Category: Adventure

Alvarez Kelly: William Holden as the charming Irish Senor caught between Unionists and Richard Widmark in this Civil-war-era Western

Alvarez Kelly (1966), directed by Edward Dmytryk, is a big scale Western adventure set during the Civil War and stars William Holden and Richard Widmark in lead roles. “In every war, in every age, the forgotten weapon is food… a herd of cattle is as vital as a herd of cannon.” Edward Dmytryk's 1966 Civil-war … Continue reading Alvarez Kelly: William Holden as the charming Irish Senor caught between Unionists and Richard Widmark in this Civil-war-era Western →

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The Great Locomotive Chase: Disney’s live action Civil War Western featuring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter is an exciting, edge-of-the-seat adventure

"The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)," starring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter, was the second live action film produced by Walt Disney. The film tells the real story of the Andrews Raid that took place during the early days of the American Civil war. James J. Andrews was a Kentucky-born civilian serving as a secret agent and … Continue reading The Great Locomotive Chase: Disney’s live action Civil War Western featuring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter is an exciting, edge-of-the-seat adventure →

Garden of Evil: Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark comes to Susan Hayward’s rescue in this lush Western scored by Bernard Herrmann

Garden of Evil (1954), directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Susan Hayward, is a handsomely mounted character-driven Western that explores the evil effects of gold on men. if the earth were made of gold, men would die for a handful of dirt. Another Western that deals with greed, gold lust … Continue reading Garden of Evil: Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark comes to Susan Hayward’s rescue in this lush Western scored by Bernard Herrmann →

The Naked Spur: James Stewart’s embittered Bounty-hunter pursues Robert Ryan’s wild killer in this definitive Anthony Mann Western

The Naked Spur (1953) is the third Western that director Anthony Mann made with star, James Stewart. The film, also starring Robert Ryan and Janet Leigh, is the best of the Mann-Stewart collaborations and the definitive Anthony Mann Western. Howard Kemp was a rancher in Abilene, Kansas before he went off to fight in the … Continue reading The Naked Spur: James Stewart’s embittered Bounty-hunter pursues Robert Ryan’s wild killer in this definitive Anthony Mann Western →

A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film

Duck You Sucker (1971) aka Giù la testa aka A fistful of Dynamite is the final Western from spaghetti western maestro, Sergio Leone. The film starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn in lead roles is set during the Mexican revolution of the 1910s. Opening with a quote from Mao Zedong that describes Revolution as violence & … Continue reading A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film →

The Wild Geese: Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore are aging mercenaries in this action-packed ‘Men on a Mission’ adventure

The Wild Geese (1978), directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore as aging 'soldiers of fortune' fighting in Africa, is a worthy addition to the subgenre of 'Men on a Mission' war\action picture. In 1968, British thespian, Richard Burton teamed up with then up and coming American star. … Continue reading The Wild Geese: Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore are aging mercenaries in this action-packed ‘Men on a Mission’ adventure →

The Spy Who Loved Me: In the year of ‘Star Wars,’ James Bond kept the ‘British end up’ with the best Roger Moore Bond film

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was the third film to feature Roger Moore as Ian Fleming's James Bond. With the massive success of this film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, James Bond made a grand comeback after a tumultuous decade that saw diminishing box office returns and three different actors embodying Bond. The year 1977 … Continue reading The Spy Who Loved Me: In the year of ‘Star Wars,’ James Bond kept the ‘British end up’ with the best Roger Moore Bond film →

The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences

The Gauntlet(1977), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and co-starring Sondra Locke, was an attempt by Clint to send up his 'Dirty Harry' films by exaggerating and parodying the tropes associated with those cop thrillers. Originally conceived as a starring vehicle for Marlon Brando and Barbara Streisand, and then, after Brando's withdrawal, as a vehicle … Continue reading The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences →

Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations

Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner and starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve as the eponymous 'Man of Steel,' was the first serious attempt at making a big budget studio feature film about a comic-book superhero, and it also remains one of the best. "This is no Fantasy" This is the first line … Continue reading Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations →

Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’

Force 10 from Navarone (1978), directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Franco Nero and Edward Fox in lead roles, is a sequel to the classic WWII adventure, 'The Guns of Navarone.' Though not as good as the original by a long shot, the film is reasonably entertaining with some interesting plot … Continue reading Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’ →

The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was the second film to feature Roger Moore as James Bond. Despite having a great antagonist in Christopher Lee's Francisco Scaramanga, the film turned out to be such a critical and commercial dud that it almost became the last film in the Bond film franchise. Francisco Scaramanga aka … Continue reading The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise →

You Only Live Twice: This silly but spectacular & exotic Sean Connery Bond film has become one of the most iconic & seminal films in the James Bond franchise

You only Live Twice (1967), directed by Lewis Gilbert, is the fifth film in the James Bond film Franchise, with Sean Connery playing MI6 agent, James Bond created by novelist Ian Fleming. Though the film is the silliest Sean Connery Bond film, with an emphasis on fantastical sets and over-the-top action set-pieces over plot & … Continue reading You Only Live Twice: This silly but spectacular & exotic Sean Connery Bond film has become one of the most iconic & seminal films in the James Bond franchise →

From Russia with Love: Sean Connery at his very best as James Bond in one of the greatest Bond films that’s also a terrific Cold-war thriller

From Russia with Love (1963) is the second film in the James Bond film franchise. Directed by Terrence Young and starring Sean Connery as Ian Fleming's MI6 agent 007 James Bond, the film is one of the greatest Bond films ever made that captures the cold-war induced tension and paranoia of the '60s perfectly. From … Continue reading From Russia with Love: Sean Connery at his very best as James Bond in one of the greatest Bond films that’s also a terrific Cold-war thriller →

Dances with Wolves: Kevin Costner directs and stars in this grand, gorgeous & ‘going native’ Western epic

Dances with Wolves (1990) is a sweeping Western epic directed by, and starring Kevin Costner. This was Costner's directorial debut and this Oscar winning film was adapted from a novel by Michael Blake. Kevin Costner, by his own admission, does not make cutting-edge movies. His films are all 'right down the middle.' His ambition as … Continue reading Dances with Wolves: Kevin Costner directs and stars in this grand, gorgeous & ‘going native’ Western epic →

Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner

Death Hunt (1981), starring Charles Bronson and lee Marvin in lead roles, and directed by Peter Hunt, is a thrilling action-packed Western set in Canada. Golden Harvest presentsAn Albert S. Ruddy ProductionA Peter Hunt filmCharles BronsonLee MarvinDeath Hunt This is how the titles of the 1981 film, "Death Hunt" unfolds. The titles are very interesting … Continue reading Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner →

Quigley Down Under: Tom Selleck is perfectly cast as the sturdy, morally-upright cowboy-hero opposite Alan Rickman’s colorful villain in this terrific Outback Western

Quigley Down Under(1990), directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman, and Laura San Giacomo in lead roles, is an old-fashioned Western set in the Australian outback. One of the greatest 'What-ifs' in the history of American films is "What if Tom Selleck had played Indiana Jones instead of Harrison Ford?." Selleck was George Lucas' and Steven Spielberg's … Continue reading Quigley Down Under: Tom Selleck is perfectly cast as the sturdy, morally-upright cowboy-hero opposite Alan Rickman’s colorful villain in this terrific Outback Western →

Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure

British Director, Terence Young, brought together three movie icons, Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon, alongside Bond-Girl, Ursula Andress, in the 1971 Euro-Western, Red Sun. Long before Quentin Tarantino unleashed his 'Grindhouse-homage', "Kill Bill(2003)," starring Uma Thurman and David Carradine, with its mesmerizing mixture of (among other genres) Westerns, Martial arts films & Samurai … Continue reading Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure →

Chato’s Land: Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner teamed up for the first time on this bleak & brutal Vietnam-war-era Western that set the template for their ‘Death Wish’ films

Chato's Land(1972), directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson, Richard Jordan and Jack Palance, is a brutal, down & dirty, unsparing Western that explores racism & bigotry in the old-West. "To you this is so much bad land - rock, scrub, desert and then more rock. A hard land that the sun has sucked … Continue reading Chato’s Land: Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner teamed up for the first time on this bleak & brutal Vietnam-war-era Western that set the template for their ‘Death Wish’ films →

The Cowboys: John Wayne passes the baton to the next generation of (cow)boy heroes in one of his most poignant late-career Westerns

The Cowboys(1972), directed by Mark Rydell and starring John Wayne, Bruce Dern and Roscoe Lee Browne in lead roles, is a poignant Western that deals with issues of mortality, fatherhood, mentorship and coming-of-age. "Every man wants his children to be better'n he was. You are" In 1948, John 'Duke' Wayne teamed up with eminent director … Continue reading The Cowboys: John Wayne passes the baton to the next generation of (cow)boy heroes in one of his most poignant late-career Westerns →

Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance

Khartoum(1966), directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, is the last of the Cinerama roadshow epics of the 1960s. The film has Heston playing British hero, Charles 'Chinese' Gordon, who tries to save the city of Khartoum from the invading armies of Olivier's Mahdi. Western imperialism Vs Islamic fundamentalism, that's the … Continue reading Khartoum: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier battle it out in this visually stunning war epic that has great contemporary relevance →