Frontier, The Trail Beyond, Randy Rides Alone, West of the Divide, and The Man From Utah). 

In the film Wayne's character, John Travers, becomes sheriff of a small town after the previous sheriff is shot and killed. This town and folks occupying the surrounding outskirts are, as usual, being hassled by some outlaws. What's interesting is that this particular group of outlaws is being given orders by a mysterious man known only as "The Shadow". So it's up to Travers, and his faithful native-american sidekick Yak, to set up a trap and capture "The Shadow" and his gang, thus saving the town.

This is a relatively short film with a runtime of only about an hour and it's pretty easy to find if you want to check it out. You'll frequently see it bundled in John Wayne DVD compilation packs and it's free on Amazon Prime Video. That being said, it definitely isn't one of Wayne's better films, and not a "must-see" unless you're a big John Wayne fan determined to go through his whole filmography.

1.5 out of 5

Western Wednesday: The Train Robbers

It's been a while since my last 'Western Wednesday' post, but I'm going to try and make it a regularly updated series again. So, today's movie is the 1973 John Wayne film, The Train Robbers.

The movie is about a widow named Mrs. Lowe (played by Ann-Margret) who wants to recover a half million dollars in gold that her late husband stole and return it to the railroad in order to clear the family name. Plus, there is a nice $50,000 reward for anyone who returns the gold. With the help of a man named Lane (played by John Wayne) and a couple others they set out for Mexico to retrieve the hidden gold. However, a gang made up of some of the original train robbers want the gold and they'll stop at nothing to get it. 

The plot really isn't anything special but, the relatively short 90min runtime keeps things moving forward and I think it's a fun movie overall. There are a couple shootouts, John Wayne punches someone in the face in multiple scenes, and near the end a couple of buildings get blown up. Sure, It's not at that level of John Wayne classics like True Grit, The Searchers, or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but I still think it's definitely worth watching if you're a fan of The Duke. 

I give this one a 3 out of 5.

80's Month Day 22: The Man from Snowy River

 

 

Well, '80's Month' is quickly coming to a close and the last 'Western Wednesday' of the month is the 1982 Australian-Western The Man from Snowy River.

 

After his father dies, a young man named Jim Craig (played by Tom, Burlinson) leaves the mountains and heads to the lowlands for work. Jim then meets up with a one-legged miner named Spur (played by Kirk Douglas) and soon gets a job at Spur's brother's ranch (Spurs brother Harrison is also played by Kirk Douglas). One day a man named Clancy (played by Jack Thompson)  who used to be a friend of Jim's dad arrives at the ranch to lead a cattle drive alongside Harrison and some of the other ranch hands while Jim stays back. While Harrison is away, the beginnings of a romance start to form between Jim and Harrison's daughter Jessica (played by Sigrid Thornton).  Eventually when Harrison returns he get gets into an argument with Jessica, threatens to send her to a woman's college and tells her that he's going to fire Jim. Impulsively, the defiant Jessica rides off into the mountains where she is caught in a storm, only to be rescued a short time later by Jim.

 The film then explains the backstory of why the two brothers Harrison and Spur don't get along, which isn't anything too interesting. Jim then brings Jessica back to the Harrison ranch and, initially Harrison is grateful. That is until Jim tells Harrison that he loves Jessica,  something that naturally angers him. Well, Jim rides off and meets up with Spur who informs him that he struck gold and that Jim will receive the share that would've gone to Jim's father. Soon after, Harrison puts up a big reward for some horses that ran off and, of course Jim retrieves them, refuses the reward, tells Jessica he'll return for her someday, then he rides off back to the mountains.

Overall, it's a pretty well made film and the acting is ok, but it's kind of dull and you definitely feel every minute of the 1hr 40min runtime. It's fine but I don't recommend it.

I give it a 2 out of 5

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

80's Month Day 15: The Long Riders

It's 80's Month. It's a Western Wednesday. It's 1980's The Long Riders

Above all else this film is unique in that it stars four sets of acting brothers; James Keach and Stacy Keach, David Carradine  Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine, Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid, and finally Christopher Guest and Nicholas Guest. Now, you may be asking yourself 'Is the movie any good or is this just a novelty?'

Well, a bit of both. The movie is good but not all of the casting is ideal, in my opinion and the performances vary from really good to good enough. The Keach's, Carradine's, and Quaid's all play members of a gang with James Keach playing the leader Jesse James. One day, after a less than ideal bank robbery, Ed Miller (played by Dennis Quaid) is kicked out of the gang. The movie kind of meanders about a bit, but picks up and gets interesting again about 20mins later after a train robbery and the Pinkertons lead by a man named Mr. Rixley (played by James Whitmore Jr.) come after them. Around this time we're also introduced to Charley and Robert Ford (played by Christopher and Nicholas Guest respectively) who play a big role in the ending of the film. From there it's shootouts, a knife fight in a saloon, a bank robbery that goes very wrong (which leads to a pretty great action scene), and a solid ending.

Overall, it's an enjoyable movie and I found most of it really entertaining.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below.

 

80's Month Day 8: Lone Wolf McQuade

It's "80's Month" so as with last week, I'm taking a little detour from my normal "Western Wednesday" reviews, which tend to be more traditional genre films, in favor a film that is a sort of a 80s-meets-Western. That's where 1983's Lone Wolf McQuade comes in. It's one of my all-time favorite Chuck Norris movies, and it combines big 80's action with martial arts and a spaghetti Western feel. Even the score is very reminiscent of the one in Sergio Leone's 1968 classic Once Upon a Time in the West.
  Lone Wolf McQuade also came in at #1 on my "10 Chuck Norris Movies Everyone Should See" list and you can check out that post by clicking here.

So, what's the movie about?
Well, Chuck Norris plays a badass Texas Ranger named J.J. McQuade, who lives out in the middle of nowhere, prefers to work alone (as all badasses seem to) and he has a pet wolf because, why not? McQuade has all the typical characteristics of an 80's action hero; rough exterior, ex-wife, has a new partner despite insisting he doesn't need one, etc. Pretty early on he encounters the movie's villain, an arms dealer and martial arts expert named Rawley Wilkes (played by David Carradine). The plot pretty much hits all the beats you'd expect but it's done in such a way that, at least in my opinion, it's very entertaining. There's a love interest named Lola (played by Barbara Carrera) who's husband was killed by Wilkes and she falls for McQuade pretty soon after meeting him. McQuade's daughter Sally is kidnapped at one point and, overall, McQuade is seemingly being bested by Wilkes at every turn until the end when our hero finally kills the villain. There are explosions, shootouts, Chuck Norris kicking people, and plenty of other cool stuff. It's just a fun movie that I always enjoy rewatching.

It's not something that everyone's going to get into, and I don't think it's a universally beloved film but, I recommend checking it out.
I give it a 4 out of 5.


Have a suggestion for a review?
Leave it in the comments below.

Western Wednesday: In Old Caliente

 It's Wednesday! So, as always, today's movie is a Western.

In Old Caliente is a 1939 film starring screen legend Roy Rogers, as well as, Mary Hart, George "Gabby" Hayes and, of course, Trigger 'the smartest horse in movies'.

So what's it about?

Well, settlers are moving West to new the state of California, and Roy Rogers is there working at a Spanish estate. One day some bandits lead by the ranch's foreman, Sujarno (played by Jack LaRue), rob a wagon carrying gold that is actually headed to the ranch. When news of the robbery gets back to the ranch's owner, the word is that some 'gringos' were behind it. Well, the folks at the ranch immediately suspect Roy of tipping the robbers off and he's promptly fired. 

Later, Roy and Gabby (one of the settlers) team up to discover the bandits' hideout and they recover the stolen gold. Unfortunately, they only have it in their possession long enough to be framed for the robbery. The two are brought back to the estate, where they are imprisoned in the cellar. While stuck down there, Roy gets Gabby to join him in a duet of "We're Not Coming Out to the Dance Tonight" which is one of the highlights of the film. So, they have to make their escape and come up with a plan to clear themselves of the crime they've been falsely accused of.

 Overall, this is halfway decent flick, it's pretty entertaining and there are little comedic moments thrown in. If you like Roy Rogers movies then you'll probably like this one. 

I give it a 3 out of 5.

Have a suggestion for a review?

Leave it in the comments below, and be sure to check back every week for my 'Western Wednesday' reviews.

Western Wednesday: Jesse James: Lawman

It's Western Wednesday!

Now, I've reviewed some great Westerns on this blog. Films like True Grit, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... Today's movie isn't one of those great Westerns, it's 2015's Jesse James: Lawman.
 One look at it and you may have the same initial reaction that I did, "Kevin Sorbo and Peter Fonda, well this should be halfway decent...". Well unfortunately, despite their names getting top billing, Sorbo and Fonda have pretty small roles in the film.

The film starts off with J. Dalton (played by Kevin Sorbo) telling a reporter that he is actually legendary outlaw Jesse James and he changed his name and started a new life after faking his death. The reporter is initially skeptical, and so Dalton proceeds to tell him the story of a time when Jesse James actually worked with a sheriff to help a small town. Cut to some years ago when younger Jesse James (played by Andrew Galligan) rides into that small town and is quickly recruited by the Sheriff to infiltrate the Killian gang that has been causing the town trouble. The thought is that the gangs leader, Hoyt Killian, would love to have someone of James' caliber as part of his gang, thus giving the sheriff a man on the inside. This plan is apparently fine with the town's Mayor (played by Peter Fonda) because he just wants his town to be safe and quiet. From there the movie doesn't offer up a whole lot, and it muddles around to a predictable end. Occasionally there is a cut back to the office where Sorbo is telling the reporter the story, but nothing all that interesting happens.

Whether you want to point to the lackluster acting, the poor editing, the flawed directing, or the lousy dialogue, this movie is as let-down from start to finish. I usually advocate for checking out any Westerns you find because I think it's an underappreciated genre, but you can skip this one.
I give it a 0 out of 5.


Have a suggestion for a review?
Leave it in the comments below, and don't forget to check back every week for another 'Western Wednesday' review.