Rating: 
Summary: War Wagon
Review: Excellent movie- The Duke at his best. The film was entertaining, had a great plot and the subtle humor was well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Last Western Film for Dimitri Tiomkin
Review: For film music lovers, this film is important. It was the last western and the last Wayne film with music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Tiomkin later settled in England and composed for two other films before his death.
The music for this film is the quintessential Tiomkin complete with a song in the main title. This was typical going back to "High Noon".
Rating:
Summary: Mission Impossible in the Old West.
Review: Gunfighter Taw Jackson (John Wayne) recruits a motley crew of sidekicks to rob ruthless mine owner, Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). Pierce routinely transports a fortune in gold dust in an armored stagecoach called "The War Wagon." Complete with a small army of guards and a Gatling gun, The War Wagon is formidable. Taw figures to settle old scores by devising a complex plan to steal the gold. John Wayne was good at big budget B pictures. This flick is very different from a John Ford masterpiece, but so what? This movie is a typical Batjac action-adventure flick with comic overtones. Wayne trades verbal barbs with Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a too-cool hired gun. Howard Keel is Levi Walking Bear, a comic and politically incorrect Indian. Robert Walker is a drunken explosives expert. Keenan Wynn is a sadistic teamster. They each play a role in the carefully timed execution of the robbery. Unaware of their thieving alliance, Pierce hires Lomax to kill Taw, setting up several tense situations. The supporting cast includes members of Wayne's Batjac production company family. Look for Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, and Sheb Wooley in small roles. Throw in colorful outdoor locations, a saloon brawl, lots of hard-riding action, and it's great fun for Western movie fans. It's well worth the price. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Mission Impossible in the Old West.
Review: Gunfighter Taw Jackson (John Wayne) recruits a motley crew of sidekicks to rob ruthless mine owner, Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). Pierce routinely transports a fortune in gold dust in an armored stagecoach called "The War Wagon." Complete with a small army of guards and a Gatling gun, The War Wagon is formidable. Taw figures to settle old scores by devising a complex plan to steal the gold. John Wayne was good at big budget B pictures. This flick is very different from a John Ford masterpiece, but so what? This movie is a typical Batjac action-adventure flick with comic overtones. Wayne trades verbal barbs with Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a too-cool hired gun. Howard Keel is Levi Walking Bear, a comic and politically incorrect Indian. Robert Walker is a drunken explosives expert. Keenan Wynn is a sadistic teamster. They each play a role in the carefully timed execution of the robbery. Unaware of their thieving alliance, Pierce hires Lomax to kill Taw, setting up several tense situations. The supporting cast includes members of Wayne's Batjac production company family. Look for Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, and Sheb Wooley in small roles. Throw in colorful outdoor locations, a saloon brawl, lots of hard-riding action, and it's great fun for Western movie fans. It's well worth the price. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: A good western
Review: One of the Duke's better vehicles of the 60's. An extremely entertaining western. It wasn't meant to win an Oscar; it was made to be fun to watch and it most certainly is that. The interplay between Douglas and Wayne is especially funny.On a side note that sarcasm and veiled hostility between the Duke's and Douglas' characters was not too far removed from their real life relationship. John Wayne was Hollywood's leading conservative. Kirk Douglas is one of Hollywood's most outspoken liberals. Friction was a certainty. Also their Oscar hunting pet project films- Wayne's "The Alamo" and Douglas' "Spartacus"- went head-to-head with each other for 1960's Best Picture. During Oscar ballotting time, Duke's publicity people raised hackles by impyling that a vote for "Spartacus" was un-American because it was penned by formerly blacklisted screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. In any event neither film won; but the competition was not helpful for a working relationship between the two stars. Yet they made three films together and always made a great on-screen team. I guess they recognized each as professional actors who could work well together and it certainly shows on screen.
Rating:
Summary: Douglas: Mine hit the ground first. Wayne: Mine was taller.
Review: Solid straightforward shoot `em up western starring John Wayne as a man who just got out of prison after being framed and having his ranch stolen by a crooked gold merchant. Determined to get his ranch back Wayne enlists the help of quick drawin' Kirk Douglas and a few others to rob The War Wagon, a steel plated wagon that's owned by the bad guy, armed with a gatlin gun and protected by a flock of seagulls, I mean, 32 mounted gunmen.
Douglas is a good pairing with Wayne and even steals a few scenes. I especially enjoyed watching him jump into the saddle. My only complaint about the film, besides that fact that John Ford or Howard Hawks did not direct it, is the poor usage of the gatlin gun. You have this build up for most of the film then it's only used for a few short bursts. Wayne used a gatlin gun more in ROOSTER COGBURN.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Shoot'em Up Western
Review: Taw Jackson, played by John Wayne, is out on parole and building a team to heist a shipment of Gold dust. The problem is, the town where he's planning his heist is filled with his worst enemies. Kirk Douglas as Lomax, is one of Taw's partners. Together they study to work out every detail to commit their crime. All they got to do now is do the deed. Will they make it? Lots of fancy gun slinging, fighting, and a really neat Saloon fight add to the flavor of this movie. Oh, and you gotta see the way Kirk Douglas mounts his horse, it's Peachy! One of the most suspenseful scenes is where Taw and another of his cohort's line a bridge they plan to blow up with nitroglycerin. Also, look for a very short role by Bruce Dern . He, as he has in most films, plays a bad guy, and when he's confronted by Taw Jackson he quickly learns what "BAD" really is.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining comedy western
Review: The War Wagon is a good comedy western starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglass as two men attempting to steal a shipment of gold. Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a man recently released from prison after being framed, who wants to get revenge on the man who put him in jail(Bruce Cabot). Kirk Douglass is Lomax, Wayne's greedy, cocky partner. These two are perfect together as they try and figure out how to rob the "war wagon." Their dialogue is sharp and cutting with insults being handed back and forth. The movie is very entertaining to watch. Excellent cast backing up Wayne and Douglass including Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear. There is enough action and humor for everybody in this western. DVD presentation is good in widescreen with a trailer included even though it is a little pricey. Well worth it for Duke fans!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining comedy western
Review: The War Wagon is a good comedy western starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglass as two men attempting to steal a shipment of gold. Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a man recently released from prison after being framed, who wants to get revenge on the man who put him in jail(Bruce Cabot). Kirk Douglass is Lomax, Wayne's greedy, cocky partner. These two are perfect together as they try and figure out how to rob the "war wagon." Their dialogue is sharp and cutting with insults being handed back and forth. The movie is very entertaining to watch. Excellent cast backing up Wayne and Douglass including Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear. There is enough action and humor for everybody in this western. DVD presentation is good in widescreen with a trailer included even though it is a little pricey. Well worth it for Duke fans!
Rating:
Summary: It's like "Oceans Eleven" in the West
Review: This is a movie about revenge. It's about the quest of one man, Taw Jackson (Wayne), to get even with the man who set him up and stole his ranch. To get his vengeance, Taw puts together a small group of men, including a gunfighter who's been hired to kill him (Douglas), to help him rob the "War Wagon," so named because it is an iron stagecoach complete with a gattling gun and a large complement of mounted guards. The five men scheme, plan, and concoct a plan to steal the wagon, and Taw and Lomax (Douglas) try to refrain from killing each other in the process. This is not meant to be a completely serious Western, and in fact it is quite lighthearted. It is also funny, with just enough comic relief to keep things lively. Douglas and Wayne are absolutely fabulous together, and the rest of the cast works well too. This is a great all-around Western.
|
