PodBill
Just what I expected
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
one-nine-eighty
The McCandles ranch is attacked by a gang of bad guys led by John Fain. They kill people, they steal things, but worse, they kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. Only "Big" Jake McCandles, John Wayne, can save the day, despite being old and presumed long dead in the film. Big Jake leads a small group which includes his real life son, as well as the kidnappers bounty through the wild west to the meeting point. Learning about each other in the process and having the occasional punch up.The acting can be split into two in this film. First, the dialogue - it's strong and the narrative drives action throughout the film. Secondly the acting, it's bloody awful, the punches are so fake that you could walk an elephant through the space between fist and face. Not being a massive font of knowledge on John Wayne films this felt like what a typical John Wayne film would feel like; an older looking fellow who rides into town, he's got a smart and sarcastic mouth, he respects ladies, he stands up to the bad guys, he punches some people, shoots others, then he rides off into the sunset. This is that kind of a film. It's set in 1909 at a time when motorbikes and motorcars roamed the wild west as well as outlaws on horseback, this felt a little out of place for my expectations of a western film, but hey ho, they have to move with the times too I guess. Not the best western, not the best western (because that's a hotel in the UK), something to watch with your brain disengaged on a lazy Sunday. Enjoy!
classicsoncall
As I sit here thinking about the movie, the question that keeps popping up is 'who was Little Jake's father?'. At the shootout to end the story, he calls James (Patrick Wayne) 'Uncle Jim', and Michael (Christopher Mitchum) was obviously too young. Process of elimination would make the wounded McCandles brother Jeff (Bobby Vinton) his Dad, but that was never firmly established, and I don't recall Jeff ever reacting to the kidnapping like Jake was his own son. So what gives? If anyone can answer, we can start in on who was Little Jake's mother.I liked the way the story mixed in elements of humor to move the story forward. The buckshot butt scene was comical, and hearing John Wayne sing in Spanish in the shower was a bit offbeat for the film star. I don't think I've ever seen Wayne sing in a picture, so that was an interesting touch. Dog's (Dog?) role was a welcome addition to the story too, but it was a little distracting whenever his coloration seemed to change from time to time. Still, a dog that loyal comes highly recommended.I'm on record in some of my other reviews for preferring the old Paladin himself, Richard Boone as a Western villain. He seems more colorful as an outlaw and certainly has the craggy features to pull off the bad guy role. His 'thought you were dead' line to Big Jake at the finale was priceless; the film needed that closure to fulfill one of Big Jake's promises earlier in the story.All in all a decent John Wayne Western, establishing his character right up there with the likes of J.D. Cahill and Rooster Cogburn. Now if we can get the Little Jake mystery cleared up we'd be all set.
mfredenburg
From its documentary style opening, Big Jake delivers big fun, big adventure, nasty villains, whippersnapper sons and classic John Wayne. This movie has something for everyone, but be warned it has plenty of violence and is definitely a PG/ PG13 type film.The supporting cast is excellent with Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum, Richard Boone,Bruce Cabot, Maureen O'Hara, Gregg Palmer and Dog turning in solid performances.While there are the formulaic elements such as horrendous acts perpetuated by bad men that give license to the good guys to do whatever is necessary to right the wrong, Big Jake also has other elements that make this film not just another Western:1) Takes place in transition period of the turn of the century which provides some interesting interaction between the old ways and new ways. 2) Fun relationships and interplay between an estranged father and his young adult sons. 3) Great mixture of fun and intense gritty action. (John Wayne movies are known for this)Consequently - If you like Westerns this is a classic that you will enjoy.If you are a fan of John Wayne at all this is a must see film.If you are just looking for a good gritty action film with a healthy dose of humor seamlessly woven in to the story you will not be disappointed.Ultimately, this is one of my favorite John Wayne films.
zardoz-13
Several things about director George Sherman's last western shoot'em-up "Big Jake" are significant. First, this represented the last time John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara co-starred in a film. Earlier, Wayne and O'Hara made "Rio Grande" (1950), "The Quiet Man" (1952), "The Wings of Eagles" (1957), and "McLintock!" (1963). O'Hara has two scenes in "Big Jake," but she appears in only one with the Duke. Second, this was the tenth and last time Wayne and Sherman worked together. Sherman had called the shots on several strictly average "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie westerns with Wayne for Republic Studios back in the late 1930s. Reportedly, Wayne stepped in to helm some scenes when the ailing Sherman could not. Third, this oater also re-teamed Wayne with a poncho-clad Richard Boone as an unsavory main villain. Previously, they appeared together in "The Alamo" (1960) and ultimately confronted each other again in a bar room shoot-out in Wayne's final western "The Shootist" (1976). "Dirty Harry" scenarists Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink penned the entertaining but formulaic screenplay about the kidnapping of a wealthy but aging cattleman's grandson. Indeed, the villains are a dastardly bunch, and they give our the heroes a difficult time. As "Big Jake," John Wayne spends most of his time riding around Mexico trying to keep himself and his two inexperienced sons alive. Although this is largely a traditional Wayne western, "Big Jake" pits the weapons and transportation of an old-fashioned western (horses, revolvers, and shotguns) against the new-fangled western where people ride in cars or on motorcycles and wield automatic weapons. Predictably, 'Big' Jake wins the day with his old-fashioned approach. Sherman does a solid job of establishing the setting of this sagebrusher and the time period with a lengthy prologue. John Fain (Richard Boone) leads a gang of murderous cutthroats who raid the McCandles ranch. This opening shoot-out qualifies as the bloodiest gunfight in a Wayne western. When bullets hit bodies, huge smears of red paint appear. Remember, the Duke objected to those exploding blood squibs in Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" and described them as "obscene." Since most of the ranch hands are away on a cattle round-up, Fain and his trigger-happy gunmen have little trouble when they start blasting away after some friendly conversation with the foreman. Without a qualm, they wound and/or kill ten men, women and children. They wound McCandles' eldest son Jeff (Bobby Vinton of "Surf Party") and kidnap his eight-year old grandson (Ethan Wayne) and then post a ransom of $1 million. 'Big' Jake McCandles' wife, Martha (Maureen O'Hara of "The Quiet Man"), summons her husband through some messengers. They meet at a railway station, and she hands him the ransom note. Jake and Martha have been estranged for almost a decade, but they both love little Jake, and 'Big Jake' vows to bring him back. Waiting for their father at the depot are sons James McCandles (real-life son Patrick Wayne of "The Alamo") and Michael (Christopher Mitchum of "Rio Lobo") and their reception is soured by James' sarcasm toward his father. James calls him "Daddy" in a snide voice, and Jake pulls him off his horse and hurls him into a mud puddle. Jake informs James in no uncertain terms: "You can call Dad, you can call me Father, you can call me Jacob and you can call me Jake. You can call me a dirty old son-of-a-bitch, but if you EVER call me Daddy again, I'll finish this fight." Jake takes custody of a huge red strongbox with a million dollars in it and rides off with his old friend Sam Sharpnose (Bruce Cabot of "King Kong") while James and Michael follow Buck and the Texas Rangers.A conventional and often predictable oater, "Big Jake" springs no real surprises. The revelation about an hour into the action that our heroes have been guarding a strong box that contains nothing but paper clippings comes as no surprise. No sooner have Buck and the Texas Rangers entered Mexico than Fain's men ambush them, kill three of them, and riddle their cars with gunfire. Meanwhile, it appears that Michael has been shot because he crashes his motorcycle and lays sprawled in the dust. Jake is more surprised than we are when his son gets back up. Naturally, this calls for Wayne to punch Michael's lights out. Jake leaves the Texas Rangers to fend for themselves while he rides off to the rendezvous with Fain. At about a hour into the plot, Jake and Fain meet in Jake's camp. Fain instructs them to go to the nearby Mexican town of Escondero and await their orders. Later that evening, gunmen try to storm room number eight where our heroes are lying in wait for them. Jake, James, and Sam leave Michael alone in the room. Jake stages a distraction so Sam can slip back into the room, while James guns down to bullies in the saloon with his automatic pistol. Not long afterward, a suspicious Pop Dawson fetches Jake and company and they ride out to meet Fain and ransom the youngster. It is a classic stand-off again when Fain and Jake confront each other with Little Jake in plain sight. Michael has ascended to the top of water tower and uses his high-powered rifle to knock out a sniper in an adjacent belfry. What started as an interesting scene degenerates into a free-for-all shoot-out without a shred of suspense. The brute with a machete manages to slash poor old Sam to death and later kills the dog. Jake throws a lantern at Fain and lights him up before he perforates him with a bullet. No sooner has Little Jake been reunited with his family than the film freeze-frames them and comes to an end."Big Jake" qualifies as an above-average Wayne effort with more blood than usual, and the Duke makes a memorable entrance that overshadows everything that follows.
