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****
DVD Release
In the Wild West, a stagecoach
sets out with a group of strangers aboard. What should have been a routine journey
turns into a race against time as the group are tracked by Geronimo and the Apaches.
In these conditions, the strangers soon come to know each other.
The premise of the film is a
simple one, and is essentially a character study of each of the strangers. On
board are two outcasts in the shape Dallas and an alcoholic doctor, Boone,
alongside a gambler, a whisky salesman, a sick woman, a bank manager and the
two drivers. John Wayne appears a short way through as Ringo Kid, a man who has
escaped from jail but is now on his way back to town to face his sentence. To
start with, none of the passengers really know each other, but as the film
progresses they become embroiled in each other’s lives and ultimately set out
to protect one another. With so many characters, some are obviously overlooked
more than others – for example, I would’ve liked to have known more about the
relationship between Mrs Mallory and Hatfield. Still, the idiosyncrasies of
each person shine through and, for the most part, they are endearing. There are
moments of tension, such as the last chase scene across the desert, but the
film works best when it focuses on the relationships between the characters.
The last fifteen or so minutes
could easily have been cut from the film, but instead we have some rather
amusing scenes featuring crowds in a saloon all staring at Luke, Ringo Kid’s
sworn enemy – it feels as though the cast are about to break out into song and
start dancing on the tables. The final few romantic moments between Ringo and
Dallas are pretty corny, but the end result does leave you feeling quite
cheered. Some parts of the film make uncomfortable viewing with regards to the
horses used – this film was made prior to the Animal Welfare Act that decreed
that no animals should be harmed on film sets and I couldn’t help but pity the
horses used. The fact that the female characters are practically defenceless is
a little grating in places, and the dialogue can be corny, but this is pretty
enjoyable Western romp.
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