Joe Kidd
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Movie Reviews of Joe Kidd
Movie Review: Rough and tumble star Western with untenable moral attitudes...
Summary: 3 Stars
After "Dirty Harry," Eastwood returns to the West to work for the first time and the last with John Sturges...
With quality Westerns like "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," and "The Magnificent Seven", Sturges would be the right filmmaker to accelerate Eastwood's cowboy career... In the event he wasn't...
The excellent sketching of characters and the poignancy of the dilemma of the peasants which made "The Magnificent Seven" such a classic Western were deplorably absent in "Joe Kidd" and the film never escaped from the weakness of its own screenplay...
Eastwood brought some of the qualities of Leone Stranger, but lacked his style, his wit and his class...
The film is set in the small town of Sinola, New Mexico, at the turn of the century... Mexican peasants find themselves being exploited and persecuted by American landholders, most notably land baron Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall). The peasants find a charismatic leader in Luis Chama (John Saxon), who takes them before a biased judge to defend their land rights...
Upon learning the judge's nature, the Mexicans turn to violence and nearly kill the judge whose life is saved by Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood), a prisoner jailed for drinking too much...
This action endears Kidd to Harlan, who recruits him as a tracker for the posse he has hired to annihilate the poor Mexicans who oppose him...
However, Kidd's commitment to Harlan's cause grows weaker the more he observes the landowner's methods... At one stage Harlan takes over a small Mexican town and threatens to kill all the inhabitants if Chama does not give himself up by a specified dead time... Kidd considers the action cowardly, and decides to change sides and join Chama's forces...
If you are happy to see Eastwood back in the saddle, and you want to watch him with Robert Duvall, don't miss this highly forgettable Western... I'm quite sure it will manage to hold your attention...
Movie Review: The Essential Clint Eastwood...
Summary: 3 Stars
1972's "Joe Kidd" pairs Clint Eastwood, then a young acting phenomenon, with veteran director of Western movies John Sturgis. The result is a serviceable action movie that never quite lives up to its potential.
Former bounty hunter-turned-rancher Joe Kidd (played by Eastwood) winds up in the middle of a turn-of-the century New Mexico range war when dispossesed Mexican peasants rebel against a judicial system that favors the Anglo land owners. Frank Harlan (played by Robert Duval) tries to hire Kidd to track down the leader of the Mexicans, one Louis Chama (played by a hugely mustachioed John Saxon). Kidd initially refuses, but changes his mind when the rebels raid his own small ranch.
Kidd rides out with Harlan's group of hired guns, an interesting collection in their own right, highlighted by actor Don Stroud with an early version of the automatic pistol. The group suspects Kidd's sympathies from the beginning, and when they take hostages against Chama's surrender, Kidd is also confined. Kidd's escape from the village with Chama's girlfriend provides a deliberately paced but worthwhile action sequence.
Kidd links up with Chama's band, only to reveal his real and very bold agenda, to take Chama in to face justice for assaulting Kidd's ranch. Chama, in a rather unrealistic standoff, agrees to go in with Kidd, and as the two men and a few followers race Harlan's gang back to the courthouse, they form a grudging respect for each other. In a second and final extended action sequence, Kidd and Chama will fight their way back into town against Harlan's collection of hired guns.
Eastwood is in his essential mode, tough, competent, and laconic. However, the storyline repeatedly develops the bends trying to keep Joe Kidd on the right side of the political conflict. Wise viewers will ignore the plot contrivances and focus on some well-done action sequences and the sun-drenched New Mexico landscapes. This is an enjoyable Eastwood movie.
Movie Review: Draped over the saddle...
Summary: 3 Stars
"Joe Kidd" is not your standard Clint Eastwood western. The follow up to the very successful "Dirty Harry", is listless and disappointing. Slowly paced, the muddled plot takes a while to finally get going, then turns around to crash land where it began. The film has a familiar cast, which includes Robert Duvall, John Saxon, James Wainwright, Don Stroud, Paul Koslo and Gregory Walcott.Joe Kidd is a farmer, drawn into a land squabble involving wealthy businessman Frank Harlan (Duvall) and Louis Chama (Saxon), the leader of a disgruntled group of settlers. Chama's efforts at land reform could upset Harlan's plans, and so he wants him dead. Harlan's hired guns include Simms (Stroud), Mingo (Wainwright), and Gannon (Koslo). Kidd is hired as a guide, to help track down Chama, but the job doesn't last long, and he finds himself imprisoned in a church in Chama's home village. Escaping into the hills, with Chama's woman (Stella Garcia), he meets up with the outlaw, and convinces him to return to face justice in the same court system he detests.
Elmore Leonard's story is just weak, and neither Eastwood nor Oscar winner Duvall can save it. Eastwood seems to be uninspired, and Duvall really isn't given much to work with. Saxon is an odd choice, as a Latino who abandons his principles without much of a fight. Only Don Stroud puts some punch into the movie, playing an antagonistic killer, provoking Kidd to fight. His attitude and language do not match the time period, but who cares since not much else is happening? His untimely end is so quick that we feel denied of satisfaction, which could be said for the whole movie.
Lalo Schifrin's score featuring modern electronic instruments, while cool, seems inappropriate in a western. John Sturges, who has directed some fine action films in the past, like "The Great Escape" and "The Magnificent Seven", has material of much different quality to work with here. Overall, not one of Clint's better efforts.
Movie Review: Just Okay
Summary: 3 Stars
I really wanted to like this film a lot: what with Clint and Robert Duvall starring together.But it's just not a very good film. It has the flavor of classic Clint and the western drama but lacks the substance. The story line is too improbable for even the most ardent fan. The dialogue and action are slow and drawn out. Like molasses.
And the climax is just plain limp.
Fortunately, there are so many great Clint westerns to choose from - Hang'em High, Good, Bad, and the Ugly trio, The Outlaw Josey Wales (one of Clint's favorites) that the viewer can still enjoy wonderful westerns of the highest quality - but this isn't one of them.
Three stars.
Movie Review: EASTWOOD CAN MAKE ALMOST ANYTHING WORK.....ALMOST!
Summary: 3 Stars
I like Clint Eastwood and for the most part I enjoy his films. 'Joe Kidd' is certainly OK entertainment, but from Eastwood we expect a little more. This is just not one of his better efforts and surprisingly this is one of Robert Duvall's most disappointing performances that I've seen. It's slow moving and makes little sense and also has one of the stupidest endings in the history of film! ......All Aboard! Woo Woo! ;-b