The Shadow Riders
by Andrew V. McLaglen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Johnson, Geoffrey Lewis, Jeff Osterhage, Sam Elliott, Tom SelleckDirector: Andrew V. McLaglen
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-11-24
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
Movie Reviews of The Shadow Riders
Movie Review: An OK film unless you've read L'Amour's Classic book.
Summary: 2 Stars
First off, I love westerns, whether on film or paper. Plus I'm a great fan of Louis L'Amour. So I was disappointed with this adaptation of one of his best stories. Although the basic plot starts off somewhat close to the book, by the middle of the movie it's strayed off so far as to not be recognizable. So hampered by that, I found The Shadow Riders to be lacking not only as a adaptation but as a western as well.
With a strong cast, inluding Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Katherine Ross, Ben Johnson, and R. G. Armstrong, to name a few, this could have been so much better. But being a "Made for TV" movie it was watered down from the start. Parts that should have been intense became almost tongue-in-cheek, the villians were almost comical in their characterizations, and the plot suffered because of it. At times it was almost like you were watching a comedy instead of what should have been a dark and intense film about a family trying to rescue their children before they're sold off into slavery in Mexico.
And that is where the problems lies. The film makers NEVER took the plot seriously and it shows in the acting, especially with Selleck. Watching him here all I can see is Magnum PI on a horse. When you see him in later westerns, such as Monte Walsh, Last Stand At Saber River, or even Quigley Down Under you see performances that make you forget who is playing the role. Not here.
There may be a couple of good moments but they are few and far between. I would recommend buying this only if you are rounding out some sort of western collection. Otherwise, don't bother.
Summary of The Shadow Riders
When the Western slipped into theatrical oblivion in the late 1970s, many of the best examples of the genre began appearing as made-for-television films. After the success of The Sacketts, from the Louis L'Amour novel, producers quickly reunited stars Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott in another fine adaptation of a L'Amour book, The Shadow Riders. As brothers Mac and Dal Traven, sporting blue and gray uniforms, respectively, they wind their way home at the close of the Civil War to discover a band of confederate rebels have ravaged their town and kidnapped their sisters and brother and Dal's feisty sweetheart (Katharine Ross). With the help of their outlaw uncle (Western stalwart Ben Johnson), whom they must break out of prison, they track the guerrillas to the Gulf Coast and down into Mexico for a final, fatal showdown. Veteran director Andrew McLaglen sets this TV movie on a loping pace and a jovial tone, defined largely by Selleck's easygoing performance and the jocular comic relief of rascally Johnson. Elliott provides the intensity, at times positively ferocious under his heavy brows and burning, sunken eyes. The mood is occasionally too comic, but McLaglen delivers the goods in a series of gritty action sequences, proving that old Western directors don't die, they just drift on over to the small screen. Western icons R.G. Armstrong and Harry Carey Jr. and 1950s leading lady Jane Greer also appear in key roles. --Sean AxmakerWesterns DVD Video
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