A Disappointing Continuation

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The Duke plans vendetta on a powerful mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who stole his gold claim and accused him for killing for which he spent a great number of years in prison . Wayne then assembles a band to support him , including an impulsive , wise-cracking young (Robert Walker) , a dumb renegade Indian (Howard Keel) , an old man (Keenan Wynn) accompanied by a young girl , and , and of course , the fastest gun in the West , Kirk Douglas , as the hired hand sent by the ambitious owner who framed him to kill him . They are happily joined in harness against Cabot and his hoodlums . As the gang has to assault a heavily armored stagecoach where the nasty owner transports his gold from ¨Pierce Mining Company¨ .This Burt Kennedy Western contains noisy action , adjusted acting , being well-paced and nicely directed . Thrilling and well-written Western with lots of action dealing with an amusing caper in which Wayne has a twisted as well as moving plan : to rob the gold being shipped in an armor-plated stagecoach , ¨The war Wagon¨. Stirring as well as funny screenplay that keeps solidly in the best traditions , adding humor , from the prestigious Clair Huffaker who wrote a lot of Westerns and based on his book titled ¨Badman¨. John Wayne gives a nice acting , as always , here sits well with such other big successes of the sixties and seventies such as : McLintock , Undefeated , El Dorado , The son of Katie Elder , Train robbers , Rio Lobo , Chisum , Big Jack , Cahill , The cowboys , and his greatest hit : Tue Grit . Support cast is frankly excellent as Howard Keel , bizarrely cast as an ironic Redskin , Robert walker as a brave, stubborn young gunslinger , the beautiful Joanna Barnes ; add a succulent cast of villains that include Bruce Dern , Emilio Fernández , Gene Evans , Terry Wilson and a great secondary : Bruce Cabot , John Ford and Wayne's usual . It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by William H. Clothier . And rousing and enjoyable musical score by the classic Dimitri Tiomkin . The motion picture was well directed by Burt Kennedy who maintains comfortably in the ordinary traditions , though has some flaws . Kennedy was a good professional , a fine director who made several Westerns and being usual screenwriter of the notorious filmmaker Budd Boetticher . As Kennedy directed quite a few Westerns as ¨Return of the Magnificent seven¨ , ¨Support you local sheriff¨, ¨The good guys and the bad guys¨ , ¨Rounders¨ , ¨Hannie Caulder¨, ¨Ride to Glory¨, ¨Train robbers¨, ¨More Wild Wild West¨, ¨Wild Wild West revisited¨ , and ¨Dynamite and gold¨, among others .

This movie has gotten some bad reviews and I can not understand why. It is funny, very tongue in cheek, with plenty of action. John Wayne is Taw Jackson, a man wronged by the bad guy, played by Bruce Cabot, and sent to prison. Now, out of said prison, Jackson teams with his old enemy played very ably by Kirk Douglas. They get some shaky sidekicks to help them rob the War Wagon, an armored wagon with a Gatling gun inside and many riders outside. Keenan Wynn plays a very jealous old man with a very young wife/woman that he apparently traded for. There is the explosives expert who is also an alky. Taw also enlists the aid of some local Indians to attack the wagon and force it to go where they want it. The Indians get some stuff but lose some warriors so I think they got taken advantage of in the movie, but hey it is a movie. All in all I think this is a very good movie.

The personal sentiments of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas were often light years apart. Both socially and politically, these two veteran stars were of different mindsets and caused on-set tension more than once. Yet in a professional case of opposites attracting, Wayne and Douglas worked together – and often exceptionally well – on three motion pictures in the late 1960s.Their last project was 1967's 'The War Wagon,' a tongue-in-cheek Western financed by Wayne's Batjac Productions company. Made at the tail-end of American cinema's great Western era, 'The War Wagon' combines action and dark comedy in what is very much an homage to the grand tradition that Wayne, in particular, was an integral part of.Wayne, in his 162nd film appearance, plays Taw Jackson, a New Mexico rancher who has been released from prison after serving three years of his term. Jackson is seeking revenge against Pierce (Bruce Cabot), a mining company owner who stole his land and sent him behind bars on false charges. He aims to hijack Pierce's notorious War Wagon, a steel-lined coach that is used to transport precious metals.Aware that a half-million dollars' worth of gold will be shipped in the coming days, Jackson brings together some assistants. He hires a dependable gunman (Lomax, played by Douglas), a drunk explosives expert (Billy Hyatt, Robert Walker Jr. of 'The Ceremony'), a paranoid horse driver (Wes Fletcher, Keenan Wynn of 'Shoot, Gringo...Shoot!'), and an Indian who has assimilated to the White ways of doing business (Levi Walking Bear, 'Dallas' regular Howard Keel).'The War Wagon' offers a few engaging subplots, including the absence of loyalty from Lomax, who already shot Taw years earlier and has been offered a fair sum by Pierce to finish the job. Character actress Velora Noland plays Fletcher's young, bartered wife who is trapped in her relationship and confides in Hyatt, a man closer in age. The supporting cast is dotted with Hollywood veterans, including Joanna Barnes, Bruce Dern, and Gene Evans.With a cast of Wayne, Douglas, and familiar support, it is inevitable that 'The War Wagon' entertains. The film seems to wink at campy Westerns of previous decades and never takes itself seriously. Clair Huffaker's screenplay (adapted from his novel 'Badman') uses a taut storyline and keeps us guessing at what happens next. The characters in Taw Jackson's entourage, never really fleshed out by Huffaker's writing, are still an amusing group who don't like each other but must rely on one another to stay alive.Burt Kennedy's direction is reliable, moving the film at a steady pace. The action scenes are sure-handled and Kennedy (who also directed Wayne's 'The Train Robbers') makes good use of the rugged country in Durango for bands of horsemen and scenes involving Indian tribes who are being driven off the land. The direction is complemented by gritty cinematography from William Clothier ('The Comancheros,' 'Stagecoach') and a rousing score by Dimitri Tiomkin.Released in 1967, 'The War Wagon' came very late in the game for traditional Westerns; it was around the time that new frontiers were being crossed by directors like Sergio Leone. 'The War Wagon' is aimed at fans of old-time Western stories and doesn't concern itself with a mastery of cinema. There are more than enough clichés and plot gaps to go around and Wayne is making his umpteenth reprise as his old Western self. However, it is impossible not to like the historic combination of Wayne and Douglas, who are almost synonymous with the prairie.For Western fans, 'The War Wagon' is one of those essentials that should not be missed. Universal Studios has made two releases of the film on DVD, although there is reportedly no difference between them. The more recent was a 2003 disc that is part of the 'Universal Western Collection.' 'The War Wagon' is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen with language options of English, Spanish, and French in Dolby 2.0 mono. Subtitles are provided in English and Spanish only.Universal's DVD treatment of the film is minimal. Visually, 'The War Wagon' appears to have been transferred from a studio print without cleanup. There are small artifacts throughout the running time and grain, though not overtly noticeable, can be seen on lighter tones. Sound, including dialogue and effects, is generally clear and Dimitri Tiomkin's score is given due recognition in the speakers. The only extras are the theatrical trailer, notes on the production, and written bios of Wayne, Douglas, and Burt Kennedy. Universal's presentation is rather lean, but as one of the actors' lesser films, it will have to do for now.** ½ out of 4Roving Reviewer - www.rovingreviewer.blogspot.com

John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, both big stars of the period, team up in THE WAR WAGON to steal $500,000 in gold and wreak revenge on a nasty land baron (Bruce Cabot) who has stolen Wayne's ranch while Wayne was in prison. Douglas' gunslinger character initially is hired by Cabot to eliminate Wayne, but ends up falling in with Wayne when promised a much bigger payoff. Along the way, they gather together a motley group (including Howard Keel as a feisty Indian and Robert Walker Jr. as an explosive expert) to grab Cabot's gold. A grizzled Keenan Wynn also is along for the ride. The title refers to a steel-plated wagon, an early version of an armored car, that Cabot uses to transport his gold. Douglas, who appears to have done all his own stunts, steals virtually every scene he is in, but he and Wayne manage to play very well together. An unusual role for the Duke, playing an ex-con with robbery and murder on his mind. Watch for a very young Bruce Dern as a hired thug.