This is a good Western. But it's not a great Western, and that's because of 3 cases of over-acting. Dean Martin has been one of my favorite entertainers for most of my long life, and I don't think I ever saw him overact before, but he did in several scenes in this film. And so did supporting actors Michael Anderson and Jeremy Slate. Since it was 3 different actors overacting, I'll have to blame the director, Henry Hathaway.
My other complaint is about the Blu Ray version of this title. This was not as good a transfer to Blu Ray as many films that I have seen. It certainly did not have a "rich" look to it. It would be exaggerating to say the print looked washed out, but it was not up to standard.
The story here is decent, and not as predictable as some Westerns. Good credit for that. John Wayne plays...well, John Wayne. There are a lot of familiar character actors here, including Martha Hyer, Paul Fix, James Gregory, and more. All do their jobs well. And the climax of the film is well done.
What's amazing is that John Wayne did his own stunt work here, despite this being after his lung surgery.
It's an entertaining film. No doubt about it. But it's not a great film. Not even close to a classic like Rio Bravo.
My other complaint is about the Blu Ray version of this title. This was not as good a transfer to Blu Ray as many films that I have seen. It certainly did not have a "rich" look to it. It would be exaggerating to say the print looked washed out, but it was not up to standard.
The story here is decent, and not as predictable as some Westerns. Good credit for that. John Wayne plays...well, John Wayne. There are a lot of familiar character actors here, including Martha Hyer, Paul Fix, James Gregory, and more. All do their jobs well. And the climax of the film is well done.
What's amazing is that John Wayne did his own stunt work here, despite this being after his lung surgery.
It's an entertaining film. No doubt about it. But it's not a great film. Not even close to a classic like Rio Bravo.