I agree with Macndeb, "Big Jake" is one heck of a movie! Director George Sherman did an excellent job of depicting the passing of the cowboy era with John Wayne, the ultimate cowboy, smack in the middle of it.

It is 1909, the old West is quickly passing away, there are oil derricks all over the Texas horizon. The sheriff drives a REO automobile. The Duke plays "Jacob McCandles", a man exiled from his home "spread" for eighteen years. His estranged wife, Maureen O'Hara, never lovelier, sends him an urgent message: their little grandson has been kidnapped, come home, pronto!

The Duke arrives riding his ol' horse and carrying his familiar Colt 45. His sons do not know him, except by reputation. Two of them accompany him on his man hunt. Duke is carrying one million dollars ransom money aboard an old mule. The sheriff and Texas rangers want to join the posse, but Big Jake demurs, so they set out in their newfangled automobiles to parallel his track and meet up with him later. Meet up they do, but the cars are not as durable as Duke's horse and he leaves them stranded to walk home. Also, the younger son, a "gadget freak", rides an early motorcycle, carries an automatic pistol, and a scoped rifle.

Duke and his sons are accompanied by one of the most savvy Indian scouts ever seen on the silver screen, "Sam Sharpnose", well portrayed by Bruce Cabot.

Led by lead villain Richard Boone, there are nine bandits to four pursuers... who will win in the inevitable confrontation?

Big Jake whispers to Richard Boone just before the shootout: "Your fault, my fault, nobody's fault, I'm gonna blow your head off. No matter who gets killed, no matter who gets shot, I'm gonna blow your head off."

There is plenty of action for everybody and well punctuated by the rousing Elmer Bernstein score. This movie is one of John Wayne's best! It is available now as a 20th Century Fox selection at a low price for a limited time.

I also recommend John Wayne in "The Shootist", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Alamo", and "Sands of Iwo Jima".





Recommended: Yes