I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Often brushed off as less than John Wayne's greatest, "The Train Robbers" has one of the best casts of the era, has some of the most gorgeous scenery, has some excellent dialogue, has some thoroughly admirable characters. and has more action than one could expect, or perhaps should expect, in its hour-and-a-half running time.John Wayne was perfectly cast as an honorable and brave man, and a good man, knowing he was getting old and realizing he could be crotchety -- somewhat of a running theme throughout, with the Ben Johnson and Rod Taylor characters also ruing the advancing years.(Where the Rod Taylor character tells the Ben Johnson character "Don't get old," I had a particular laugh because I must tell others that very thing at least once a day!)Jerry Gatlin was a very pleasant surprise. I don't believe I had noticed him before, and more often he is a stunt man, a breed I have unlimited admiration for; but in "The Train Robbers" he has a strong part. Watch him in his close-ups: He is a by gosh actor, strong but under-playing like the greats. This is an excellent performance!Bobby Vinton was one of the teen idols, or former teen idols, frequently popping up in John Wayne films, but his performance in this probably surpasses any of the others. Watching him in "The Train Robbers" all I can say is "Wow. He should have many more acting parts." Just a superb performance here.Chris George, here "Christopher George," is another I think should be much more highly regarded and remembered. He was another superlative actor and his 57 credits is far too few for a man of his talent. (I was once kissed by his gorgeous and also talented actress wife, Lynda Day George, but I had admired him even before that.)Rod Taylor should have been cast with John Wayne more often. He could carry a movie by himself, with his looks and ability, but he stood tall with the Duke and with that wonderful Ben Johnson, who was one of the greatest characters the movies ever had, even if a time or two he should have turned down the role.Ann Margret had several good scenes, but her first great one, well, all she had to do was walk outside and stand there, throwing her jacket over her shoulder. She was just perfect for a partner to John Wayne.Then in one other, when she has joined the men in fighting off the bandits, the silent visual exchange with the John Wayne character is just perfect in the acting and the directing and the photography.Burt Kennedy has probably never turned in better work, which he also wrote, and wrote well, and his cinematographer Bill Clothier was a perfect partner.Finally, the music by Dominic Frontiere was also perfect accompaniment to this totally enjoyable movie. A friend, another John Wayne fan, gave me a DVD with "The Train Robbers" and "Tall in the Saddle" and I will be able to watch again and again.I highly recommend this film.

"The Train Robbers" was a box office disappointment when released to theaters in 1973. Most likely the reasons audiences largely ignored it at the time were that westerns (at least "standard" westerns without an interesting edge) were on the way out, and that John Wayne's box office draw power was weakening. The fact that the movie has less action that you'd think (it takes about an hour for the first real action sequence to occur) probably also hurt its appeal. But seen today more than forty years later, the movie has a lot of appeal. John Wayne may be older and slower than he was in the 1950s and 1960s, but he still commands the screen pretty well, and comes across as very likable. Writer/director Burt Kennedy keeps the movie moving fairly well despite the lack of action as well as a lack of tension (there is no doubt that the protagonists will prevail.) The movie also looks pretty good, with professional photography and some visually striking backdrops. While the movie may come across as old- fashioned a lot of the time, it is without doubt entertaining. Apparently others would agree with me, seeing that the movie has been regularly aired on cable TV, which leaves me confident that the movie by now has made a respectable profit.

Released in 1973 and written & directed by Burt Kennedy, "The Train Robbers" stars John Wayne as Lane, a former Civil War officer who enlists a couple of his old subordinates (Ben Johnson & Rod Taylor) and a few younger gunfighters (e.g. Christopher George & Bobby Vinton) to help a widow (Ann-Margret) obtain a hidden cache of gold to honor her family's name. They travel 200 miles from West Texas into the Mexican desert while being chased by a gang who also wants the money, not to mention a mysterious man who has his own agenda (Ricardo Montalban). While I relish this Western, it does have its flaws. The story is wholly contrived and contains a couple questionable dialogues, not to mention the "yeah, right" activities of the Montalban character. But I've seen way worse Westerns; the overrated "The Searchers" (1956) comes to mind. If you like authentic breathtaking Southwestern vistas, notable Western music (reminiscent of "How the West was Won"), a tried-and-true cast (including cutie Ann-Margret) and desert adventure marked by a long chase with numerous camping-out scenes (almost a survival movie), not to mention an exceptional centerpiece set, featuring a dilapidated abandoned train in the desert, and a quality surprise ending, you can't go wrong with "The Train Robbers." The magnificent Western cinematography is particularly notable: Myriad frames from practically every sequence could be used as awesome Western art. Then there's the fact that this is essentially a Western "road movie," albeit without the road (you could call it a trail movie). On top of this you get some dialogue exchanges that are nigh iconic for the Western genre. For instance, we've all seen those Westerns where the aging protagonist and a female half his age fall in love and ride off into the sunset, but there's a scene in "The Train Robbers" where the hot widow reveals her attraction to the aged-but-commanding Lane wherein he frankly informs her: "I got a saddle that's older than you are, Mrs. Lowe." This, of course, swiftly douses any romantic sparks. Some criticize that the title is misleading, but it's applicable in three ways: (1.) Mr. Lowe robbed a train of $500,000 in gold before the movie begins, (2.) Lane & his team "rob" the abandoned train in the desert, and (3.) when the group decide to chase the train at the end one of them specifies that he's going to "rob a train!" As for the cavil that there's no central villain and that the gang chasing the protagonists are faceless gun-fodder, while this is true you have to respect the film for saying, "Villain, villain? We don't need no stinking villain." Besides, there IS a villain in the predominant cast. A conman IS a villain, albeit with a smile and charm. The ending reveals all and those who complain about the lack of a key antagonist are doofuses who can't see the forest for the trees.For those who scratch their heads at various elements of the plot, just connect the dots from the various dialogues and it makes sense. It's all there. I admit that "The Train Robbers" is palpably flawed for the reasons cited earlier. If the filmmakers would've just taken a little more time and spent a little more money to work out the kinks it could've been a latter-day Wayne Western on the level of "True Grit" (1969), "The Cowboys" (1972) and "Rooster Cogburn" (1975). Still, its highlights make it not far off; it's an entertaining cult Western. The film runs 92 minutes and was shot in Durango, Sonora & Chihuahua, Mexico; and Yuma, Arizona.GRADE: B

Widow Ann-Margret hires John Wayne and his gang to go into Mexico and recover some gold stolen by her late husband. In the '60s and '70s, John Wayne's movies featured him acting opposite an assortment of actors he had seldom, if ever, acted with before. This includes older stars who, for one reason or another, had never appeared in a Wayne film in the glory days, as well as newer stars. Most of this is because Duke's old friends had either died, retired, or just gotten too old to play most of the roles in his films. You do have Ben Johnson here, and he's solid, but you also have Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor, Christopher George, Ricardo Montalban, and Bobby Vinton. Gone are the days of Ward Bond and John Qualen. All of these actors do fine but none match Duke's screen presence. This was often the case in his later years where he had to carry the movies himself.Ann-Margret's young enough to be Duke's granddaughter so the thought of them having a romance is pretty gross. Thankfully, the movie never goes there beyond an amusing scene where Duke turns her down. It goes without saying she's beautiful and sexy, as usual. Director Burt Kennedy was no fool and in one scene where she has to change into some jeans, the camera lingers on her backside like a Levi's commercial. Speaking of Kennedy, what was with all the horse riding footage? Did he have to fill time? Anyway, it's light on action but pleasant overall. A decent time-killer.