I don't spend a lot of time watching westerns, but this 1967 film starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchem, and James Caan is such a modest, funny little charmer I always stop and watch for awhile, or have it on while cleaning up around the house or sipping coffee on a Saturday morning. Problem is. AMC seems to play it on a monthly basis, so I'm watching it a lot. Watching it right now.
The film starts with a lonesome cowboy song, and images of western vistas. Kinda ironic, cause the film is very small scale and personal. It's the chemistry among the characters that set it apart from much bigger old west epics.
John Wayne is a good guy gunfighter for hire who only chooses the righteous side. Robert Mitchem is the sherrif of the Texas town, who has let himself sink into the bottle over a girl who "ran off with a drummer." The unlikely James Caan is the young and pragmatic Eastern gamblers apprentice.
It's all the little touches that make this little film stand out. Some of my favorite throwaway bits that I keep watching this for include:
*Wayne taking a bullet in his spine early in the film from a ranchers misguided daughter. He spends the rest of the film holding his side and having random seizures.
*Caan can't use a gun for shit, so Wayne gets him a sawed off shottie.
*Mitchem, stinking like hell, tries to take a bath at a time half the town seems to be dropping by. And they all bring soap for him. I guess they are trying to tell him something.
*Caan, chasing some baddies at night, is spoken to by a super hot and sultry, ciggy smoking Mexican gal through a darkened window. She tells him where the bad guys hid because "she does not like these men." She is not seen again after that scene, sadly.
*Mitchum having revenge on a saloon full of evil doers who "laughed at him," including bashing Ed Asners face in with his rifle.
Yeah, a great little Boot Hill game could be based on this.
The film is based on a novel called "The Stars in Their Courses," written by Harry Brown who also wrote the screenplay. The movie is on all the time. Kick back and watch it some one Saturday morning before you go out and actually get something done. Ride Boolie, ride!
