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Clint Eastwood's stardom was supernova, thanks to Dirty Harry; John Sturges, the man behind The Magnificent Seven and a dozen other memorably leathery Westerns, was directing; and Elmore Leonard was the screenwriter.It just goes to show.Joe Kidd is a muddle and a drag, the shoddiest Eastwood vehicle since Rowdy Yates trod in his last cow flop.Kidd, first seen as a duded-up drunk sleeping one off in jail, is supposed to be a horse rancher and an expert tracker--just the fellow a rapacious land-grabber (Robert Duvall committing lazy villainy) needs to chase down the uppity Latino (John Saxon) who's trying to reclaim the grabbed land for its rightful owners.Neither the characters nor the overland pursuit makes any sense, thanks to chasms in the continuity and no direction to speak of.An absurdly arbitrary assault-by-locomotive provides the climax; as Eastwood observed, "Jesus, anything at this point--let's end it."--Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Just Okay
I really wanted to like this film a lot: what with Clint and Robert Duvall starring together.

But it's just not a very good film. It has the flavor of classic Clint and the western drama but lacks the substance. The story line is too improbable for even the most ardent fan. The dialogue and action are slow and drawn out. Like molasses.
And the climax is just plain limp.

Fortunately, there are so many great Clint westerns to choose from - Hang'em High, Good, Bad, and the Ugly trio, The Outlaw Josey Wales (one of Clint's favorites) that the viewer can still enjoy wonderful westerns of the highest quality - but this isn't one of them.

Three stars.

Sober & Conservative Eastwood Western, still worth the Money
Another sober and conservative Eastwood Western, directed by John Sturges this time... Although not as captivating or as intriguing as the following High Plains Drifter, it nevertheless has all the classic ingredients, absolutely great sceneries, a relatively modest story, and a rather fine cast (including Robert Duvall). The existential themes are a bit in the wake and following of Hang 'Em High, i.e. the question of Justice, Right and Wrong, etc. (themes that were to be omnipresent in all of Eastwood's subsequent Westerns). Of course it isn't a truly Fantastic Western, at least by the standard of his following ones (High Plain Drifters, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider), but it's nevertheless still worth a cool watch, if only for the extremely beautiful outdoors...

Not one of my favorites, but a good performance by Duvall
Joe Kidd is not one of my favorite Eastern westerners (and Eastwood is my favorite, hands down, when it comes to films, and the Western is my favorite genre), but it does feature a good performance by Robert Duvall as the heavy. Clint's character is a little too reigned in in this one for my taste, until at the end he runs a steam engine through the town in order to extract some vengeance from Duvall's baddie.

A good supporting cast (as is typical in an Eastwood flick), also featuring John Saxon and Don Stroud.

Robert Duvall sings!
He cant act, so he figures hed try singing his lines- listen for when he breaks out with "I wanna see a man by the name of Joe Kidd" sung in a sing-song South Sea style.

A Little Stale
Clint Eastwood rarely stars in a bad movie, but that's not to say this is bad, it just falls a bit flat. A good cast, including a deliciously villainous Robert Duvall unfortunately fail to lift this picture above mediocrity. Add to this, it's relatively short running time (just under 90 minutes), fans of the genre, and Clint (who have been spoiled by great movies before) will feel a little let down. It's probably fair to say that a lesser known cast, and director wouldn't even have got this movie off the cutting room floor. All this said, any Clint collector will probably want it in his/her collection, and the usual amount of dry humor, and Eastwoodesque rationality does make this watchable, if not that memorable. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

robin williams is hilarious in this film
this movie is a genuine treasure to watch. sit back and enjoy one of robin william's best roles. walter matthau and jerry reed round out the cast in a twisting comedy about life, getting fired, and giving society the finger. enjoy

One of my all time favorite Comedies
Robin Williams is masterful as a zany survival nut who is being taken advantage of by a scheming businessman preying on fear that society will break down...Walter Matthau is the perfect straight man/foil for Williams...

Even though this is an older movie it is a theme which is still timeless...Is society getting ready for the "Big Flush" and how do responsible people respond to it?...

Williams and Matthau provide one very funny solution.

FUNNY
This is one that is easily forgotten, but people should rediscover this piece of work. 2 men's lives unexpectedly cross when a diner is robbed. Donald(Williams) Quinelle decides that society is too sick to "survive" and joins a survivalist group in the mountains. Sonny(Matthau) Paluso wants no part of the survivalist mode of living, but in order to save his own life from the armed robber they can both put the finger on he soons joins Quinelle in the survivalist camp. Jerry Reed is the robber and does one heck of a job here. Opening credits use the late Governor Huey Long's "Every Man a King".

The Survivors
funny, funny, sooo funny, can't watch it enough,misplaced
our last copy, gonna get another one...don't forget Jerry
Reeds caustic southern humor also...

Maybe it's just me, but...
I guess when this movie was released back in the eighties, it was much funnier and more interesting. But to me, it's just long and boring.

There's a few jokes scattered here and there that can cause a chuckle, but the rest are mostly just painful. Walter Matthau and Robin Williams stop a robber in a diner, and afterward, Williams's character decides to go to a survivalist camp, where wackiness ensues. That's about it for the plot.

Williams does a good job acting-wise, and I don't blame him for this [cruddy] movie. I consider him a great actor on many levels, and this was just an unfortunate role for him to play. Matthau, too, does a good job, but just got stuck with a bad movie. Everybody else [stinks]. Especially the actresses, who all speak with a really dumb-sounding voice (You know that light-headed kind of "Ooh... am I awake now?" kind of voice?) and say stupid things.

But, hey, some people like "The Survivors," and others like "Clerks." Which one fits you? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A new high in lows
This is possibly one of the worst movies ever made, and hence deserves cult-status. A stunningly self-conscious performance by Neil French is just one of the reasons to watch it. There is, however, a quite charming dog in one or two scenes. ... Read more