Check the cast out in the mid '70s western: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers, Sheree North, Hugh O'Brien and Harry Morgan. Wow!
Unfortunately, unlike other Wayne westerns, this is the 70s so you get a fair share of profanity including a handful of Lord's name in vain, something I don't recall in any of Wayne's other westerns. Morgan and Howard are mainly responsible for that. Although Wayne doesn't blaspheme, he expresses his non-interest in religion, which must have really pleased the national critics, who liked this film.
The positive points are Wayne's still-good performance in his dying days, playing someone who is doing the same thing (dying of cancer); a nice Christian character played by Bacall; some good cameos by other famous actors in their finals years, too, and realistic portrayal of "leeches" - people trying to make a buck out of a dying man (mainly a newspaperman and a former girlfriend).
This is obviously a different kind of western, not your normal shoot-em up, but more of a human interest story of a dying man. It bogs down a bit around the three-quarter mark but has a spectacular finish. I enjoyed watching it, but not enough to see it again. Perhaps there were just too many annoying characters in here for me.
Unfortunately, unlike other Wayne westerns, this is the 70s so you get a fair share of profanity including a handful of Lord's name in vain, something I don't recall in any of Wayne's other westerns. Morgan and Howard are mainly responsible for that. Although Wayne doesn't blaspheme, he expresses his non-interest in religion, which must have really pleased the national critics, who liked this film.
The positive points are Wayne's still-good performance in his dying days, playing someone who is doing the same thing (dying of cancer); a nice Christian character played by Bacall; some good cameos by other famous actors in their finals years, too, and realistic portrayal of "leeches" - people trying to make a buck out of a dying man (mainly a newspaperman and a former girlfriend).
This is obviously a different kind of western, not your normal shoot-em up, but more of a human interest story of a dying man. It bogs down a bit around the three-quarter mark but has a spectacular finish. I enjoyed watching it, but not enough to see it again. Perhaps there were just too many annoying characters in here for me.