Chisum

Rating:
Summary: Another in a long line of entertaining Wayne westerns
Review: "Chisum", starring John Wayne as New Mexico cattle baron, John Chisum, uses many of the Duke's tried-and-true western movie staples - that being the larger-than-life hero (Wayne), the handsome young gun (Geoff Duell as Billy the Kid), the reliable side-kick (Ben Johnson) and gorgeous scenery and cinematography.

Fans of John Wayne will see quite a few similarities between "Chisum" and some other Duke westerns from the 50's & 60's, notably "Rio Bravo", "Red River", and "El Dorado". One big difference exists in this film though, Wayne doesn't dominate the screen as he does in the others, but instead is more of a member of an ensemble cast.

Members of that ensemble include the aforementioned Ben Johnson as "Pepper" who's great as Chisum's trusty righthand man, and old reliables from other Wayne movies, Forrest Tucker as L.G. Murphy, the evil threat to Chisum's empire, Bruce Cabot as the corrupt sheriff, and Christopher George as a deranged bounty hunter out to get Billy the Kid. Rounding out the cast are Glenn Corbett as Pat Garrett and Andrew Prine as Andrew McSween. (Lovely Linda Day is found in a throwaway role as McSween's wife.)

"Chisum" is based on the Lincoln County Wars of the 1870's in the New Mexico territory. Chisum, the largest land owner in the territory is challenged by L.G. Murphy for supremacy of the area. Murphy wants to ruin Chisum and will stop at nothing to do so. While the writers and director have taken some poetic license with the facts from this historical event (especially with the depiction of the relationship between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid), as near as I can tell, there's more fact than fiction in the telling of the story of the life and times of John Chisum and the good folks of Lincoln County, New Mexico.

The acting is somewhat stilted, but the action and beautiful scenery more than make up for some stiff lines and awkward pauses and inflections. If you're a fan of any of the aforementioned movies, then you will want to add "Chisum" to your collection. The DVD doesn't add much in the way of extras to the film, but that's not the real reason why one would buy this movie anyway.

RECOMMENDED FOR ALL JOHN WAYNE FANS

Rating:
Summary: Wayne & McLaglen tackle the Lincoln County War
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Wayne & McLaglen tackle the Lincoln County War
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A good John Wayne film but not very true to history
Review: 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-

Rating:
Summary: A great movie but has flaws.
Review: Chisum is a very good all around movie, but does have flaws, such as the 70's music "Settling down" in the middle of the movie. That music does not go well with westerns. Only the action in this movie saves it. The characters are not as memorable in "Big Jake", or "Cowboys", but there are some famous parts, such as the song in the end, "Chisum, John Chisum..." and the music when John Wayne gets in a fist fight with Murphy. This is a good movie, but if it was not cheap, I would buy the other movies previously mentioned.

Rating:
Summary: What do we do, Mr. Chisum?
Review: Chisum is a well-directed, well-acted western based on the 1878 Lincoln County War in New Mexico. Duke dominates the story, but Geoffrey Deuel gives an excellent performance as Billy the Kid, and Ben Johnson provides enjoyable comic relief as Chisum's foreman, James Pepper. The movie is even somewhat historically accurate, although Brady's successor as Sheriff was not named Dan Nodeen. Who cares? Good plot, enjoyable characters, and plenty of action make this a must for any John Wayne fan. There is one thing about this movie that puzzles me though, why would a fine young woman like Chisum's niece (played by Pamela McMyler) be interested in the affections of a killer like Billy the Kid?

Rating:
Summary: CHISUM - The Duke does it his own way! Again!
Review: CHISUM is the kind of good, tough, old-fashioned western that Hollywood has apparently forgotten how to make. This film focuses on the Lincoln County land wars in New Mexico, featuring a look at the involvement of Billy the Kid. The performances are strong down the line, most notably John Wayne as John Chisum and Christopher George as "Sheriff" Dan Nodeen. Although the historical aspect of the film is dubious, and the plot is a patchwork rehash of many "B" westerns (with implied references to several of Wayne's previous westerns), the film is most enjoyable. Andrew V. Mc Laglen (the poor man's John Ford) does a commendable job of directing this ensemble of veteran and up-and-coming actors. While CHISUM does not rank among the BEST of the John Wayne westerns (such as The Searchers, Red River, etc...), it's still VERY entertaining and well worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: I love Dukes later westerns
Review: Chisum, John Chisum...the song will stick in your head. My eight year old son sings it too. Great movie filled with great lines from Duke. I had a hard time swallowing the 'nice guy/sympthasize with me' Billy the Kid, but beyond that it is a great shoot 'em up and hang 'em high western with a good stampede through town at the end. Story was accceptable and it is always good to see the Duke in action.

Rating:
Summary: Love John Wayne...hate this movie!
Review: First, let me say..I am a HUGE John Wayne fan. I have most of his movies (especially the westerns) on VHS or DVD. I believe that he epitomizes the cowboy (and perhaps the American) persona and spirit. Having said this..I hated this movie. I found the characters plastic, the story flawed and predictable, and the history atrocious...I'll admit that many of the JW movies have their warts, especially one of my favorites, "BIG JAKE," but what they lack in polish, story and even "good" acting is usually more than compensated-for by the "true grit"(pun intended) of Wayne's performance. Not here...he is generally sidelined throughout this movie as sort of a community patriarch and observer..his performance just doesn't overcome the poor acting and storyline of this movie. I wish I liked it, but its my least favorite of all the JW films I have seen.

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this Movie
Review: 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.