The film begins with John Wayne returning to a town after a stint in prison. He'd been setup by an evil jerk (Bruce Cabot) so that while in prison his land could be stolen. The reason for this was because there was gold on the land and stealing it just seemed like the thing to do for Cabot! The Duke naturally wants revenge, so he creates a pretty complicated plan for his gang to steal a $500,000 gold shipment from this mine. The only trouble is, Cabot is using an armored wagon with a Gatling gun and many hired guns to protect the shipment. While you might think the film will end in a pretty predictable and conventional way, the way it's handled makes the film worth sticking with to the conclusion.
This is a decent but not particularly outstanding John Wayne and Kirk Douglas Western. While it was fun to watch, the plot seemed a bit far-fetched and too many perfectly timed events had to occur just right for the robbery to be a success. My advice, then, is NOT to think too much and just sit back and enjoy the performances--particularly that of Douglas who seemed to stand out more than Wayne. Also, if you are looking for the sweep and majesty of a John Ford directed Western, this isn't the case--as the film just looks pretty ordinary. This was the case of most of Wayne's movies during the last decade or so of his life and among those, THE WAR WAGON is one of the best.
This is a decent but not particularly outstanding John Wayne and Kirk Douglas Western. While it was fun to watch, the plot seemed a bit far-fetched and too many perfectly timed events had to occur just right for the robbery to be a success. My advice, then, is NOT to think too much and just sit back and enjoy the performances--particularly that of Douglas who seemed to stand out more than Wayne. Also, if you are looking for the sweep and majesty of a John Ford directed Western, this isn't the case--as the film just looks pretty ordinary. This was the case of most of Wayne's movies during the last decade or so of his life and among those, THE WAR WAGON is one of the best.