Angel And The Badman - 1947 - USA

Angel And The Badman - 1947 - 6/10 

 
Wounded gunman Quirt collapses near a Quaker home.
Though warned how dangerous he is, they tend his wounds, and daughter Penny develops a crush. 
Being the West, and relatively lawless, there are several encounters with bristling guns.
The Quaker influence is a powerful moral fiber throughout.
While violence threatens to explode, it seldom does.
Alternative for those who view John Wayne westerns as speechifying shoot-‘em-ups.

Once Upon A Time In The West - 1968 - Italy

Once Upon A Time In The West - 1968 - 8/10
AKA - C'era Una Volta il West

 
Magnificent Western of greed and vengeance, stunningly shot and composed.
Bronson, taking over after another actor declined, excellent as the gunman of few words, few explanations.
The railroad is coming through; land is needed, by any means necessary.
The magnate has a team of cutthroats, led by colder-than-ice Frank.
Tremendous film, operatic in structure and intensity, likely too long for American audiences.
I first saw this in a revival theater in the mid-1970’s, and it was unforgettable.
Realize, going in, the three hour length.

Law And Order - 1932 - USA

Law And Order - 1932 - 6/10

 
Frame Johnson, brother Luther, sidekick Deadwood, and shotgun wielding Doc Brandt arrive in Tombstone.
Where a gang of outlaws rule, rustle cattle and shoot opponents in the back.
Tensions simmer until conflict flares at the OK Corral.
Violent Pre-Code is a reimagined version of Wyatt Earp.
Earp had died just three years previously, and widow Josephine was fiercely protective.
Not as sanitized as all later versions (which omitted Earp's brothels, thieving, etc...).
Pristine restoration in 2025, along with commentary.

’49-‘17 - 1917 - USA

’49-‘17 - 1917 - 6/10

 
Stifled by Eastern refinements, the Judge hankers for the wilder West of his youth.
Back when he was an original ‘49er.
He sends his young assistant to restore ghost town Nugget Notch and fill it with suitable inhabitants.
Unfortunately, by 1917, most weren’t as comfortable with shooting irons as the Judge had been.  
There are a few mysteries to unravel, pardner, as well as the town cutie lusted after by the gambler.
And Jean Hersholt as Gentleman Jim steals the money, the scene, and the movie.
Fun little Silent kinda moseys along, although it barely runs an hour.

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - 1949 - USA

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - 1949 - 7/10

 
Similar to “one last bank job”, here a cavalry officer is on the eve of retirement.
When Custer and his men are massacred at Little Big Horn, and it appears a range war is imminent.
Commander Brittles is assigned to “sort matters”, hopefully as peacefully as possible.
Large scale Western benefits from Monument Valley locations, as well as a convoluted narrative.
Instead of events leading inexorably to a huge crescendo, there are more feints and skirmishes.
A good Western, and good John Wayne role.
Too often, I feel he plays a version of himself.  Here, he resembles a tired, wise commander.

The Gunfighter - 2013 - USA

The Gunfighter - 2013 - 7/10

 
Another dusty town, another crowded saloon.
Yet, before he can even finish his drink, the outlaw leans more than he desires.
This is one sordid shantytown.  With secrets ripe for exposure.
And they emerge, boy, do they ever.
Comical upending of saloon tropes in inventive, just-the-right-length short.
For Western fans, track this down.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3360591

Nevada Smith - 1966 - USA

Nevada Smith - 1966 - 6/10

 
Following the murder of his parents, Max Sand grows up thirsting for revenge.
As a young adult, he changes his name and tracks down the villains one by one.
Violent Western freighted with soap business (script).
Excellent scenery, yet the lingering shots and pacing stall the film.
McQueen OK, although villains and shady ladies appear to possess more charisma.
Dated now, especially since few recall Harold Robbins, once a wildly popular novelist.
He wrote steamy potboilers; “Nevada Smith” was a prequel to “The Carpetbaggers”.

Westworld - 1973 - USA

Westworld - 1973 - 710

 
Saddle up, pardner.  Or more likely … draw.
High tech amusement park, Delos, with realistic androids.
Depending on which section one chooses, diversions include centurions, knights, gunslingers.
Along with comely wenches, gargantuan amounts of food, and beverages.
Visitors indulge all manner of appetites, including bloodlust.
Wouldn’t you know it?  Technical malfunctions, followed by real bloodlust.
A rare SciFi / Western, reverent, funny, exciting, thoughtful.
There would be a sequel, which tried, but this was magic in a bottle – or brothel.

Ambush At Cimarron Pass - 1958 - USA

Ambush At Cimarron Pass - 1958 - 5/10

 
Army patrol, decimated after an Apache attack, meets a group of ex-Confederates.
Likewise, damaged by Apaches who stole the horses they came to trade.
The Civil War fresh in some, tempers flare, whereupon the Apaches steal ALL the horses.
Fort Waverley is a six day march, during which the group are under guerilla attacks.
Horse-oater is routine B-film.  Watch and guess who the next corpse will be.
Early Eastwood credited part will lure many, although he swings from stiff to overbearing. 

Rio Bravo - 1959 - USA

Rio Bravo - 1959 - 7/10  

 
The brother of a land baron rancher, accidentally kills a man in the saloon.
Incarcerated in the town jail, waiting for the territorial marshal to conduct him to the courthouse.
Meantime, the powerful brother tries to cut a deal, then musters gunfighters.
What is essentially a Western standoff mixes tension with bullets.
Doesn’t hurt that the cast features John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan.
Also young Ricky Nelson, who never caught the film breaks.
Excellent old-fashioned Western, although the genre would be rewritten within a decade.

A Time Out Of War - 1954 - USA

A Time Out Of War - 1954 - 6/10

 
Late in the US Civil War, three soldiers guard a meaningless stream crossing.
A Johnny Reb and two Yanks exchange potshots, insults, jibes, pleasantries.
The war is almost finished, they know that and just want to return home.
After awhile, they decide to an hour ceasefire to go fishing.
Poignant short of the banality of war, along with the similarities that tie us.

3 Bad Men - 1926 - USA

3 Bad Men - 1926 - 6/10

 
The wagon is attacked by a pack of outlaws.
Observing from on high, three desperadoes.  Horse thief, card sharp, murderer.
They arrive too late to save the helpless pioneers, save for the young girl.
Nevertheless, they befriend her, and decide to stick with her for the Dakota Land Rush.
Early John Ford Western shows his liabilities and strengths.
Corny comedy, schmaltz, plodding social values.
Then there are magnificent scenes: the mustering of the rush, the torchlit riders, the siege of innocents.
A film of glorious villains.  The crooked sheriff and his corrupt cronies, and the three “bad men”.

 
The “girl” is a smoldering Olive Borden (distant cousin to Lizzie, really).
Love story is token, although she and O’Brien display fiery chemistry.

A Fistful Of Dollars - 1964 - Italy

A Fistful Of Dollars - 1964 - 7/10
AKA - Per un Pugno di Dollari

 
Nameless gunslinger arrives in small desert town.
Sizes up the two largest families, fighting for control, hires himself out.
First to one side, then the other.  Lack of loyalty pays so much better.
Brooding Western launched Clint Eastwood and gave Sergio Leone carte blanche for awhile.
While slow, the visuals are stunning, emphasizing faces and vistas.
Westerns would never look so clean again, as this is all weathered and dust.

Hang ‘Em High - 1968 - USA

Hang ‘Em High - 1968 - 6/10

 
A posse decides Jed is a thieving, lying rustler, stings him up, then trots off.
Dead?  Not yet.  Rescued, he catches the eye of the territorial judge who appoints him marshal.
Jed is warned not to seek revenge – but – should suspects resist …
Being a Clint Eastwood Western, viewers ought to expect resistance and shootings.
Thing is, this does not move as well as the Leone predecessors.
Despite a fantastic cast, the pace dawdles without visual compensation.
(Inger Stevens and Arlene Golonka notwithstanding.)
The judge, morally complicated and forward thinking, makes an extremely interesting character.

The Villain - 1979 - USA

The Villain - 1979 - 5/10

 
I have NEVER been in the proper mood to appreciate, let alone enjoy, this one.
Kirk Douglas is the meanest, baddest man in the West.
Ann Margaret the innocent daughter fetching a box of money for Pa.
Schwarzenegger the handsome here with the IQ of a tree stump.
A “comedy” based on Roadrunner cartoons, packed with cameos and comic relief.
Almost everyone tries too hard (Arnie actually seems to “get” his role).
Complete misfire across the board, save for Warner Brothers’ cartoon obsessives.

My Darling Clementine - 1946 - USA

My Darling Clementine - 1946 - 7/10

 
Stopping over in Tombstone, the Earp brothers leave one in charge while they rest.
Next thing, their brother is murdered, cattle rustled, they’re broke and need jobs right quick.
Can you say Marshal Earp?  And the prime suspects?  The Clantons.
Dark, moody Western, heavily tinged with Noir.
Fonda ideal as Earp, Walter Brennan cast against type as the sinister Clanton.
Victor Mature a real eye-opener as the dying Doc Holiday.
Striking photography.  Oh yes, and some business at the OK Corral.

Rimfire - 1949 - USA

Rimfire - 1949 - 5/10

 
Army gold has been hijacked, and an incognito officer is dispatched.
Around the one-horse town somewhere, and the town ain’t nothing but lowlifes.
Saloon, cardsharp, brawls, a half drunk judge, shady cowpunchers.
Somehow marked as a Western Noir, this is just a B-oater.
Final feature by Breezy Eason, and the wild opening has his trademarks all over it.
Nobody could shoot charging horses like he could.
Reed Hadley is in this, but underutilized.
For an hour film, this has a pile of cold-blooded murders, close to a dozen.

The Heart Of Texas Ryan - 1917 - USA

The Heart Of Texas Ryan - 1917 - 4/10
AKA - Single Shot Parker

 
Texas Ryan being the bossman’s daughter, just returned from a fancy Eastern finishing school.
Parker is the ranch foreman, a rootin-tootin, hijinks lovin’ cowpuncher.
Out in the sagebrush are cattle rustlers, led by a wily Mexican, who wants that new filly, Miss Ryan.
Lots of action, shooting, horses running all over, steers, saloons, whatnot.
Plot is skimpier than a jackrabbit.  Romance?  Educated girl, wild, boozing cowboy?
I reckon they’ll last a shade longer than this hour film.  Print is in terrible condition.

The Good, The Bad, And The Weird - 2008 - S Korea

The Good, The Bad, And The Weird - 2008 - 6/10
AKA - 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈

 
Exciting Korean Western set in Manchuria, 1939, just before World War II.
An assassin is tasked with stealing a treasure map, carried by a Japanese diplomat on a train.
Things get messy when a lowly bandit winds up with the map first and flees on his motorcycle.
Further complicating matters, a bounty hunter arrives in pursuit of the hitman.
Add a large gang of thieves, add a Japanese army detachment!
Gunfights?  You gotta be kidding.  Likewise, topnotch camera work and incredible stunts.
Homage to Spaghetti Westerns, although lightweight, lacking the edge Leone would have given.
Pre-fame Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung in over-the-top adventure.

Santa Fe Trail - 1940 - USA

Santa Fe Trail - 1940 - 6/10

 
New West Point graduates, and best friends, Jeb Stuart and George Custer, are assigned the Kansas Territory.
Not yet a state, Kansas, then known as Bleeding Kansas, is where John Brown sets fire to hearts and homes.
Rousing action film is peppered with more historical names: Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee, James Longstreet, Phil Sheridan …
Inaccuracies abound.  Characters actually graduated in different class years, nor were most friends.
Don’t get me going about the use of revolvers during the musket era.
Those not into history should enjoy; there is plenty of firepower.
Raymond Massey dominates as the fiery abolitionist, John Brown.