Joe Kidd
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Movie Reviews of Joe Kidd
Movie Review: Not a Complete Film on this Universal DVD
Summary: 3 Stars
Scenes are missing on this DVD by Universal. Besides Kidd's and Helen's personal scene that's not apparent, what about the missing dinner scene at Helen's cabin? Duvall and Stroud reveal their characters even more at the dinner table but it is not shown on this version. Duvall invites a reluctant Helen to the table and takes command for himself. This film gets no respect by not being complete.Movie Review: Actually, it's quite entertaining and enjoyable
Summary: 3 Stars
Listen folks, this movie isn't bad at all. It actually has several of Eastwoods best moves, although it doesn't focus on cliches'. If you get a kick out of watching Eastwood handle the "bad guys" in his movies, with his slick 'moves,' then you'll get a kick out of this flick. A good Clint movie to own, or at the very least, rent if you haven't seen it.Movie Review: Average Western, But The DVD Is Not The Complete Film.
Summary: 2 Stars
Since I never expected a whole lot out of JOE KIDD, I wasn't really disappointed. I was expecting a standard, light western, nothing more . . . . . and that's exactly what I got. JOE KIDD is about a guy named Joe Kidd (gasp!), who gets involved with a posse led by a rich land baron named Harlan (Robert Duvall). He's after the Hispanic revolutionary wannabe Luis Chama, who's causing a lot of trouble and stirring up the Spanish populace. And that's about it. Like I said, nothin' at all to get excited about, but Clint's mere presence can make a movie worth while. Unfortunately (and obviously), he's the highlight of the film, as the rest of the cast is just passing. Not even the great Robert Duvall seems to be interested in the picture, but who can blame him? Actually, the story has (or had) potential; it covers (or tries to) a lot of ground about loyalty, right vs. wrong, and it even raises the question of "What IS right?". But none of this is ever brought up to its full potential, and if it had, this may have been a truly great western. But alas, it is not so. All this is even more disappointing from the fact that this is a John Sturges film. This is the same man who helmed such masterpieces as THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!?! Surprising, and utterly devastating. Not to say that JOE KIDD is a necessarily BAD film, far from it! It just isn't GREAT. And I shouldn't complain much, I guess; what the hell could you expect from a running time of 1 Hr. 28 Mins.? This is about thirty minutes short of what all westerns should be. But I must admit, the main theme present during the opening and closing credits is pretty cool!Along with the HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER re-release, all that has changed in this DVD is the cover and disc art. All there is for special features are production notes, cast and filmmakers' bios, and a theatrical trailer. Heck, even the production notes make the film sound tired! And the transfer ain't all that great, but it gets better as the film goes along. But the whole reason I lowered my rating down to two stars instead of three, is the fact that a certain scene (one of the best in the entire film) has been completely eliminated from the film! In it, more of the morality touches are discussed and brought into light. As well, it is this scene where Joe Kidd admits his love for Helen, a crucial element to the movie's impact! It's a short scene, but it remains one of the most impactful in the entire movie. I just watched it on AMC, and that scene was right there, playing out in front of me! This really ticks me off, the fact that along with miniscule extras and an average transfer, I can't even watch the complete film!!!
Only worth buying if you're a big Eastwood fan/collector. For [$$$]... , I guess it ain't a big loss.
Movie Review: Missing too much
Summary: 2 Stars
I, too, am disappointed they excluded the most important parts to this movie/storyline, Joe Kidd's growing suspicion he's signed on with the devil, as in the missing supper shots in the mountain cabin, and again with his romantic interest with Helen Sanchez, and her growing resentment with Luis Chama, as expressed in the copse of trees AFTER he disappoints her on the mountain. This causes major discontinuities. With plenty of room left on this DVD, it should have been easily retained. This print looks like it came out of the cuts they made for late night TV where they would fill two hour time slots with a minimum of 30 minutes of commercials, and any movie over one and a half hours would be trimmed at the engineers will. Too bad they couldn't find the original... or is that going to come on the "Platinum Collection"....Movie Review: A Little Stale
Summary: 2 Stars
Clint Eastwood rarely stars in a bad movie, but that's not to say this is bad, it just falls a bit flat. A good cast, including a deliciously villainous Robert Duvall unfortunately fail to lift this picture above mediocrity. Add to this, it's relatively short running time (just under 90 minutes), fans of the genre, and Clint (who have been spoiled by great movies before) will feel a little let down. It's probably fair to say that a lesser known cast, and director wouldn't even have got this movie off the cutting room floor. All this said, any Clint collector will probably want it in his/her collection, and the usual amount of dry humor, and Eastwoodesque rationality does make this watchable, if not that memorable.