Apache DVD

Advantages: Ward Bond and Wayne act well together
Disadvantages: Dodgy backdrops!

...My husband is a John Wayne fan and I have been purchasing DVD's for him whenever I see then on offer but I have never allowed him to sit and watch them with me there are I don't like the whole cowboy and Indian theme. As there has been nothing on the television lately I have relented and have let him start watching them! During John Wayne's career he made well over 100 films, Hondo is a film he made midway through this time. THE FILM The beginning of the film see Hondo Lane, played by John Wayne arriving at a ranch in the middle of nowhere where he is seeking a new horse as he lost his last one when he came up against the Apache. When he gets to the ranch he is greeted by Angie Lowe, played by Geraldine Page and her son Johnny, played by Lee Aaker. Angie tells Hondo that he may purchase one of her horses but he will have to finish... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Brilliantly acted and spellbinding.
Disadvantages: A little too much of the 'supernatural' for a western.

...paid to the paraphernalia of The West. Rifles aren't just fired. The sight are adjusted, the barrels held firm with forked sticks, and meticulous orders on which horse to shoot first in an ambush are barked out. This is reminiscent of 'True Grit' or 'Unforgiven' but, sadly, the general quality of the dialogue in not quite up to that high standard. The glory must go to the three female stars. This film was recommended to me by a woman and several ladies I know own it on dvd. This seems a bit incongruous given the gruesome brutality of the tale. Perhaps it's that woman like to be shown as capable in a crisis - they are much more capable than men in The Missing? WHAT'S MISSING THEN? --- It's the Apaches. We are shown the life of the white settlers in great detail but the Indians seem to hover in the background of their scenes. There are some... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: An excellent portrayal of a true story
Disadvantages: A real tear jerker - not to be watched on a bad day.

...This is a film that will touch everyone. A film about how four young boys play a prank on a hot dog seller, they steal his trolley and push it down some stairs and end up killing someone. They all get put into a young offenders prison where they get abused by the guards both sexually and mentally. It is based on a true story by Lorenzo Carcaterra who has also written Apaches and A Safe Place - a story of his own life growing up and how he found out his father was a murderer. You can't watch Sleepers and not feel compeled and touched by it. As the film progresses you see how each of the boys learns to cope with the abuse in their own way. The film then skips on to when they are older and out of prison, the film shows how each has grown up and they all have very different lives but are still having to deal with the horrific trauma... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful