Anyone who reads my reviews regularly will know I am the most biased Eastwood reviewer on the planet because I idolize the man. He is nothing short of a directing/acting god in my books and the coolest, toughest, macho male specimen on the planet. However, admittedly this doesn't always translate to great film. I read several reviews of Joe Kidd that said this was 'the best of his American westerns' and that simply isn't true whatsoever. Joe Kidd is not bad by any means, it has some serious fall-backs including a very slow first near hour before the climax where it really amps up. The story is brutally simple and straight forward and doesn't even touch the scale of epic proportions in Leone's Eastwood westerns or even Eastwood's own (Unforgiven, High Plains Drifter, Pale Rider.) This is the type of Western that would be equivalent to a film being Hollywood-ized nowadays. Fortunately they eventually let Eastwood do what he does best...mop the floor with the bad guys, get his vengeance and overcome evil. Also perhaps surprisingly Joe Kidd isn't chock full of the usual Western ingredients. Yes they are there...horseback, gun fights, saloon, train station, hotel, jail house but it isn't slap you in the face everywhere. All these ingredients are in the background and the characters are in the forefront.
Clint Eastwood leaves behind any dark cowboy persona to play Joe Kidd. An ex-bounty hunter, drunk and trouble maker in his small town. Joe Kidd has an almost light, sarcasm to his character although Eastwood's steely grin and face is well in tact. Kidd is likable as a hero and it is made quickly obvious he is for the underdog. Legendary actor Robert Duvall plays rich land owner and brutal killer Frank Harlan. Harlan and Kidd work together briefly but eventually Duvall ends up on the vengeful end of Eastwood. Duvall gives a solid performance as the western villain. However, I think that he could have offered the role so much more. But given the simplicity of the story and the short run time, characters don't get much depth and Duvall ends up not being even a fraction of what could have been. John Saxon gives a good, but very brief performance as the man who is the cause of all the excitement, Luis Chama. His role is so small that he also doesn't get what he could have given to the role. Duvall's gang of baddies is very well played by Don Stroud, James Wainwright, and Paul Koslo. And essentially the only significant female role is played by Stella Garcia. She isn't the love interest for Eastwood, in fact there isn't one, but she makes for a strong female in the film.
I was a little surprised when I saw the director for Joe Kidd was John Sturges who had done some epic films like The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven. Again not because Joe Kidd was bad but because it really just so simple and face value. There isn't anything that truly keeps you thinking about it when the credits roll. There are some truly great lines in the film delivered by Eastwood, and at the climax of the film there is a truly terrific moment where Eastwood drives nothing short of a steam engine right into the Hotel and guns down his enemies, definitely the highlight of the film. Basically the film becomes quite good with twenty five minutes left and that's unfortunate. It just isn't truly the western that you can sink in to and talk about and be a big fan of. It is simply put one of the shortest and thinnest American westerns I have ever seen. But Eastwood is still Eastwood and him and Duvall have enough star power to at the very least keep the film rolling and the last twenty five minute battle is worth the build up so don't avoid it but don't expect it to be anywhere near your favourite in the genre. 7/10
Clint Eastwood leaves behind any dark cowboy persona to play Joe Kidd. An ex-bounty hunter, drunk and trouble maker in his small town. Joe Kidd has an almost light, sarcasm to his character although Eastwood's steely grin and face is well in tact. Kidd is likable as a hero and it is made quickly obvious he is for the underdog. Legendary actor Robert Duvall plays rich land owner and brutal killer Frank Harlan. Harlan and Kidd work together briefly but eventually Duvall ends up on the vengeful end of Eastwood. Duvall gives a solid performance as the western villain. However, I think that he could have offered the role so much more. But given the simplicity of the story and the short run time, characters don't get much depth and Duvall ends up not being even a fraction of what could have been. John Saxon gives a good, but very brief performance as the man who is the cause of all the excitement, Luis Chama. His role is so small that he also doesn't get what he could have given to the role. Duvall's gang of baddies is very well played by Don Stroud, James Wainwright, and Paul Koslo. And essentially the only significant female role is played by Stella Garcia. She isn't the love interest for Eastwood, in fact there isn't one, but she makes for a strong female in the film.
I was a little surprised when I saw the director for Joe Kidd was John Sturges who had done some epic films like The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven. Again not because Joe Kidd was bad but because it really just so simple and face value. There isn't anything that truly keeps you thinking about it when the credits roll. There are some truly great lines in the film delivered by Eastwood, and at the climax of the film there is a truly terrific moment where Eastwood drives nothing short of a steam engine right into the Hotel and guns down his enemies, definitely the highlight of the film. Basically the film becomes quite good with twenty five minutes left and that's unfortunate. It just isn't truly the western that you can sink in to and talk about and be a big fan of. It is simply put one of the shortest and thinnest American westerns I have ever seen. But Eastwood is still Eastwood and him and Duvall have enough star power to at the very least keep the film rolling and the last twenty five minute battle is worth the build up so don't avoid it but don't expect it to be anywhere near your favourite in the genre. 7/10