We all know that Yul Brynner movies are serious dramas with stern and dominating performances by Brynner. Well, usually they are. In "Catlow" Brynner laughs and jokes his way through this entertaining comedy-western, supported by a fine cast.
Outlaw Catlow (Brynner) and marshal Cowan (Richard Crenna) are former Civil War buddies but now Cowan is trying to arrest Catlow for cattle rustling. Ultra-bad guy Orville Miller (Leonard Nimoy!) has been hired by local ranchers to hang Catlow. A lot of the rambling plot isn't very linear and is often hard to follow. Some characters disappear for extended periods before unexpectedly reappearing, and there's little continuity between scenes. Outlaws, evil ranchers, Indians, Mexican soldiers, bounty hunters, and fiery ladies are thrown into the mix with entertaining (and confusing) results. The sudden switch between comedy and violence is sometimes pretty jarring, and there are lots of cartoonish gunfights. Anyway, Miller is so mean that you know he'll be dead by the end of the movie, and Catlow decides to take up law enforcement at the end of the film...after stealing $2 million in gold.
Brynner has so many funny lines that I lost count, and his banter with Crenna is most entertaining. Nimoy's turn as a villain is good, except his character abruptly disappears for most of the movie before reappearing at the end to die, and he has a nude scene that I certainly could have done without. Jeff Corey adds humorous support as an old member of Catlow's gang. Daliah Lavi plays Catlow's fiery Mexican girlfriend Rosita, but much of what she does makes no sense at all. It's very hard to get used to seeing Nimoy wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse, all the while speaking with Mr. Spock's voice. This is one Yul Brynner movie that's so uncharacteristic of his usual work that even with its obvious flaws it's certainly worth catching, and it's funny as well.
Outlaw Catlow (Brynner) and marshal Cowan (Richard Crenna) are former Civil War buddies but now Cowan is trying to arrest Catlow for cattle rustling. Ultra-bad guy Orville Miller (Leonard Nimoy!) has been hired by local ranchers to hang Catlow. A lot of the rambling plot isn't very linear and is often hard to follow. Some characters disappear for extended periods before unexpectedly reappearing, and there's little continuity between scenes. Outlaws, evil ranchers, Indians, Mexican soldiers, bounty hunters, and fiery ladies are thrown into the mix with entertaining (and confusing) results. The sudden switch between comedy and violence is sometimes pretty jarring, and there are lots of cartoonish gunfights. Anyway, Miller is so mean that you know he'll be dead by the end of the movie, and Catlow decides to take up law enforcement at the end of the film...after stealing $2 million in gold.
Brynner has so many funny lines that I lost count, and his banter with Crenna is most entertaining. Nimoy's turn as a villain is good, except his character abruptly disappears for most of the movie before reappearing at the end to die, and he has a nude scene that I certainly could have done without. Jeff Corey adds humorous support as an old member of Catlow's gang. Daliah Lavi plays Catlow's fiery Mexican girlfriend Rosita, but much of what she does makes no sense at all. It's very hard to get used to seeing Nimoy wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse, all the while speaking with Mr. Spock's voice. This is one Yul Brynner movie that's so uncharacteristic of his usual work that even with its obvious flaws it's certainly worth catching, and it's funny as well.