Westerns > R Westerns > Lancaster, Burt > B > Brooks, Richard

Advantages: A solid western with a good lead performance by John Wayne.
Disadvantages: In many ways dated and showing its age in terms of techniques and attitudes.

Overview The Searchers is a classic western starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. It is regarded very highly both as an example of the Western genre and as a film in general attaining classic status in more recent times despite a less enthusiastic reception upon its initial release in1956. Plot This is very much a rescue and revenge tale. We follow the unconventional hero Ethan Edwards and his eventual companion Martin Pawley in a long ...
...group but they alone go the distance and are willing to see it through to the end, however long that takes. Martin Pawley leaves the woman he loves behind and their to-in and fro-ing though occaissionally irritating provides the emotional base of the film. John Wayne Not being a massive John Wayne film myself I am always somewhat perturbed by his presence in a film for it immediately becomes a John Wayne film almost, a seperate genre in itself. ... Read review

Advantages: Costner, great story, very well acted
Disadvantages: May be too long for some

Open Range is another of my bargain buys and this time I was very impressed, not only with the fact that Kevin Costner is in the film but it was also a good film to watch. The film stars Boss, played by Robert Duval, Charlie, played by Kevin Costner, Buttons and Mose who are free grazers and spend their time travelling around letting their cattle graze off other peoples land. When they arrive in a particular town the trouble starts. Boss sends Mose ...
...includes:- Audio Commentary America's Open Range - A Historical journey back in time to the real open range of the 1800's narrated by Kevin Costner Deleted Scenes - With Introductions by Kevin Costner Storyboard: Open Range Music Video Montage The running time of the features is approximately 58 minutes. My husband did sit and watch all of these as he is interested in history but I found them to be a bit boring after watching such a good action ... Read review

Advantages: fantastic plot, great acting and a brilliant soundtrack
Disadvantages: noticeable dubbing in some places

"The Good , The Bad and The Ugly" has got to be one of the most recognisable films of all time. This classic Spaghetti Western, directed by Sergio Leone, is packed full of action and drama and features one of the finest soundtracks courtesy of Ennio Morricone. The film focuses around three main protagonists (the good, the bad and the ugly) and their search for treasure. Firstly we are introduced to The Ugly, also known as Tuco (Eli Wallach) who represents ...
...Angel Eyes is their representing the villain and darker character. Finally we are introduced to The Good aka Blondie (Clint Eastwood) although he does not represent 'good' as such as he tends to do as he pleases. He is however the hero of this film. The characters, although independent when we first see them, cross each others paths at different points in the film. To start with, Angel Eyes is doing his best to find a huge sum of stolen gold. Meanwhile ... Read review

Advantages: Magnificent
Disadvantages: None

Silverado was one of those films when I was a kid that I constantly watched bits of but never all of it. The reason for this was because someone in my family had taped over the last 10 or 15 minutes or so with something else, so I never had a chance to watch the entire film. It was an ITV recording as well, so it was littered with ad breaks. A few years ago, it was on Sky Movies, and I recorded it properly, standing guard by the video recorder and ...
...Lone drifter Mal comes to Silverado in search of his sister and some peace, but racism stands in the way of his goal, as the white folk of the town react badly to a black man coming in and drinking in 'their' bar. Danny Glover gives a very calm and controlled performance in that whole 'wouldn't wanna mess with him!' kind of way. The other two men are brothers: Emmet and Jake, played by Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner respectively. Glenn gives a typically ... Read review

Advantages: Marilyn Monroe looking beautiful and singing well, good cast, beautiful views
Disadvantages: Some dull bits, it's a Western!

...No Business Like Showbusiness and River of No Return. The latter is a 1954 Western filmed in Canada and co-starring Robert Mitchum. Marilyn plays a saloon singer called Kay Weston, while Rory Calhoun is her partner Harry. They seem happy together, but it soon becomes obvious that they have different priorities in life. Harry is obsessed with making money. He is a gambler who is selfish, greedy and not very likeable. Kay, however, is sweet, maternal, ...
...sings the title track - River of No Return (in a gaudy yellow and red costume I don't like much) and Down in the Meadow, but my favourite is I'm Gonna File My Claim. For this number, she wears a long green velvet dress (don't like this one either), in a similar style to the red one, with a high split leg and a strappy top. This song is faster paced, so Marilyn gets to move more and perform and dance, which is very enjoyable to watch. She works the ... Read review