An ex-convict and his partner eye an armored stagecoach fitted with a gatling gun and full of gold. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 04/12/2005 Starring: John Wayne Joanna Barnes Run time: 101 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Burt KennedyJohn Wayne and Kirk Douglas make a delightful duo in this comedic Western in which Wayne seeks revenge on a ruthless mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who had him framed and sent to prison. Upon his release, Wayne recruits Douglas in a scheme to raid and rob one of Cabot’s gold-laden wagons, despite the fact that Douglas had been offered good money to kill Wayne. He joins Wayne instead (the potential profits being much greater), and they set out to ambush the War Wagon, so named because it’s heavily armored, mounted with a Gatling gun, and guarded by a dozen gunmen on horses. Costarring Keenan Wynn and Howard Keel as a wise-cracking Indian, The War Wagon was a Western precursor to the action buddy films of the 1980s and ’90s, serving up plenty of exciting action and constant comic relief. The interplay between Wayne and Douglas is sharp and sarcastic, and their motley crew of accomplices provides yet another source of character-driven humor. Not one of the greatest Westerns ever made, but certainly one of the most lightly entertaining. –Jeff Shannon
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March 18, 2008
#1
This is a typical John Wayne western from the era when he had some control over what he starred in, and its content. As a result, he plays essentially the same character over and over again (he seems to wear the same red shirt, faded to a washed out pink, in half of the movies) and is just confronted with a different situation each time. In this instance, his character, Taw Jackson, has had his land stolen from him. He wasn’t able to stop it because a hired gun shot him and put him in the hospital. The ranch he owned turned out to have gold on it, and the local rich guy, having had him shot, took over the ranch and has become even richer.
So Taw has to return from jail to take back what’s his. The twist is that he hires the hired guy, Lomax (nicely played by Kirk Douglas), to help in his plot. Since the rich guy (his name is Pierce) transports the gold out of the territory in an iron-plated wagon called “The War Wagon” Wayne has to come up with a sophisticated scheme to upend said wagon and get his hands on the gold.
While the plot’s interesting and the action is reasonably fun, the movie’s also very predictable. When one of Wayne’s partners is particularly negatively portrayed, you know he’s the one who will be killed somewhere towards the end. And I had one big disappointment with this movie. Usually, with one of these old westerns, there’s a rousing soundtrack, if nothing else, but here you get this very strange choral thing with silly words about the war wagon and who’s following it and so forth. It’s one of the most dated soundtracks I’ve ever heard, embarrassing even to listen to. That aside, this is a fun movie.
March 19, 2008
#2
One of the older movies but still John Wayne at his best
March 19, 2008
#3
Two cinematic legends , John wayne (1907-1979) and Kirk Douglas (1916- ) , team up to seize a small fortune in gold in this action-packed Western Classic . Wayne plays Taw Jackson , a range-hardened rancher who?s hell-bent on capturing the infamous war wagon , an ironclad stagecoach protected by a small army of men and own by a thieving Cattle baron who robbed Taw of his gold and good name years before , To get even , Jackson recruit Lomax (Douglas) , a brash gunslinger , and a raucous crew of misfits and readies them to pull off one of the most impossible heist of all times . Howard Keel (1917-2003) co-play as a funny indian how are teamed with Wayne & Douglas and hi is few talking , but funny . Those how complaint about bad picture are wrong , it?s a super high quality transfer , those probably do not have LCD or Plasma Tv , but watch from a old traditional TV tubes ! . Highly recommended
March 19, 2008
#4
While I did enjoy The War Wagon on DVD, I would have to say I did enjoy other John Wayne movies on DVD more, The Searchers and The Cowboys both 5 stars in my mind. I would have given The War Wagon 3 stars except that Kirk Douglas is in it which would have been 3 1/2 stars, so I gave it an extra 1/2 star for the hell of it.
March 19, 2008
#5
The War Wagon is a 1967 western film starring John Wayne, released by Universal Pictures, directed by Burt Kennedy, and adapted by Clair Huffaker from his own novel. The film, which featured Wayne in one of his few roles as technically a “bad guy,” received generally positive reviews.The film is in color and has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 The DVD contains extras, including the theatrical trailer and production notes.
Jackson (John Wayne) and Lomax (Kirk Douglas) ally against Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot), a man who stole from both men to become wealthy and powerful. Together, they plot to steal a shipment of gold being transported in a “war wagon,” a heavily armored stagecoach armed with a deadly gatling gun in a top-mounted steerable turret. With their gang, they plan to rob the war wagon at its weakest point in the route it travels.