John Wayne (Cole Thornton) is teamed up with acclaimed actor Robert Mitchum (Sheriff J.P. Harrah) and a young James Caan (Mississippi) in this re-release of a classic 1967 western. Filming took place both at the Old Tucson studios in Tucson, AZ and Kanab, UT and shows so of the vast desert and canyons of the respective locations. Also famed poet Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “El Dorado” is recited by actor James Caan throughout the movie but not in its entirety.
Cole Thornton is hired by Bart Jason (Edward Asner) as a hired gun to take out a sheriff that turns out to be an old friend of Cole. When Cole refuses the job, and is headed to his next job, he is ambushed and shot leaving a bullet lodged in his back close to his spine. This bullet cause’s paralysis only in short spurts. While in a new town looking for work, Thornton saves the life of a young kid, Mississippi, bent on revenge for the slaying of an old friend and father figure. During this exchange, Cole meets the next gunslinger to be hired for the same job that was refused earlier. Mississippi and Cole ride back to the sheriff to warn him of the impending danger and stick around to help. When they arrive, they find Sheriff Harrah is a drunken mess and do what is necessary to sober him up. They all team up to bring order to the town, and bring the gunmen and Jason to justice western style.
This release is a part of Paramount’s Centennial Collection and includes an in depth look at the background of the movie with deep discussions with the cast and crew. Also included in this 2 disc collection is a 7 part featurette, a featurette entitled “the Artist and the American West” a retrospective on the Duke theatrical trailer and a host of galleries from the film.
The meshing of characters and continuity of the story are reminiscing of the John Wayne genre. Robert Mitchum delivers an astonishing performance as a broken down drunk of a sheriff, and James Caan and the rest of the Supporting cast deliver the goods on this classic western tale. There is even a great witty and subtle humor throughout the film and even had me laughing out loud, but then again I’m a simple country boy. I found this to be one of the great films John Wayne was a part of and definitely a classic in its own right.
Reviewed by Michael Albaugh
