Directed by: Burt KennedyMusic by: Dimitri Tiomkin, Ed Ames
Starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker Jr., Bruce Cabot, Bruce Dern, Valora Noland
MPAA Rating: NR
My Rating: 9.5 out of 10
This movie crossed paths with me when I was a senior in High School and though I couldn't pay attention to most of it, I caught enough of it to want to see it fully through. Not too long ago I decided to get it and watch it and I was really glad I did. This movie is very entertaining. Though not really a thriller in the modern sense of the word, it was still well-made and the plot was very well thought out and well-planned. The cinematography was well-done and the on-scene locations were beautiful. I can safely say that it is definitely one of my favorite movies. The movie involves the return of ex-convict Taw Jackson (John Wayne) who was
framed and robbed of his land and gold mine by evil cattle baron Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot) and his thugs led by gunner Hammond (Bruce Dern). To get his property back, Jackson enlists the help of sureshot safecracker Lomax (Kirk Douglas), 'wise' Indian Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel), explosives expert Billy Hyatt (Robert Walker Jr., son of Alfred Hitchcock favorite Robert Walker), and a Pierce employee and his wife (Valora Noland) to capture and rob Pierce's gold-transporting ironclad stagecoach named the War Wagon.
framed and robbed of his land and gold mine by evil cattle baron Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot) and his thugs led by gunner Hammond (Bruce Dern). To get his property back, Jackson enlists the help of sureshot safecracker Lomax (Kirk Douglas), 'wise' Indian Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel), explosives expert Billy Hyatt (Robert Walker Jr., son of Alfred Hitchcock favorite Robert Walker), and a Pierce employee and his wife (Valora Noland) to capture and rob Pierce's gold-transporting ironclad stagecoach named the War Wagon. Though no one knew it at the time the movie was made, this movie was an all-star 
cast. Wayne was the star he always was, Keel and Cabot were stars in decline, Walker was riding off his father's popularity, and Douglas, Dern and Noland were stars on the rise. This in itself makes the movie fun to watch as you keep the lookout for familiar faces. Plus for those who have seen the hilarious John Wayne comedy McLintock!(1963), you will recognize even more people as this film included many minor actors that also appeared in that film. This makes the film that much more entertaining.
cast. Wayne was the star he always was, Keel and Cabot were stars in decline, Walker was riding off his father's popularity, and Douglas, Dern and Noland were stars on the rise. This in itself makes the movie fun to watch as you keep the lookout for familiar faces. Plus for those who have seen the hilarious John Wayne comedy McLintock!(1963), you will recognize even more people as this film included many minor actors that also appeared in that film. This makes the film that much more entertaining. Like in The Sting (1973), this movie has no 'morality'. None of the characters are truly moral in the true sense of the word. Unlike The Sting the outward immorality is very subdued. There 
are just three to four very tame instances of bad language, the one bedroom scene is implied, not shown visibly (and it is supposedly between a husband and wife anyway), and though people are shot (as they always are in Westerns), the scenes of the shooting are much less graphic than in The Sting. Basically you hear the shot and see the person fall, but you don't see blood spurt all over the place as in The Sting. Oh, and did I mention there is a barroom brawl that combines the elements of the mud fight in Wayne's movie McLintock!, and the elements of the barn fight in Keel's best performance Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? Very interesting.
are just three to four very tame instances of bad language, the one bedroom scene is implied, not shown visibly (and it is supposedly between a husband and wife anyway), and though people are shot (as they always are in Westerns), the scenes of the shooting are much less graphic than in The Sting. Basically you hear the shot and see the person fall, but you don't see blood spurt all over the place as in The Sting. Oh, and did I mention there is a barroom brawl that combines the elements of the mud fight in Wayne's movie McLintock!, and the elements of the barn fight in Keel's best performance Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? Very interesting. 
Overall I would say that this movie is very good for family entertainment though I would have parents there to explain some things that the kids might misunderstand or get bad examples from, just to be safe. You should enjoy this movie though. Oh, and laugh all you want at some of the great quotes that these actors throw at each other at points in this movie. 
.JPG)
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