If you haven't seen the 1939 original directed by John Ford to make the comparison, this film doesn't stack up too badly. It pretty much follows the script of the earlier movie, with characters who remain mostly the same with a couple of minor variations. Willie Nelson's Doc Holliday is the notable exception, appearing here with fellow country music legends Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Seeing as how as an actor, Kristofferson is no John Wayne, it wasn't surprising that his entrance as The Ringo Kid didn't have the same high drama as that of Wayne's Ringo. The stakes weren't as high either, "Stagecoach" was the film that launched Wayne's career after only about fifty other films prior that he appeared in.
The picture could probably have used a bit more humor to liven things up a bit. One of the things that impressed me about the original "Stagecoach" was how most of the characters started out as caricatures and wound up being people you either cared about, or so repulsive that you wanted to see them get what was coming to them. I didn't get the same sense of that here, as most likely, the celebrity status of the principals kept intruding on their portrayals. I thought Willie Nelson did the best job in his role as Doc Holliday, by contrast I felt Johnny Cash was rather bland as Marshal Curly Wilcox. Waylon Jennings was OK as gambler Hatfield, while Kristofferson's take on the Ringo Kid seemed watered down by his relationship with reformed hooker Dallas (Elizabeth Ashley). It didn't help that the chemistry between them seemed non-existent, except for Ashley's swooning eyes whenever she gazed on The Kid.
So if I'm forced to make the call, I'd say see the original "Stagecoach" at some point, but if you're a fan of any of the principals, I don't think you'll come away disappointed. You might even learn a thing or two from the likes of Doc Holliday, like washing your hands with whiskey before delivering a baby. It's supposed to kill germs, right?
The picture could probably have used a bit more humor to liven things up a bit. One of the things that impressed me about the original "Stagecoach" was how most of the characters started out as caricatures and wound up being people you either cared about, or so repulsive that you wanted to see them get what was coming to them. I didn't get the same sense of that here, as most likely, the celebrity status of the principals kept intruding on their portrayals. I thought Willie Nelson did the best job in his role as Doc Holliday, by contrast I felt Johnny Cash was rather bland as Marshal Curly Wilcox. Waylon Jennings was OK as gambler Hatfield, while Kristofferson's take on the Ringo Kid seemed watered down by his relationship with reformed hooker Dallas (Elizabeth Ashley). It didn't help that the chemistry between them seemed non-existent, except for Ashley's swooning eyes whenever she gazed on The Kid.
So if I'm forced to make the call, I'd say see the original "Stagecoach" at some point, but if you're a fan of any of the principals, I don't think you'll come away disappointed. You might even learn a thing or two from the likes of Doc Holliday, like washing your hands with whiskey before delivering a baby. It's supposed to kill germs, right?