Amazon.com

Although Chisum stars John Wayne--playing a benign variation on his Red River empire-builder --he's curiously sidelined in this umpteenth retelling of Pat Garrett, William Bonney, and the Lincoln County War.Sam Peckinpah would direct the world-class version of that götterdämmerung, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, three years later.This version, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen in a slightly less broad vein than usual, is just odd--not least because it omits Garrett and Bonney's celebrated final confrontation.Geoffrey Deuel's Billy is a pleasant juvenile who scarcely seems delinquent, let alone murderously psychotic.Glenn Corbett's characterization of Garrett consists mainly of wearing a seriously BIG hat.There's an irksome rivalry for Chisum's perky niece (Pamela McMyler), and a Dominic Frontiere score that's the Western equivalent of elevator music.Chief scoundrel Forrest Tucker seems bored, but Christopher George, Richard Jaeckel, and Bruce Cabot get some juice into their villainy.--Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Wayne & McLaglen tackle the Lincoln County War
Based upon historical fact, this film follows the famous range war in which Billy the Kid made his name, but chiefly from the viewpoint of aging cattle baron John Chisum (Wayne in the title role). It's 1878 in New Mexico Territory, and Chisum rides into the local town of Lincoln to meet his niece Sallie (Pamela McMyler) off the stage. His foreman and long-time Good Right Hand, Pepper (Ben Johnson practically stealing the movie--he should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor), remarks upon the many acquisitions being made by would-be real-estate magnate Lawrence J. Murphy (Tucker in a cheerfully malevolent role), but Chisum isn't looking for trouble. Still, he is inexorably drawn into the escalating situation when lawyer Alex McSween (Andrew Prine), whom Sallie befriended on the journey, finds it impossible to turn a blind eye to Murphy's machinations, and helps stake the idealistic Easterner to a store to run in competition with the one Murphy bought out from under its original owner. Not until his friend and neighbor, Britisher Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles), is murdered on the road by two deputies of Murphy's hand-picked sheriff (Bruce Cabot), does Chisum's temper finally come unglued, and the story continues through the siege (canonical) of the McSween store by Murphy's forces, the shooting down of McSween in the street, and at last a classic brawl (in an ultimately burning building) between Chisum and Murphy that always reminds me of two old range bulls butting heads. As always, the supporting cast adds immeasureably to the movie: Geoffrey Deuel as Billy Bonney; Christopher George (who also played a villainous role in the Duke's "El Dorado") as his old enemy, gimpy, half-crazy bounty hunter Dan Nodeen; Richard Jaeckel as Jess Evans, with whom Billy once rode; Glenn Corbett as Billy's friend (and future killer) Pat Garrett. The mild liberties that are taken with history (such as Sallie's attraction to Billy) only serve to fill out the characters better. There's plenty of classic Old West action and a good score (Merle Haggard's vocal, "Turn Me Around," should be released on a retrospective of his songs), and Chisum is portrayed as a decent man who loves the land and wants the best for the people who live on it (interestingly, he isn't expected to carry a romantic relationship at all, though it's strongly hinted that he came close to marrying Sallie's mother). A solid entry to the Wayne oeuvre and one well worth your time.

The Duke Rides again
Ok, so the historical aspect is questionable, so what? This is classic John Wayne, good guys against bad guys, and predictably great until the final reel. I always felt they left the door open a little for a sequel, or moreover that this was placing a John Wayne bootprint on the story behind the story of the Lincoln County War. Whichever way, I thoroughly enjoy this every time I see it. Probably not one of the "GREAT" John Wayne westerns, and I'm being a little generous with 4 stars, but the transfer quality to DVD makes it worth it, although there isn't any extra stuff. Just under two hours, and a little violent for very young children, otherwise Enjoy

Don't buy this Movie
I am a huge fan of almost anything with John Wayne in it, especially westerns. But this may be one of his worst. The Duke had a maddening habit of surrounding himself with bad actors. But often the movie was good enough to overcome this fault. This one is not. The music is flat out horrible, almost funny it's so bad, and the script is rediculous. It is historically inaccurate, and if you are going to make a movie with real charactors in it, then this is not a minor fault. The only good things in the movie are Ben Johnson and the Duke himself. Truly one of his worst.

A good John Wayne film but not very true to history
CHISUM is a solid film for its time period. Like always, John Wayne is at the top of his game. However, I'm still not sure why Hollywood felt inclined to make a movie that used John Chisum as its main character and Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett as supporting players. It doesn't really make sense. And while there is some truth to what happens in the film, for the most part it is historically inaccurate. For example, John Chisum never squabbled fist to fist with Lawrence Murphy in real life (as far as history has recorded anyway) but since Murphy was the villain and Chisum was the hero I see why it had to be done. It's just like I said though, why did they have to be called Murphy and Chisum? Why did the producers decide to make a John Wayne western based in realism using real characters when many of his more successful westerns were entirely fictional and used fictional characters? I guess we'll never know for sure. The end result seems to be more for John Wayne fans than fans of the Billy the Kid legend and the Lincoln County War.

C-

Western classic for your library
One of John Wayne's best Action Westerns. The acting is better than average and Ben Johnson actually talks in this movie! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This latter-day sort-of Western from John Ford--falling midway between The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--is a crisp retelling of a true-life episode from the Civil War. In 1863 a Union colonel named Grierson (Marlowe in the film, and John Wayne by any name) led his cavalry several hundred miles behind Confederate lines to cut the railroad between Newton Station and soon-to-be-embattled Vicksburg. Grierson's Raid was as successful as it was daring, and remarkably bloodless. Never fear that the screenplay makes up for that un-Hollywood lapse--as well as supplying amatory distraction for the colonel in the form of a feisty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who has to be dragged along to protect secrecy.

There's a certain amount of bombast in the running arguments about wartime ethics between Marlowe and the new regimental surgeon (William Holden), who don't take to each other at all. But Ford more than makes up for it with such tasty scenes as an encounter with a couple of redneck Rebel deserters (Denver Pyle and Strother Martin), an ethereal swamp crossing led by a cornpone deacon (Hank Worden), and above all the famous skirmish with a hillside full of grade-school cadets from a venerable military academy. The film ends rather abruptly because Ford abandoned a climactic battle scene--the veteran stunt man and bit player Fred Kennedy having been killed in a horse fall. Golden-age cowboy star Hoot Gibson, who acted in Ford's directorial debut, Straight Shooting, appears as Sergeant Brown. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (23)

My Favorite John Wayne Movie
I am an unabashed fan of John Wayne movies from "Stagecoach" to "The Shootist." Among them all, "The Horse Soldiers" is my personal favorite.

John Ford captures, in vivid, robust color, the pageantry of the Union and Confederate cavalries. With flags flying, horses pounding, and bugles blaring, Ford and Wayne create sheer movie entertainment. The musical score by David Buttolph perfectly captures the varying moods of the film and complements the stirring visual images. From "I Left My Love" to the "Bonnie Blue Flag," the music accents the film's emotions. William Holden and Constance Towers are well-cast as Wayne's nemesis. The supporting cast is bolstered with many Wayne regulars, including Ken Curtus (Festus from "Gunsmoke").

Many criticize the factual inaccuracies in John Wayne films. So what! He didn't intend to make documentaries, he intended to make rousing, entertaining movies. I will always believe this was his best...

Ford and Wayne do it again
To many who look at John Wayne as a one dimentional jingoistic actor this is likely the first film I would show them to change their mind. It is a fine war movie with some great battle scenes, yet it never fails to take away from the viewer the message that war is a terrible thing.

This film adaption of the Grierson's raid during the Vicksburg campaign gives us a close up look at the pain that war causes. Historical license it taken often Grierson the music maker becomes Marloe the engineer. Several battles are added to spice up the script, and the inclusion of the use of the Cadets harkens to a fameous battle a year later in Va.

It also give us pleanty of good subplotting in the roles, both in the ranks particlarly Sergeant Major Kirby who is loads of fun, and among the officers. It also contains some classic lines between Holden as a doctor who is regular army but a doctor first and Wayne a commander who doesn't like war, doesn't like doctors but does what needs to be done. "...the coffee tastes better when the latrines are dug downstream. How do you like your coffee Col?" as usual the actors who I refer to as the "John Wayne Guild" do their usual good supporting jobs.

In closing it is the interaction between Wayne, Towers and Holden, combined with the painting of war as something to be avoided that makes this movie a five stars classis vs just another John Wayne movie.

Great John Wayne Movie
I love this movie. John Wayne's swagger, William Holden's class, and Constance Towers' charm. They all combine to make an excellent Civil War Movie based on an actually raid that pushed deep into the South.

The movie of course isn't accurate but that doesn't matter. The drama and action are great and there isn't any silly romance to ruin things. Constance Towers' presence helps in the development of John Wayne's character but doesn't slip into any thing that distracts from the main part of the movie.

There are also some great battle scenes. My favorite is the VMI cadet charge. This was also based on a real event that apparently wasn't as big of a deal as in the movie but is still interesting to read about if you get a chance.

I recommend this movie to all John Wayne and Civil War movie buffs.

Another Ford-Wayne based on a Historical event.
This movie teams William Holden with JW and the friction between these characters holds the movie. I rate this as one of my top 10 JW movies. The movie is based on historical events and except for a battle that didn't happen, it is close to the truth.

A late John Ford classic
The Horse Soldiers is a later John Ford cavalry movie in which he joined with John Wayne. Based on a true story, the movie is about a behind the lines mission for Union colonel Marlowe and his cavalry brigade. They are sent deep into enemy territory to destroy an important depot so that the siege of Vicksburg can end sooner. There are well-done action scenes throughout as well as some humor in a few scenes.

John Wayne stars as Colonel Marlowe and is his usual great self. William Holden stars as Major Kendall, a doctor sent along on the mission who cannot get along with the Duke. It is revealed in the movie why Marlowe hates doctors so much. Constance Towers stars as Miss Hannah Hunter, a Southern belle forced to accompany Wayne and his men. Ken Curtis and Hank Worden are excellent as two of Duke's scouts with Denver Pyle and Strother Martin hilarious in a scene as two Confederate hillbillies. The DVD offers a cleaned up version with trailers added on. An excellent and exciting Duke classic well worth the price! ... Read more

Description

The saga of Tom Horn - a real-life "enforcer" of Old West days - held a particular fascination for another legend. Hollywood icon Steve McQueen starred in and executive-produced what would be his next-to-last movie, a gritty, exciting recreation of Horn's latter-day career in a turn-of-the-century West where gentler ways supplanted the law of the gun - and Horn would be an unwitting victim of that change. Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush and Slim Pickens head a strong cast in a film capturing the essence of a time when a man's word was only as good as his guns or fists. Shot on serenely beautiful Arizona locations, Tom Horn indelibly brings to life one of the West's truly unsung heroes. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Too late to be a hero any more
This film is a real anti-western. Everything is there to make it a western, yet it is too late in history for it to be one. It is nothing but a thriller without a solution. The character is real. A hero of the war against the Apaches, he more or less survived in the west till he found a job with some cattle ranchers in Wyoming. He did what he was hired to do : he got rid of cattle-thieves. But finally his radical method in a world where the press started looking west were no longer acceptable by those who hired him. So they trapped him into a murder case : a child mind you. And he goes through it without the slightest sign of emotion. The film is a sad commentary on what the west became when it was completely open and conquered. The law arrived and crime along with it and no way to fight against it, or against them, both the law and crime. The survivors fromthe time of the wild west had to go away, recycle themselves or be put to sleep nicely or more violently. There was no reform school for ex-western vigilantes. It is pathetic to see the end of a period and the death of its heroes. This has always happened and the wild west is nothing but a dream today though some of its methods have been transposed into normal life and we do have some wild west adventurers among us. Mankind needs a frontier to develop and there is always a place where the law will not apply, a place beyond the very limits of lawfulness, even in the very heart and midst of our daily life.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

It's About Time
This is my favorite McQueen film of all time. Not only a western, but is also a true story of a man who has come to a point in his life where he has done it all. He then comes to Wyoming and is hired to help with cattle rustling and is soon engulfed in an all out war with rustlers. Using his trusty rifle Tom uses violence as a way of dealing with them and soon then is framed for a murder and pays the ultimate price. His life. McQueen is perfect in this film. This movie is long overdue for DVD and I am extremely happy that they have finally set a date for it. End of May cannot get here fast enough.

ONE OF MCQUEEN'S GREATEST ROLES
A classic western and one Steve McQueen's greatest roles, Tom Horn is a must for any serious western movie library.The movie tracks Horn's tracks from the Southwest into Wyoming and a career as a "stock detective."The career begins promisingly enough but soon takes a downward turn as Horn, the simple cowboy and tracker, runs head on into big business politics and scandals that jeopardize not only his freedom but his life.

The cast also includes Linda Evans (Dynasty) and Richard Farnsworth (The Grey Fox).

As a result of viewing this movie I was also lead to an excellent biography: Tom Horn: Blood on the Moon: The Dark History of the Murderous Cattle Detective by Chip Carlson and Larry D. Ball.Once you see the movie you'll want to read the book.

One of McQueen's last movies
Tom Horn is a very good western along the lines of The Wild Bunch about the changing times in the west and how certain people are adjusting to it.Based on a true story, the movie is about fronteirsman and marksman Tom Horn.Famous for several reasons that are introduced early in the movie, Horn begins the movie drifting along in 1903 Wyoming.Known for his ability with a rifle, Horn is hired by an association of ranchers to drive out rustlers in whatever way necessary.Soon, he begins to call too much attention to himself causing the ranchers to take action.This movie is very good for several reasons.It seems very realistic with beautiful scenery, good characters(good and bad), and a well-told story.

Steve McQueen gives a very believable performance as frontier hero, Tom Horn.His role as a man caught in a changing world who is not willing to change along with it is very well done.Richard Farnsworth plays rancher John Coble, one of the only men to remain loyal to Horn even when he is in trouble.Linda Evans gives a good, if somewhat short, performance as Gwendolene, a schoolteacher who Tom falls in love with.Slim Pickens is excellent as the sheriff who knows Tom from the past, but we never learn in what way.There are several other recongizable faces here, but their names escape, most notably the deputy who was a regular in John Wayne movies.I really hope they put this movie on DVD since it is vastly underrated as a western.Fans of McQueen will absolutely love Tom Horn even if it is not the most uplifting of movies.

An Overlooked Gem
Taken on it's own, Steve McQueen's Tom Horn stands as a fine portrayal of the western frontier at the turn of the last century.
If there are flaws it is in the editing, which seems choppy at times, leaving the viewer to want more of the scene and perhaps in a too sympathetic showing of Horn, who was not as likable human being if history is accurate.
But that is quibbling. Mcqueen's penultimate role is one to seen and remembered. ... Read more

Description

Kevin Costner plays the most famous lawman ever to stride the Wild West.In a gritty, complex portrayal hailed as a "classic American performance" (Bob Campbell, Newhouse Newspapers), Academy Award winner Costner (Dances with Wolves, The Bodyguard) plays the man who became a myth in acclaimed director Lawrence Kasdan's (The Big Chill, Silverado) epic, action-filled saga.Gene Hackman, an Oscar winner for Unforgiven, as Wyatt's iron-willed father, and Dennis Quaid (The Big Easy, The Right Stuff) as Earp's deadly best friend Doc Holliday add power to this mammoth, hard-hitting Western.From Wichita to Dodge City to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, Wyatt Earp is a thrilling journey of romance, adventure and desperate, heroic action. ... Read more

Reviews (82)

Wyatt Earp was a Man
A lot of people forget that Wyatt Earp was a real man who had more courage and integrity then most people you will ever know. This movie is a pretty accurate portrayl of that man. Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid (Doc Holliday) do a superb job, although the supporting cast has a lot to be desired. This movie differs from the movie "Tombstone", in that it portrays a lot of Wyatt's life from being a teenager during the Civil War to his and Josie's adventure to the Alaskan gold fields near the turn of the century. "Tombstone" deals primarily with the happenings in Wyatt's life in that one town, which ironically dealt with less than 2 years of his long adventurous life. I liked this film because it dealt with an approximate 35 year time span of Wyatt's life, and the movie is long enough to dipict this. There are a lot of historical accuracies in the movie which include proper representations of places and dialogue such as what is said on the way to and during the gunfight. The inaccuracies are easily overlooked such as Virgil being shot in the wrong arm and the reference to "Johnny behind the duece" as "Tommy." All in all though, a good film about the life of a great man, Wyatt Earp.

BUY THIS DVD!
At last Warner Bros. has seen fit to release Kasdan's masterpiece on DVD. Sadly and inexplicably this movie was overlooked at the time of it's release. This superbly written,beautifully played piece is the definitive account of the life of a western archetype achieving everything that previous Earp accounts have failed to with the possible exception of Hour Of The Gun. Avoiding the ludicrous romanticism of My Darling Clementine, or the appaulingly laughable Lancaster/Douglas fiasco, Gunfight At OK Corral, Kasdan's portrayal presents these characters as the contradictory individuals they undoubtedly were and the actors and actresses do a tremendous job of bringing them to life. Costner is utterly believable as a complex man who, influenced by his father's belief in the family unit, almost destroys the very family he is trying to protect. We see him go from an idealistic young man to becoming a resolute, serious individual as a result of circumstances often beyond his control which serve to form his hardened personality and tunnel vision. Dennis Quaid is superb as Doc Holliday and presents a real person rather than Val Kilmer's amusing charicature in the over rated t.v movie-quality Tombstone. JoBeth Williams, Catherine O'Hara and Isabella Rosselini are great in their portrayals of the role of women in the west. Each of the actresses in this movie portrays a distinctly different character never resorting to cookie-cutter characterisations but the one thing they all have in common is, true to the period, women were expected to be supportive but not to have minds of their own; No revisionist western this.
Technically the movie looks and sounds great. Kasdan creates a visual style without being heavy handed and we are presented with a west in various stages of development from shanty towns to the developing, lawless Dodge City and Tombstone where law and order are trying to take hold even when the "law" is being enforced in a very subjective manner, again there is a lot of gray in this movie.
Finally I have to praise James Newton Howard for his wonderful score which, if it were isolated on the DVD would make this a 6 star release.
Apparently deleted scenes are being included on a second disc. An expanded lazer disc was released some years ago which restored this footage to the film, adding even more depth to the characters and as a result an even better movie.
Please buy this movie and, in doing so, encourage Warner's to release the expanded version in the near future. You will not be disappointed.

Western Classic
No doubt this movie is a western classic. I saw it years ago and loved it. I don't have anything negative to say about the movie itself. I almost picked up this 2 disc set until I learned it's a cut down or edited version. Why is the complete 212 min version only available on VHS ? That's just stupid. This is a great movie worthy of a director's cut edition maybe 3 disc set? I'd spend the extra cash on a deeper edition, until then I'll save my money. Please, please release the FULL version on DVD!

I'm very disappointed-why not the Director's Cut on DVD??
I was actually planning to but Wyatt Earp on DVD, but as I already have the Director's Cut on VHS video, I'll wait until the release of it on DVD. I believed this would be the "definitive" video release of Wyatt Earp. I'm quite disappointed!! I would rather have had the complete film on DVD than all of the extras!! Five-stars for the film, one-star for the short-sightedness of this DVD's content!! This is just as puzzling as why the restored version of John Wayne's The Alamo is not on DVD yet, either.

Typical Costner - long drawn out epic!
While the story was great and gave some interesting, perhaps unknown insight to the character of Wyatt Earp (did you know he was married and lost his wife to Typhoid? I didn't!) the movie was a very long, slow, drawn out epic like most of Costner's films. While Dennis Quaid portrayed a believable Doc Holliday, his performance was paled by the superior, more entertaining version by Val Kilmer in "Tombstone". In either movie it was almost unbelievable that the character was played by Dennis Quaid and Val Kilmer respectively (although Val Kilmer was more recognizable), I think both versions of Doc Holliday outshined the portrayal of Wyatt Earp in either movie. While still a good Western for this century, I would not rate this one higher than 3 stars because it was too long and drawn out. 3+ hours is just too long to sit through for something that could have been accomplished successfully in maybe 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
The rating age only goes up to 12, I'm actually 40 years old - LOL ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Terrific cinematography only adds to a fine film
Sometimes, stunning camera work adds significant value to a film's overall merit. Case in point is 2001: A SPACE ODDYSSEY, in which the visuals (and musical score) contributed to make it one of the great films of all time. (I saw it 8 times when originally on the big screen.) Yet the acting and storyline were so nondescript that who can remember who the actors or their characters were beyond Hal? Although certainly not carrying the same weight as 2001 in the evolution of movie making, the 1993 release GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND is elevated for the same reason, and the acting is much better besides.

Matt Damon plays 2nd Lt. Britton Davis, newly commissioned out of West Point, who arrives in Arizona in the mid-1880's just in time to accompany the savvy 1st Lt. Charles Gatewood, played by Jason Patric, on a mission to accept the surrender of Geronimo, and bring the Apache leader to the reservation. Eventually, Geronimo abandons the reservation to again take up arms against the white man, ultimately fleeing into Mexico. The local Army cavalry command led by Gen. George Crook, played by Gene Hackman, and which includes Davis and Gatewood, must then go retrieve the war chief and his followers. Robert Duvall has the role of Al Sieber, the army unit's Chief Scout.

As I've indicated, the cinematography in GERONIMO is absolutely gorgeous, the film being shot in the scenic expanses of southeastern Utah. Moreover, the acting doesn't deserve the reproach it's received. The Crook character, criticized as too bland, is played just right. By that time in his long military career, Gen. Crook had seen it all when it came to battling the Indians, and his unflappability, evenhandedness, and strength of character were fully established. There is no need for flamboyant theatrics on his part. The moody reserve of the Gatewood character is perfectly understandable. He came from a patrician Virginia family and, had it been 30 years previous, would have fought for the Confederacy. Fighting for the victorious Federals against another oppressed people (as the Southerners saw themselves) was certain to cause much self-examination. As Sieber put it to Gatewood, "You don't love who you're fighting for, and you don't hate who you're fighting against." Duvall, as Sieber, plays a role somewhat reminiscent of his Gus McCrae in LONESOME DOVE, but without the easygoing humor. In any case, his on-screen time is way too short. Wes Studi as Geronimo is more than adequate. I can't think of another Native American actor - and how many of those are there? - who could have done better. Matt Damon, as the likable Britton, serves as the film's narrator for the viewers' perspective. True, the plot incorporates no dramatic, climactic battles. That's because there weren't any in the real-life Geronimo saga, and Hollywood mercifully refrained, for once, from the unashamed embellishment of history. Rather, the story is portrayed for what it was - the inexorable, relatively low-key subjugation of one people by another - with all its attendant moral and ethical issues. The ending is particularly poignant.

Maybe I just like westerns, but I think this a wonderful, haunting film. It's definitely worth seeing, especially if you have one of those home entertainment centers that aspires to be a big screen theater.

Accurate and visually delightful
Geronimo is bringing the story and old photographs of the Apche leader and his brave warriors to life. The accuracy of such is demonstrated in various scenes reconstructed precicely from authentic photographs from the 1880's. Strong performance by "less-is-more"-Patric, and of course Studi portrays the fierce chief with irony and necessary harshness. The mood of the film is hot and lazy, with sudden bursts of violence, the trademark of a Walter Hill movie. Fine performance by the dry Hackman, and probably Duvall doing his best since the Godfather (and of course the later "The Apostle") as the wry scout Sieber. The movie pays strong attention to details such as language, manners, music, costumes and persons, all relying on historical facts. It just lacks that tiny little bit that satisfies both the average audience and the history buffs. The first group probably miss more plot, and the latter would like to see some more, i.e. how the Apache dealt with their imprisonment in Florida and the return to Oklahoma and so on. All together an honest attempt to tell the story of one of the strongest, if not wisest, personalities in the history of native Americans.

AS FAIR AS HOLLYWOOD GETS
A fair look at the clash of white-Indian civilization was in John Milius' excellent "Geronimo", the story of the last Apache captured and brought in, bringing to an end the Indian Wars in 1890. Gene Hackman plays the officer charged with negotiating and capturing Geronimo. It fairly shows brave Indians, a well-meaning government, circumstances that were beyond control of the ability to foresee, white settlers whose ingenuity made use of the land that was previously unheard of, and how these events brought about bad feelings in the Indian community. The film is even without demonizing either side.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM

Very Emotional
This movie was emotional and shows the war between the yankee cowboys and the Indians a.k.a Hipatchis. Geranimo leads his villagers to victory but soon comes across crazy charecters and racist cowboys like Robert Duvall. All star cast, but this movie is to emotional, very biographic and more of a documentary that a movie. Still a classic. 10/10.

A war drama that feels like a western pic.
Although the movie is based on a real U.S. Army campaign against the Apache, one feels like watching a well-made western. There are "battle scenes" that are really short skirmishes. Suprisingly, the best scene of cinematic violence is a shootout inside some bar, I mean saloon, between the heroes and a group of bounty hunters. (Hence, the title of this review.) Wes Studi plays Geronimo, an Apache shaman who refused to surrender to the U.S. and be assimilated. Being a farmer in an enclosed reservation was not his suit, nor was it for the small band of warriors who followed him as a renegade. Watching Studi, I can't help but think of his role as a Huron war party captain in "Last of the Mohicans." As in "Mohicans", Studi's character in "Geronimo" kills, both white soldiers and civilians, with cold blooded brutality. This film manages to romanticize Geronimo's noble but lost cause while also emphasizing that he and his warriors were merciless in combat and not above killing unarmed civilians. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Joel McCrea as Buffalo Bill
Well,so this Western biopic is wildly off from an historical point of view, but, nevermind, as entertainment it fills the bill and more. BUFFALO BILL is the kind of wholesome, patriotic film that fifty years ago provided solid good entertainment with good production values--and we kinda miss its kind today. McCrea never did a bad job of acting in any of his films, and here he keeps the action going, even when it becomes a bit desultory during the second half of the movie. He really is a pleasure to watch and hear...so easy in the saddle and with his lines. So, lay back and enjoy this film, and with family.

Sanitised biopic
This is standard movie biography of a legendary figure of the old West and modern showbiz and it follows the sanitised version of Cody's life perpetuated by dime novel writers such as Ned Buntline .It does not ecplore the gap between myth and legend but instead follows the advice of the editor in the Ford classic " The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance " -namely "When the facts conflict with the legend -print the legend "
The Cody of this lavish and colourful movie does not have feet of clay but is presented in an uncomplicatedly heroic and mythic mode which may have gone down well when it was made but which now comes across as horribly simplistic and patronising .
Cody is written and played as a plaster saint -handsome ,deeply moral and a spokesman for the cause of the Native American and one who earns their respect by defeating their war chief in hand to hand combat.The first half while inaccurate has vigour and pace and is entertaining enough but interest sags when Cody leaves the West for Washington and thence to a career asa world travelled circus proprietor
Macrae does a decent job in the title role bringing a quiet gravity to scenes showing the character being reduced to a humiliating side show attraction astride a rocking horse before his return to fame and fortune .There is a customarilly peppy performance from the great Maureen O'Hara anda zestful cameo by Thomas Mitchell as the ebullient Buntline ,Cody's chronicler .
Not to be taken seriously as history but a decent if dated movie shot in lustrous colour and which should please lovers of the Western

I want to cancel this item
I do not wish to purchase this item. I already purchased one yesterday and I didn't know it went through so please do not send it to me.

A Good Way To Pass The Time on a Saturday Evening...
This is a good film for all ages indeed. Growing up in Stonewall, Texas (birthplace of Lyndon Baines Johnson), I remember seeing this film with my parents in the theatres when I was 15. The cast is perfect with heavysupporting players such as Anthony Quinn and Linda Darnell. So what lowersmy rating by one star you ask? Well, the length. Although it couldn't bemore that 100 minutes, there is slightly a tad less action than there isverbal communication and the picture sticks to the same theme too long(i.e. Buffalo Bill's friendship with the Cheyenne Indians). If only thedialouge was a little more fast paced, this film would be of moreentertainment.

Yet as my headline reads, if you have not too much to doon a Saturday evening and feel like passing the time with a historic movie,watch this then. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Testosterone booster...
I loved this movie! It didn't do well until video. I had never even heard of it until I was at Blockbuster. Jeff Bridges plays an excellent Wild Bill. Tough, gritty and sure of his immortality. And Ellen Barkin is a lovable Calamity Jane (more women should be like her!! hehe) Anyways, this film could have delved more into the Life of Wild Bill as compared to his death. There are great scenes in this movie, but it is hard to digest on the first viewing. The first 2/3s of the movie is kinda hacked up bits and pieces of Bill's life. I would have liked to see more of his earlier years that led up to the man who became a legend. But, it is very enjoyable and makes for great testosterone boost. Ladies probably won't like it (my wife hates it), but a great movie for the guys and a lot of beer.!

Once again, Hollywood forgoes the truth and films the legend
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot dead from behind in a Deadwood, South Dakota saloon holding what is now known as the "Deadman's Hand" of aces and eights. This 1995 film from director Walter Hill ("The Long Riders") is not so much about the infamous death or even the storied life of "Wild Bill" (Jeff Bridges) but more the man's death wish. The film is an exploration of the legend and not the recreation of history; Jack McCall (David Arquette, in a very controlled performance of his usual edgy little creep), the dirty low-down snake who plugged Wild Bill from behind, does so in this film version because the famous gun-fighter lawman broke the hat of Jack's mother (Diane Lane). In "fact" Jack told the miner's jury in Deadwood that found him not guilty that his brother had been gunned down by Hickok who had promised to shoot McCall if he saw him. It was only after McCall kept bragging about killing Hickok once too often that Federal lawmen arrested him; before he was hung McCall claimed he had been hired by others to do the deed.

The screenplay by Hill is based on the book "Deadwood" by Pete Dexter and the play "Fathers and Sons" by Thomas Babe. In the film's climax McCall and a gang of thugs have gotten the drop on Wild Bill. Inexplicably, the thugs wait for McCall to decide whether or not he has the guts to shot Hickock. At one point Wild Bill offers to shoot himself, just to stop the stupid arguments. Charlie Prince (John Hurt), Wild Bill's educated English friend (and the narrator of the film) says: "Let him do it. He's been trying to kill himself his entire life." This line sounds like it unlocks the entire meaning of the film, but that is only if you take it at face value. "Wild Bill" shows a man playing by the rules of the game, and if he is incapable of loving any woman beyond the moment he is with her, even Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin), it is not like the West is the land of romance.

The collision of Hickok and McCall is the backbone of the film, which reduces the other events in Wild Bill's life to two sets of flashbacks. In color we get the gunfights on which the Hickok legend was born, such as shooting wheelchair bound Will Plummer (Bruce Dern) while tied to a saloon chair, as well as the failed attempt to perform on stage in New York City with Buffalo Bill Cody (Keith Carradine). But there are also high contrast black & white sequences that are supposed to indicate significant moments in his life of a spiritual or personal nature. These might make him aware of his mortality and his character flaws, but these do not translate into a death wish.

Wild Bill Hickok sat down in a chair with his back to the front door of the saloon because it was the only open spot in the poker game (the gambler in the seat he wanted refused to give it up). That ironic element in the most famous death in the history of the Old West is jettisoned in this film, replaced instead with the rather paradoxical idea that his downfall was due to an uncharacteristic act of sentimentality on his part. In the end, "Wild Bill" comes down to a series of dazzingly brutal gunfights through which Bridges snarls his way. These are scenes that emphasize the choreography of the violence for effect rather than spraying a lot of blood all over the place. In the end, all you have to do is count the number of bullets that come out of his six-shooters to remind yourself this film is Hollywood invention. The final irony is that "Wild Bill" is undone by the very death scene that made Hickok immortal.

A STINKEROO!!
Hollywood just can't make Westerns anymore. And believe me, this one is "living proof". What a stinkeroo! I bet the real "Wild Bill" is more than turning over in his grave! Granted, there are a lot of historical facts that creep into the story, like the fact that Hickok was developing glaucoma, and he spent time in a drug induced haze in the opium parlours. But the rest is pure hogwash. If this is the best that Jeff Daniels can do, then Jeff my boy, HANG IT UP. He staggered through this mess like a drunken man. Even more annoying were the flash backs that popped up. It wasn't so much that, it just made the story hard to follow. Maybe one day, Hollywood will regain it's stride like it did with SILVERADO, but ignore this one.

Great performance wasted
I bought this film hoping for a biography of Wild Bill Hickock. The first ten minutes, which presents a short series of vignettes of his experiences, plus a few flashbacks throughout the story, was as close as I came to my wish. This muddled piece of filmmaking supposedly focuses on the last few days of Hickock's life before his shooting by Jack McCall. The only reason I gave this movie two stars is the performance by Jeff Bridges, simply the best portrayal of Hickock to date, only to be wasted. Had they used Bridges to give a life story of the best shootist of the West, they could have patted themselves on the back for a great achievement in Westerns. If you like 'quirky' or 'camp' films, by all means this is for you. But for historical enlightenment--skip it. The only other good thing I can say about this movie is the portrayal of Calamity Jane as more of a soiled dove than a Doris Day. The real Jane was a 'camp follower' and sometimes hooker. My best recomendation--if you must see it, rent it for the sake of seeing Jeff Bridges in one of his better performances.

Great Movie
I recently stumbled over this movie, and I'm glad I did it's a great movie.It ranks right up there with Tombstone,The long Riders, and Unforgiven as a great western, I just can't under stand why it didn't get the credit it deserved at the box office. Anyway it's a great flick maybe not completely historically accurate but come on it's a movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Historically dubious but vigorously entertaining, Dark Command is the best of John Wayne's many movies for Republic (not counting Wayne's lovely producing debut Angel and the Badman and those two John Ford films). Set in "Bleeding Kansas" just before and during the Civil War, it highlights the romantic triangle of amiable but unschooled Texan Wayne, banker's daughter Claire Trevor, and schoolmaster Walter Pidgeon--just long enough for the earnest pedagogue to become embittered, turn into bushwhacker William Quantrill (here Cantrell), and start wreaking havoc in the Border States. This was Republic's first star vehicle for Wayne, following his breakthrough in Stagecoach (away from Republic), and it's an uncharacteristically impressive production: good writers working from a W.R. Burnett novel, Raoul Walsh brought in to direct, music by Victor Young, and strong costars and supporting cast (Marjorie Main, Porter Hall, Raymond Walburn--and Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes!). Wayne himself is delightful. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

interesting and rare John Wayne movie
This Civil War era movie was very interesting as it tried to follow a generalized campaign of the very infamous Captain Quantrell, the Confederate leader of raiding party's into the North. This was not one of John Wayne's best pictures but it ranks up there as being rare and informative. A must see for true John Wayne fans. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robert Altman was often ahead of his time--once at the cost of being behind himself. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, a snorting exposé of the U.S. predilection for buying into heroic myths, opened on July 4, 1976. Clearly the film was positioned as the ultimate bicentennial event, Altman-style. But Altman had already delivered that a year earlier: the splendiferous, deeply disenchanted yet exhilarating Nashville. Both Nashville and Buffalo Bill are films about America-as-show business, hucksterism, and the rare miracle of performance. But everything Altman got so thrillingly right in Nashville, which teems with life and mystery and widescreen dynamism, came out flatfooted and obvious in Buffalo Bill, a cramped, smirky inside joke that ends up being on the joker.

The setting is the base camp for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, where the blustering Indian fighter of legend is gearing up for his latest national tour. Apart from sharpshooter Annie Oakley (Geraldine Chaplin) and her great friend, the Sioux chieftain Sitting Bull (Frank Kaquitts), the show is populated by phonies and opportunists. Biggest phony of all is Cody (Paul Newman), whose fame has been based more on the penny-dreadful scribblings of Ned Buntline (Burt Lancaster) than on any real accomplishments; even his long blond tresses are fake. Altman and cowriter Alan Rudolph (working from a play by Arthur Kopit) thump their insights about the Establishment's feet of clay as if they were breaking-news bulletins instead of countercultural clichés. Only the occasional ineffably mysterious Altman zoom shot offers relief. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Misunderstood
Robert Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians (or Sitting Bull's History Lession)" has largely been forgotten while his other films from this period have been rediscovered as classics. While maybe its time for this one too.

The "Why" of why this film such a critical bomb is not hard to decipher, Altman is continuing his critique of the West that started with "McCabe and Mrs. Miller". Yet this film is even more scathing. Bufflo Bill is an illiterate buffoon and President Cleveland works as a reminder that there were politicians back then. What I think really worked against Altman here, wasn't his treatment of this historical period but the changing of his own. In 1976, audiences were getting tired of these self-conscious films that were popular just five years eariler. "Buffalo Bill" stuck between "Jaws" (in '75) and then "Star Wars" (in '77) was a hard sell as the country was getting more conservative.

Beside this, "Buffalo Bill" like a lot Altman films is a great film. He continues his pioneering use of overlapping dialogue and widescreen cinematography. And oh, did I mention it was funny, a second viewing really helps catch all of Altman's wry wit. Newman fooling around with ballet dancers is hilarious. And you can't tell me that the extra "Or Sitting Bull's History Lession" isn't a homage to Kubrick.

Be Careful What You Believe
"Buffalo Bill and the Indians" was a riveting movie. Bored? Hardly. Joel Gray came close to stealing this picture, as he has many times, as Bill's business partner. While the historical Cody wasn't anywhere near the charlatan Paul Newman and Altman have made him, his portrayal reminds us all not to believe our own press.

Cody and many of the other men of that era -- James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok springs to mind -- had lived eventful lives, lives that fascinated Easterners, reading the Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls or seeing one of the Wild West Shows or plays about the west. Cody and Hickok were prone to give the people what they wanted, playing their characters pretty near to the hilt. They had a sense that their time was passing and the things which had made them famous, the exploits that had made their lives seem adventutous, were coming to an end. You get this sense of approaching, inevitable obsolescence in Newman's portrayal, especially as the film nears it's end.

I have waited for this film to be available in a decent version and I wasn't dsiappointed.

See the film. Make your own decisions. There are several fine performances and Newman and Altman don't quite let Joel Gray steal the picture. They allow fine performances from many actors, especially Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, to shine through.

Jamie Fraser-Paige

Robert Altman Rides AGain
This is a quirky take on white/native relations in the late 19th/early 20th century, a mad mix of historical fact and whimsical fiction. Newman is masterful as the addled demagogue into which Buffalo Bill has morphed. I recommend this film for students enrolled in our college's AMERICAN WEST class; it is provocative fodder for good discussion, good writing on alternative views of history.

Robert Altman fans will recognize stock characters from his other films, but will be entertained (perhaps delighted) throughout.

what an awful transfer
First of all, this is a very ugly disc. So ugly that you have to watch it on an older tube TV. There are awful distortions during big movements and some scenes look very low rez. It's not the quality of the source print that I'm talking about (which is okay), it's a really bad transfer to DVD. It's not anamorphic widescreen at all, it's letterbox. It says anamorphic here in the Amazon descriptions, but I don't think it makes this claim on the box. The too-short documentary about the making of Buffalo Bill actually looks FAR BETTER than the movie itself as far as crisp detail and the absence of compression artifacts.

Spoilers follow - Buffalo Bill has a great first half-hour and then wobbles all over the place. The movie looks like it's going to be a typical Altman Audio/Visual stew of show business, fire arms, and history. The Wild Bill show looks wonderful, the cinematography is great, the dialogue seems pretty good and the casting inspires some optimism. Then the Indians show up. Sitting Bull and William Halsey are portrayed as noble, mysterious and aloof. The movie spirals into a series of events where they confound the smarmy Bill Cody over and over. The last hour of the movie requires Newman to act more and more flustered by Sitting Bull until he has a really cringeworthy breakdown in front of the ghostly Chief.

Anyway, there's stuff for hardcore Altman fans (I'm one) to watch for. Newman is initially impressive in his role and then sputters. The pageants and attention to details that Altman excels at are well done. Ultimately the themes of showbiz and history wilt before the rambling blah of the noble savage.

One of Altman's most entertaining films!
I loved this movie! But I wasn't surprised. Only Altman could bring so much humor, so much introspection and so much humanity to the western genre. Feauturing all-around brilliant performances by Newman, Lancaster, Sampson, Chaplin, Grey and of course Frank Kaquitts as Sitting Bull! Technically, the film excells, especially Paul Lohmann's wonderful cinematography. If you are a fan of Altman's or if your looking for something a little smarter than your run-of-the mill western drama, Buffalo Bill And The Indians Or Sitting Bull's History Lesson is a must!!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ride 'em, cowgirls!
Angelica Huston rocks in Buffalo Girls, in which she plays Calamity Jane. This movie plays fast and loose with history and fiction, but what good 'true' movie doesn't. A great take on a woman's perspective of the Old West.

Some fun in the wild west...
I really bought the movie because Liev Schreiber was in it. But it turned out to be sort of fun. Good for a Friday night at home.

Buffalo Girls
The original version of this movie was great. Huston is superb as Calamity Jane, and Melanie Griffith is a great madame.

But this version has been hacked to death by some uncaring editor. It has lost it's continuity and is very dissappointing.

Women in the Old West
Ok, so you have to get through some TV movie hokieness to appreciate this movie. At first, I was distracted by the awkward direction, acting, and accents, and the general TV-movieness of it all. But as the movie went on, I was able to overlook those things and started to enjoy it, especially Angelica Huston as Calamity Jane. Some quality about her, a grittiness and strength, seems just right for the role.

Melanie Griffith is not always a favorite of mine, but she has a sweetness that makes her Dora enjoyable. Gabriel Byrne as the lovelorn Blue makes a good match for her. He is suitably and touchingly romantic here, not as much "darkness" to his character as in most roles.

I enjoyed their story, though I was distracted at first by that heavy Texas drawl issuing from Byrne's mouth. It was fine when I got used to it, though it did start me thinking that probably there were a lot of cowboys with Irish, Scandinavian, German and other accents--immigrants. The only reason we think of all cowboys with a Texas drawl is Hollywood.

I also thought the movie shortchanged Indian women a bit. What does Blue's Native American wife think of being married to a white guy who doesn't love her? That's sad for her, and in a movie about women of the Old West, would have been a good angle to the story.

Westerns usually show Indian women as victims or passive prizes for "sympathetic" white men. In reality, Indian women often had much more autonomy and power than European women. The idea of being given as a "prize" to a white men would have been entirely against their culture. (To learn more about Native American women, I recommend the writings of James Alexander Thom, a historical novelist whose wife is Native American.)

On the plus side, I liked the alliance between Calamity and Annie Oakley. So much better than making them enemies. And the story about Jane's daughter was touching, even though I knew it was pure fiction.

This is a good movie to while away a winter weekend. It would also be good for parents looking for good viewing material for pre-teen to young teen girls, even though I have a problem with anything that portrays prostitution as a good career choice for women. The angle is downplayed, though. Enjoyable and recommended.

buffalo girls
This is a very touching movie about lives at the end of the period known as the "wild west. The acting is done well, well known actors are in the movie. I recommend it to anyone, especially women, who are interested in the old west. ... Read more

Description

The true story of the legendary American outlaws.From 1866 to 1882, Missouri's Frank and Jesse James led a gang that robbed banks, held up trains and became the most famous outlaws in American history.After 15 years of thievery, the legendary outlaws are trying to settle down.This is the last years of the brothers' lives, revealing Frank (Johnny Cash) as a book-loving and family-oriented man and brother Jesse (Kris Kristofferson) as a money-hungry womanizer. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A FIRST RATE WESTERN!
This film will please Frank and Jesse James buffs who have longed to see a film with various elements of James history and folklore that have been ignored in other films. Frank was a Southern Christian gentleman and student of the Bard and also a thief and killer and Cash does a fine job capturing his contradictions. Cash can convey intelligence, heart, spirtuality and just as believably sing about killing a man just to watch him die and he is brilliant here. Kristofferson is superb as Jesse and June Carter Cash, Willie Nelson, and David Allan Coe are all impressive in smaller roles. Sadly Willie's part is only a cameo, but it's pure gold. A fine movie that fans of the cast, Frank and Jesse James enthusiasts, and Western fans are sure to enjoy.

very good
The Ballad of Jesse James was one of the most popular songs of the 19th century. Johnny Cash once noted that fact saying that his songs of violence and crime came from that same American traditon. Frank and Jesse James were "America's Robin Hoods" and Cash and Kristofferson have wonderful chemistry as the outlaw brothers in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James. If you don't like 80's TV movies, or if you could care less about Frank and Jesse James, this may not be for you. Otherwise, this is one of the most accurate films about the James brothers ever made. There's a little fancy and folklore thrown into the mix, but James devotees wanting a realistic depiction should be very pleased with this movie.

the legend never dies
Footnotes from the lives and legends of Frank and Jesse James that are often left out of other James movies are featured in this one. It's a charming TV movie that seems to be as close to the truth as legends can ever be. In other words, it takes a slightly more realistic approach to the legend, but still comes across like a whopping yarn your Southern grampa would tell you. I liked that. Don't expect too much action, but get ready to be charmed. Have a beer, settle back, and enjoy.

three and a half stars
The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James is a good mix of historical facts with a lot of legend. It might be the most accurate movie version, but it's not entirely factual and makes good use of folklore. Legends about Frank and Jesse not having the same father, their Indian wives, and an affair Jesse supposedly had are all worked into the movie. My only complaint is that a scene involving Jesse taking too many drugs for a bullet wound just ends. The movie could have been a little better, but it's pretty good and the performances deserve 5 stars.

+A
Recently I saw this movie while working on a class project. It was a report on Jesse James. Movies like American Outlaws are not even close to the real story. Last Days Of Frank And Jesse James and Long Riders were the two DVDs I watched that were closest to the facts. There are some changes. Long Riders has some moments of action that are there to make the movie entertaining. This one has Frank watching historical events that took place, but Frank didn't see them. In American Outlaws they have Jesse's mother die in Jesse's arms, but in real life he died before she did and the whole movie is wrong. At least this one tried to tell the true story is 90% right. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Second string telling of the Custer story.
This is an example of what happens when a British film company tackles American history. The Custer story has been told in many films for many years. The various depictions are generally amusing in their fabrications, half-truths, historical inaccuracies, and outright lies. This film is essentially a B movie given a '60s Cinerama treatment that stresses visual presentation over substance. There is one long scene, for example, of a man escaping danger by riding down a miner's sluice. This segment is protracted, and one suspects it's only there to demonstrate Cinerama's camera technique. Custer (Robert Shaw, with Scottish burr intact) is depicted heroically. Reno (Ty Hardin) is disparaged as a drunken coward who failed to come to Custer's aid. The complexities of Custer's personality and the doubtful integrity of his motivations as an Indian fighter are not explored. The only Indians mentioned are the Cheyenne. The scriptwriters didn't add that the Native Americans at the Battle of Little Bighorn also included a major contingent of Sioux. Historical problems aside, the movie falters as an action-adventure film. The climactic battle is disappointingly lethargic. As Custer movies go, "Son of the Morning Star" is more accurate, and "They Died With Their Boots On" is better as an action-adventure film. ;-)

Excellent Film
Anchor Bay Entertainment comes through again with an exceptional print. What a movie! This is one of the best Western Legends ever filmed. Robert Shaw is Custer giving his own interpretation to this American hero. The photography is thrilling and spectacular and makes this film one of the most underrated movies ever released. Anchor Bay is the best company making DVDs. They are always crisp and clear and better than the major companies. Look for their titles.

MGM, please keep in touch with the times!
It seems hardly acceptable that in 2004 some studios still release widescreen DVDs without 16:9 enhancement. Well, this is the flaw that will bring my rating down to 3 stars. Too bad, because this DVD is otherwise nice-looking. And - oh yes, in case you're wondering - don't let the inaccurate mention on the jacket fool you: the film is presented in its correct 70 mm 2,20:1 aspect ratio, not in 1,85:1. Please MGM, also double-check your jackets!

Good transfer, but where's the stereo soundtrack?
This little-known Western epic from 1968 is flawed as biography, but is an action film first and foremost. Originally presented in 70mm Super Cinerama as a roadshow, this transfer begs the question - what happened to the 6-track stereophonic soundtrack? And, where are the overture and intermission? The picture is from 65mm negative/70mm print and is fairly sharp and clear, as befits the enlarged negative, but without the stereo sound, it becomes a hollow-sounding Western wannabe spectacular. Snaps to MGM/UA for actually releasing the full 141 minute version at all, but why not include all the accoutrements of the original presentation? The film was created for huge screens, and needs the support of the full-bodied original soundtracks to do the visuals justice. And those of us who love film always want the overture and intermission if the film was first presented that way!

Anchor Bay releases another quality product!!!
Anchor Bay has released the ultimate version of this classic movie!!! Presented in both Full and Widescreen versions, this DVD delivers!!! The picture and sound quality is superb!!! A true classic!!! Five Stars!!! A+ ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mick Jagger had one of his rare sizable acting roles, as the famed Australian outlaw, in this atmospheric biopic (remade in 2004 with Heath Ledger). The movie has the look and spirit of other Vietnam-era counterculture Westerns, with Irishman Ned Kelly a rebel against the unjust Establishment. Tony Richardson's direction has the free-for-all laxity of the era, though the general sense of mess is tidied up by the often stunning location photography by ace DP Gerry Fisher. What makes the film memorable is the soundtrack, a heavy portion of which is made up of Western ballads written by witty Shel Silverstein and sung by Waylon Jennings; elsewhere, the Amish-bearded Jagger croons "The Wild Colonial Boy." A charitable assessment of Jagger's performance would conclude that he brings an intriguing Pirandellian presence to the role; a more clear-eyed view would say that he simply doesn't have the acting chops to carry it off. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (7)

the music is the thing
Okay so Mic Jagger was an odd choice to play Ned Kelly but so what? Before this movie came out most of the world didn't know who the Kellys were. Perhaps the movie made people decide to learn more which is why we now have at least two very good books on Ned Kelly's life. But this is supposed to be about the sound track and I'll get to that. Waylon Jennings was brilliant on this album. Every song moves the movie along and actually comments on the action on the screen. Once you hear it you'll never forget Blame it On the Kellys or Daddy Does His Ranching (Dad's a cattle thief) in the Evening.

Kelly YES..Jagger NO
as a straight forward attempt to tell Kelly's story it succeeds. but Jagger, sadly, is Mick Jagger, not Edward Kelly. Unartistic as a film, it nevertheless tells a great story quite well, and i must confess, whenit first came out (1970) it started me on a Kelly quest that has lasted ever since. So BRAVO for Tony Richardson's attmept....and I like Mick and found SOME of his work here "ok"...but if you watch a movie on Kelly and can only see Mick Jagger, then the casting director should be fired!!

youth is born again
in the seventies I saw the movie in London at the odeon, naturally I went to see it, because Mick Jagger was the star. Nowadays I recognize, the movie is very thin, but the music is still great, and I love to remember those crazy days. ( 47 years)

Grossly inaccurate
I'm an Australian and have been researching Ned Kelly for 25 years. I watched this film at the movies when it came out. It was terrible then, and is even more terrible to watch now. If you are interested in the Kelly Gang, there are some very good books: recommended "A Short Life" by Ian Jones. See if Amazon has it! It is a very accurate account of the life of Edward Kelly, which is more than I can say for this movie.

A Big casting mistake
Ok, the only reason I watched this was because I'm a big Stones fan but I didn't really expect it to be too good or even memerable and its not. One thing is that I read somewhere that Ned Kelly was a big guy, about 200 pounds, and so I don't think Mick Jagger was a very good pick for him since Mick is so skinny. Another thing is the beard. It just looks hideous. The accent Mick puts on is also hideous, anyway, he mumbles the whole way through and his acting is VERY flat. The other actors weren't too good or memoralbe either. The script must not have been too hot because the only scenes that I really remember are the wrestling match and the end when he gets captured. If you want to watch a good movie with Mick Jagger in it watch Performance instead. ... Read more

Description

The Dalton brothers rode hard, lived fast and played for high stakes. In this acclaimed production, Emmet Dalton recounts the wild and wooly exploits that made his gang legendary. Starting out as lawmen, deputized by Judge Isaac Parker, the Daltons discovered that stealing horses was more to their taste than chasing horse thieves and they soon found themselves on the wrong side of the law with a $25,000 reward posted for their capture.The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang is a powerful drama of the Old West as it really might have been -- a vivid, exciting saga of colorful characters that traces the rise and fall of the last major outlaw gang to make its reputation infamous before law and order stretched coast to coast. ... Read more

Amazon.com

General George Armstrong Custer has been portrayed as everything from a vain but ultimately honorable hero (Errol Flynn in They Died with Their Boots On) to an insane, pompous incompetent (Richard Mulligan in the biting Little Big Man), but few have attempted an ambitious look at the man in all his contradictions. Robert Siodmak's Custer of the West, his final American production, attempts the task with fine results, portraying the career soldier as a pragmatist, a disciplinarian with a bullying streak, a loner, and ultimately an Old World romantic in the modern age. Robert Shaw gives the role a regal bearing (though his continental accent keeps drifting in) and a sense of dignity,depicting a man who ironically identifies more with the Indians than with the U.S. Army. Jeffrey Hunter and Ty Hardin costar as his battling junior officers and Robert Ryan is memorable in a brief appearance as a gold-mining deserter. Shooting in handsome widescreen and vivid Technicolor, Siodmak makes his outdoor settings come alive and nimbly handles the many action scenes, most notably a chase that sends an escaping soldier whooshing down a log water chute like a Disney ride. Siodmak's sweeping visuals deliver both grand images and ironic counterpoint, but ultimately Custer of the West eschews the heroism of Hollywood adventures for a portrait of the corrupt state of the American military and one man's hopeless fight against it. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Second string telling of the Custer story.
This is an example of what happens when a British film company tackles American history. The Custer story has been told in many films for many years. The various depictions are generally amusing in their fabrications, half-truths, historical inaccuracies, and outright lies. This film is essentially a B movie given a '60s Cinerama treatment that stresses visual presentation over substance. There is one long scene, for example, of a man escaping danger by riding down a miner's sluice. This segment is protracted, and one suspects it's only there to demonstrate Cinerama's camera technique. Custer (Robert Shaw, with Scottish burr intact) is depicted heroically. Reno (Ty Hardin) is disparaged as a drunken coward who failed to come to Custer's aid. The complexities of Custer's personality and the doubtful integrity of his motivations as an Indian fighter are not explored. The only Indians mentioned are the Cheyenne. The scriptwriters didn't add that the Native Americans at the Battle of Little Bighorn also included a major contingent of Sioux. Historical problems aside, the movie falters as an action-adventure film. The climactic battle is disappointingly lethargic. As Custer movies go, "Son of the Morning Star" is more accurate, and "They Died With Their Boots On" is better as an action-adventure fil