Oh my gosh...listen to the little exchange that occurs about four minutes into the film. It is, possibly, the worst exchange of dialog I have ever heard--it was so dumb that even Ed Wood wold wince!! As Wayne and another dude try to one-up each other, I just couldn't help but think sooner or later one of them would say "I know you are, but what am I?!" or "I'm a rock and you're glue--what you say bounces off me and sticks to you!"--or some other ridiculously childish nonsense. Yes, it was truly that bad. Here's a real example: "...I'm gonna cloud up and rain all over you." "Yeah, you and whose army." Eventually, the two thespians decide to just bash each other's brains out--and thus begins this western masterpiece!! Believe it or not, these two geniuses buy each other drinks just minutes later! They don't write 'em like the used to (thank God).
Soon after this, Wayne and his new bestest buddy go to see Wayne's father--a local rancher. In an interesting coincidence, they walk in just as Dad is being robbed...and killed. Now considering that Wayne had been away from home for years, it was a might peculiar that he would return home to witness this murder! Again, the writers were having an off day here! The rest of the film consists of Wayne trying to catch and punish the baddies responsible for this crime (I am talking about the murder, not the writing of this script!).
This is perhaps one of the poorest of John Wayne's films. The writing is just dreadful at times, though the rest of the time it is pretty average (when it isn't sucking). My advice is to try some of his other Bs first--this one is clearly a letdown.
By the way, is it just me or is there perhaps a bit of a gay subtext going on between Wayne and his new friend Ben?! After all, as Wayne and his lady friend are talking, she is thinking about a wedding ring...and Wayne is just thinking about Ben. This and a few other scenes (such as the apparent 'lovers quarrel' they have late in the film) do make you wonder!
Soon after this, Wayne and his new bestest buddy go to see Wayne's father--a local rancher. In an interesting coincidence, they walk in just as Dad is being robbed...and killed. Now considering that Wayne had been away from home for years, it was a might peculiar that he would return home to witness this murder! Again, the writers were having an off day here! The rest of the film consists of Wayne trying to catch and punish the baddies responsible for this crime (I am talking about the murder, not the writing of this script!).
This is perhaps one of the poorest of John Wayne's films. The writing is just dreadful at times, though the rest of the time it is pretty average (when it isn't sucking). My advice is to try some of his other Bs first--this one is clearly a letdown.
By the way, is it just me or is there perhaps a bit of a gay subtext going on between Wayne and his new friend Ben?! After all, as Wayne and his lady friend are talking, she is thinking about a wedding ring...and Wayne is just thinking about Ben. This and a few other scenes (such as the apparent 'lovers quarrel' they have late in the film) do make you wonder!