UnowPriceless hyped garbage

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Spikeopath Something Big is directed by Andrew V. McLagen and written by James Lee Barrett. It stars Dean Martin, Brian Keith, Carol White, Honor Blackman, Albert Salmi and Ben Johnson. Music is by Marvin Hamlisch (title song by Burt Bacharach) and cinematography by Harry Stradling Junior. Dull as dishwater, Something Big is the very definition of a star vehicle where the star sleepwalks for the paycheck. The plot for what it's worth has Martin as Joe Baker, an ageing bandit wanting to do something big before retirement. He strikes a deal with Jonny Cobb (Salmi), to exchange a Gatling Gun for a woman, you see Cobb just wants to get laid, apparently. With Joe's fiancée on her way to the Territory to make an honest man of him, and Colonel Morgan (Keith) determined to stop Joe achieving his criminal ambition before he himself retires, Joe has it all to do to do that something big. What follows in the one hour and forty five minute run time is, well, nothing of any note. There are a whole raft of characters in the mix, and a dog, but they never serve any purpose other than being dressage or to deliver some unfunny dialogue. The intention is to make Martin's lovable scallywag the axis for some mature daft shenanigans, building to the "big" finale before everyone settles down in the sun and shouts hooray! But Martin isn't interested, and McLaglen isn't clever enough to knit all the loose ends together. While the "big" finale consists of a five minute boring shoot-out that is essentially just Martin going around in a circle firing the Gatling Gun at bad guys we have not met, seen or had time to be intrigued about. Some nice costumes, cleavage and Technicolor photography stop it from total damnation, but this is only recommended to easy going Western fans who simply have no other genre choices to pick from in their nuclear fall out shelter. 3/10

thinman2001 While stationed in Thailand in 1972 during the Vietnam War, I had an opportunity to get a part-time job operating a movie projector at the base theater for the midnight show. One of the films I was fortunate to show was "Somthing Big", a rowdy, unpretentious western with a fun and talented cast headed by Dean Martin, Brian Keith, Albert Salmi and Honor Blackman. The film's strongest point is that it didn't take itself too seriously, yet still presented a fine array of subplots and character studies that nicely wove themselves together to a rousing finale. What has stuck out most in my mind for over the past 30+ years, however, was the movie's theme song. Like the film itself, the title song was a joyous and melodic tribute to the desire in everyone to reach for that star in the heavens, or that impossible dream. It is disappointing that the film never made it to VHS or DVD. If it ever shows up on cable TV, don't miss an opportunity to see this lost guilty pleasure.

hawk-48 Sorry markspangler1, but the location wasn't the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, it was filmed just outside Durango, Mexico where lots of western films have been made. Beautiful scenery, mountains and plains, deep blue skies unmarked by jet contrails or fences. Through a chance meeting with Hal Needham, Stunt Coordinator and stunt double for Dean Martin, I was invited on the set during filming. I've always wondered at why it wasn't a more popular film. Great actors, great director in big Andrew McLaglen (the man is BIG!) great scenery and cinematography. My biggest regret was not being on the set when Ben Johnson was on location. Just missed him. He was always one of my favorite actors. Authentic, unpretentious and believable in all his roles. Dean is funny and the dog a real trooper. See this movie if you can.

markspangler1 "Something Big" has always gotten a bad wrap from critics, but I have to disagree with them on this one.This flick is good, fun, western escapism at it's non political correctness best. Just two years later Mel Brooks was hailed for a much raunchier "Blazing Saddles", but for some reason "Something Big" was deemed way over the top in 1971. Sad, since by this point, after his "Airport" success, Dean was at the tail end of a hectic 25-year film making career. One senses that as Dean prepares to end his outlaw ways in the film, he was saying goodbye to the movie... after a continuous run of at least one film per year since 1949. Indeed, other than the Cannonball Run nonsense in the 80s, Dean would do only two more films... 1973's "Showdown" with Rock Hudson (a good one!) and 1975's crime drama "Mr. Ricco" (a MUST SEE for Dean fans).Anyway... onto "Something Big". Dean is on his last legs as an outlaw and wants to pull one more "big" event. This one involves getting a gattling gun, trying to get Albert Salmi a wife, putting some Mexican banditos on ice and ... ah, well, it's kind of a rollicking mish mash, but it's a lot of fun on the way!Dean is really in his element and shines as the anti-hero. Brian Keith is a hoot as a stiff calvary officer and other great supporting cast members like the great Ben Johnson and the above mentioned Albert Salmi make this one a must see. Like Dean's television show of the time, this flick doesn't take itself too seriously, but you know, deep down, the bad guys really aren't too bad and work with their own sort of code of honor. Speaking of honor, Honor Blackmun is good here too.Other Dean Martin westerns I'd recommend are Rio Bravo, Rough Night in Jericho and especially Showdown. He did others, but The Sons of Katie Elder and Five Card Stud weren't up to par in my opinion-although they are watchable. Only Four For Texas is truly bad.Too bad this isn't available on video or DVD. The Dean Martin catalog is seriously under represented in video and DVD and I hope that is rectified sometime soon.Enjoy "Something Big" for what it is... a bit randier version of "Support Your Local Sheriff" type of thing, with a pretty good cast of A list players, good locations and cinematography and a funny script. The deep blue arid skies and dusty locales are truly beautiful and may have been filmed near the Superstition Mts. in Arizona where I once lived, so the movie has a special place in my heart. The best thing I can say about this film is that it made me want to be one of the characters in it, looking for an adventure and finding it in the old west. No cares, no responsibilities, just a desire, once in life to do something really, really big!