The War Wagon (1967)

THE WAR WAGON (1967)

By Ralph Santini - ***

The late film critic Roger Ebert called The War Wagon “that comparative rarity, a Western filmed with quiet good humor”. As a matter in fact, I agree with him. It’s a superior 60s Hollywood western that kept me not only thrilled but also smiling at the film’s witty humor, as described by Ebert. The Duke is cast as Taw Jackson, a rather nasty old cowboy whose goal is to get his ranch back from scheming mining businessman Mr. Pierce (Bruce Cabot). But since he is too well guarded by a bunch of his thugs, Jackson decides to make an unlikely band of robbers that are all different as night and day. The operation will be a raid on a special vehicle owned by Pierce that’s known as The War Wagon.

The first guy Taw Jackson wants to use will be Lomax (Kirk Douglas) because he’s quite the shooting marksman. Lomax however distrusts him because he claims Jackson is the only man that he shot and never has killed telling Jackson he caused him lot of embarrassment. This incident led to Taw Jackson serving a prison sentence that luckily paroled him for after three years. However Jackson is willing to pay Lomax $100, 0000 for his presence for that raid on The War Wagon Jackson planned.

The second person Jackson needs is an Indian named Levi Walking Bear who is captured by Mexican bandits after cheating with them on a game of poker. Jackson and Lomax would save him by even luring away the bandits’ horses. The third person for Jackson needed is Billy Hyatt a young man he served in prison with Taw. Although Billy is constantly drunk, which angers Lomax, he is good with making explosives. The final person Taw Jackson needs is grouchy old man, Wes Fletcher, who is employed by Pierce and has bartered a young woman Kate (Valora Noland) whom Billy happens to fall in love. Fletcher however won’t let anybody near her by claiming she’s his wife.

This film is wonderfully directed by Burt Kennedy with great stunts done by Hal Needham. John Wayne and Kirk Douglas are both terrific. They make such surprisingly wonderful chemistry together, clearly because of their difference of political opinion, Wayne who has been a long time conservative and Douglas who always was a staunch liberal. Bruce Cabot also does a wonderful job as the film’s chief antagonist who will do anything to have the Duke’s anti-hero dead even if it means wanting Kirk Douglas’s character to kill that of the Duke’s. John Wayne western fans will sure love “The War Wagon” because it’s a little different from others made in the 1960s. This one at least has memorable comic caper moments with thrilling action and clever surprises. Even the theme song by Dimitri Tiomkin with lyrics by Ned Washington is exciting.