Thursday, 5 August 2021
Joe Kidd (1972)
An ex-bounty hunter reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader.
Raucous and rather inconsistent Western obviously tries to cash in on the success and style of the Italian Spaghetti Western genre, even utilizing their Clint Eastwood persona stereotype, all with mixed results, albeit entertaining enough along the way.
Halliwell (no star): "Rough-and-tumble star Western with untenable moral attitudes."
Maltin**: "...ordinary Western; nice photography and a rousing scene where Eastwood drives a train through a barroom."
Tuesday, 3 August 2021
Les demoiselles de Rochefort (1967)
On the set: Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and, Gene Kelly
Hour of the Gun (1967)
Marshal Wyatt Earp kills a couple of men of the Clanton gang in a fight. In revenge, Clanton's thugs kill the Marshal's brother. Thus, Wyatt starts to chase the killers together with his friend Doc Holliday.
Serious, contemplative Western is intelligently staged emphasizing the gravity and ambiguity of its revenge topic; chemistry between Garner and Robards is remarkable and, together with some beautiful cinematography, adds to the quality of this film.
Halliwell**: "Vividly set, slowly developed Western which makes an ambiguous but forceful figure of Earp. Generally confident and interesting."
Maltin**: "...begins well, becomes increasingly tedious. Robards has a good time as Doc Holliday; flavorful score by Jerry Goldsmith."
Ulzana's Raid (1972)
After fierce war chief Ulzana and a small war party jump the reservation bent on murder and terror, an inexperienced young lieutenant is assigned to track him down.
Relentlessly tough and violent Western shows no sympathy for any side of the conflict, which may seem dubious, but rather emanates a quite nihilistic viewpoint.
Halliwell (no star): "Bloodthirsty, reactionary Western with unpleasant shock moments."
Maltin***1/2: "Gritty Western tale...with jarring bursts of violence."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)