Big Jake
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Movie Reviews of Big Jake
Movie Review: Big Jake
Summary: 5 Stars
John Wayne at his best. "Your fault, my fault, no body's fault!"Movie Review: BIG JAKE--Call Him Anything But Daddy
Summary: 4 Stars
Often it's hard to separate the man from his arch-conservative politics, but the fact is that John Wayne defined what it meant to be a star in Hollywood for decades on end. And while his way of making films may have fallen into a routine under his Batjac production company during the last decade and a half of his life without the guiding hands of a John Ford, a Howard Hawks, or a Henry Hathaway, he still managed to pull it off time and time again. Such is the case with BIG JAKE, released in 1971.
Here, his character is Jacob McCandles, the patriarch of a south Texas ranching family who is presumed to be dead because nobody has seen him in eighteen years. But he is forced by his estranged wife (Maureen O'Hara, in her final film with Wayne before his death and her 20 year-long retirement) to find and kill the outlaw gang who killed several of her ranch hands, badly wounded one of his sons (Bobby Vinton), and made off with his grandson (Ethan Wayne). Along the way to find his grandson, which takes him across the Rio Grande into Mexico, he is given the seemingly even more onerous task of forcing his kids (Chris Mitchum, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne) NOT to call him Daddy.
Besides everything else, Wayne and his trusty Indian sidekick (Bruce Cabot) are carrying a storebox with what is supposedly a $1 million ransom as authorized by the leader of the outlaws (Richard Boone, a very efficient villainous performance). Of course, Wayne doesn't exactly plan on coming through with that ransom, and you can pretty much guess what happens next...
BIG JAKE is every bit as predictable as Wayne's other westerns in terms of plot, with the exceptions of THE COWBOYS and THE SHOOTIST (neither of which were made under the Batjac banner), but it works all the same, largely due to Wayne's always-formidable presence, but also in no small measure to Boone's villainous outlaw. It also benefits from the excellent cinematography of William Clothier, who shot many Westerns, both with and without Wayne in them, done on location in what had become Wayne's favorite western locale--the high Mexican desert around Durango. George Sherman, who had directed Wayne in several westerns in the early 1930s prior to the Duke attaining stardom in STAGECOACH, managed to direct with enough panache to cover the fact that he wasn't in the best of health at the time (a fact that Wayne covered up by directing a number of scenes himself but still giving the directing credit to Sherman). The only serious disappointment in BIG JAKE is the fact that Wayne and O'Hara don't have enough screen time together (given the chemistry they showed in Ford's 1952 classic THE QUIET MAN).
And yet despite its flaws, there's no denying that BIG JAKE just plain works, not only for die-hard fans of the Duke, but for people who just appreciate any westerns (although this one is unique among Wayne's westerns by being the most overtly violent, hence the 'PG-13' rating). It may not be STAGECOACH or THE SEARCHERS, but then what is?
Just don't call him "Daddy", or he'll finish the fight.
Movie Review: A Solid John Wayne Western!
Summary: 4 Stars
For years I watched this film on TV and found it to be a so-so John Wayne effort, interesting but kind of average as Wayne films go. But recently I had the opportunity to purchase the widescreen DVD and got to watch the non-"edited for television & modified to fit your screen" feature film and found it to be a very good movie. With strong performances, a great plot, and exciting action, its now become a favorite of mine.
The period is the early 1900's. John Wayne plays Jacob McCandles, an old-fashion cowboy out of place in the "modern era." Having been estranged from his family for over 10 years he is called back when the grandson he never knew has been kidnapped and held for $1,000,000 ransom. It's up to Jake, his Indian friend Sam Sharpnose (played decently by Bruce Cabot) and his two sons (Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum) to retrieve the boy at all costs. What follows is an adventure that brings father and sons together as they become dependent on each other to survive the coming violence.
What makes this movie great is the cast. Besides Wayne and Cabot, we get the always outstanding Maureen O'Hara as the matriarch of the McCandles family, hard-nosed and stubborn in her devotion to her family. Richard Boone plays the leader of the outlaw gang and brings his own typical flair to the part. Two of the best scenes are when he verbally spars with Jake, each trying to dominate the other and neither one successful. Harry Carey, Glen Corbett, and a young Bobby Vinton in a bit part, rounds out the cast.
What fails in this movie though, is the constant attempts at levity. Silly antics coupled with silly music takes the hard-edge of the movie away at the wrong times. This easily could have been an epic film that bordered on the intensity of John Ford's The Searchers [HD-DVD]. Instead, just as things begin to get tense, we're treated to bucking mules sending people into the mud, or a silly bar fight between Jake and a mountain of a man named Mr. Sweet. I think at times the film makers weren't sure what kind of western they wanted to make so they threw a bit of everything into it with mixed results.
That aside, though, the final confrontation between the McCandles and the outlaws takes us back to the gritty, hard-edged film. Violent, but not graphically so, and intense, it absolutely makes this an above average western. I would strongly recommend this to any John Wayne fan, and with some reservations, to the western fan in general
Movie Review: A Pretty Good Reason to Waste a Couple of Hours
Summary: 4 Stars
It's out West at the turn of the century. Unreliable technology (cars) mix it up with reliable protein (horses). A gang of vicious kidnappers attacks a ranch, kill several people and make off with the young grandson of Jacob McCandles (John Wayne) and Martha McCandles (Maureeen O'Hara). They've been estranged for years, but she calls on him to rescue their grandson. Big Jake is a crusty, aging rancher with -- for his grandson -- a heart as big as his gut. He sets out with the ransom, a couple of his sons who don't know him, an Indian Scout and a dog. And he finds the kid. In the process he gets reacquainted with his sons and wipes out the gang, led by Richard Boone in a really first-rate performance.
This movie is a very pleasant way to waste a couple of hours. It has it's drawbacks. His two sons are played by Patrick Wayne, one of Wayne's own, and Christopher Mitchum, one of Robert's. They're both good looking guys but they have the acting ability of two logs. The story is predictable. But the movie works for me because...
--The relationship between McCandles and the sons is prickly and interesting.
--The relationship between McCandles and his grandson is genuinely endearing. The last of the movie, during the actual rescue, Wayne does an excellent job of working with the boy.
--Maureen O'Hara's role is small but important. It turns out she is just as ruthless as her estranged husband can be.
--And maybe most of all, there's Richard Boone. He was a charismatic actor and is more than able to stand up to Wayne's star power. The confrontation between the two at the end has a lot of energy.
--And every now and then there's some amusing dialogue...
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Jake : And now you understand. Anything goes wrong, anything at all...your fault, my fault, nobody's fault...it won't matter...I'm gonna blow your head off. No matter what else happens, no matter who gets killed, I'm gonna blow your head off.
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O'Brian : They tell me you killed two good men in a fair fight tonight. That true?
James McCandles : No, three...countin' you.
Movie Review: Big Jake
Summary: 4 Stars
The Movie
Here we have john wayne as a man everyone seems to think was dead. Here his grandson is kidnapped and held for ranson with a pretty strong supporting cast Maureen O'hara, his son this time looking alot more rugged and less michael landon like Patrtick wayne, RIcahrd Boone, Bruce Cabot, Harry Carey Jr. well worth 10 bucks on dvd. For those who wonder there is one part that is a discrace being done by batjack the john wayne production company this movie if u have it on dvd do not buy it again its just them hoping to con some who already have it in to buying it again, unlike mclintock the 2 dvd versions are identical jsut the picture on the case is different. Now if u want a new picture on your case go ahead make your wallet lighter...lol
THE AUDIO
here we get a pretty good 5.1 mix for a movie made in 1971 the guns are loud and clean through the rear and front speakers a good deal of the dialog is front loaded but it was made in 1971 we aren't talking about star wars digital here...lol u also get an english stero mix for those with out surround sound its ok and gets the job done. You also get a french mono track for those who plan to listen to it in french...lol
THE VIDEO
Here u get a wide screen crisp clean digital transfer one of the better ones done with the duke movies hardly any dust.
THE EXTRAS
None which is why i gave it 4 stars not 5 not that they are vital but its nice to know they thought hey u want some more on the plus NO Lenard Maltin intro that is always a good thing less u care what he thinks why he cashes that check