Movie Review: Big Jake (1971)

Hello, to all of you!

It is another day where I review a movie because it would've been an actor's birthday. A 100th birthday, too! I'd never seen this film before, but I gave it a shot today. Enjoy!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Big Jake (1971):

"The turbulent years between the civil war and the turn of the century brought out the best in some people, but in others it brought out the worst."

When a little boy is kidnapped and held for ransom, his grandmother tracks down her former husband to find him. Joined by his sons who haven't seen him in years they start following with the required sum. These criminals are dangerous and a million dollars is a lot of money, what are they willing to do to get it?

Genre: Western.
Length: approx. 110 minutes.
Costumes: 8, all decent and relevant to the times.
Script: 7, a few names callings and bad words sprinkled throughout.
Crew: Directed by: George Sherman. Written by: Harry Julian Fink & R. M. Fink.
Starring:
John Wayne as Jacob McCandles.

Richard Boone as John Fain.

Maureen O'Hara as Martha McCandles.
Christopher Mitchum as Michael McCandles.
Patrick Wayne as James McCandles.
Ethan Wayne as Little Jake McCandles

Bruce Cabot as Sam Sharpnose.

Bobby Vinton as Jeff McCandles.
Glenn Corbett as O'Brien, aka Breed.
John Doucette as Texas Ranger Capt. Buck Duggan
John Agar as Bert Ryan.
Harry Cary Jr. as Pop Dawson.
Gregg Palmer as John Goodfellow.
Jim Burk as Trooper.
Dean Smith as James William "Kid" Duffy.
Robert Warner as Will Fain.
Jeff Wingfield as Billy Devries.
Everett Creach as Walt Devries.
Roy Jenson as Gunman.
William Walker as Moses Brown.
George Fenneman as Narrator.

Cinematography: 8, the fight scenes with the darkness and light were really impressive. It was hard to see and it kept you guessing about who was lurking in the shadows.
Cinematography by: William H. Clothier.
Music: 8, it seemed like standard western music to me until the end, then I really liked the way they used it.
Music by: Elmer Bernstein.
Quotability: N/A because I just watched it. This line surprised me by how out of the blue it was:

"They say the elk in Montana are as big as buffalo this year..."

Content: 6, there is a lot of shooting with killing and blood (which is really red, so it looked kind of fake, but it was still a lot). There is a brief mention of a prostitute, but that's all of that. The biggest thing is the violence. Animals are hurt as well as people.

"There are two reasons to kill: survival and meat."

Originality: 9, I don't know what it is, but something about this seemed super original to me. I've seen stories involving ransoms and kidnappings before (even a John Wayne one), but the different elements in this one were unique.

I loved this dog.

Good For: Western fans (for sure!), John Wayne fans.
Age Range: I believe that this is PG-13 for the violence, and I'd agree with that. As I always say though, it depends on each individual.
Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Yeah, it was! Now, this may shock some people, but I'm not a John Wayne fan. I've seen quite a few movies with him, but there aren't many that I like. This one though, this was good. Plus, I saw him wearing glasses for the first time (for a short period of time)!
Will I watch again?: Sure thing! I'll go more into the details why in a minute, but this may be one of my new favorite Westerns!
Bonus thoughts:
Can I say that I'm impressed? 'Cause I am! The opening was a curious (but good) way to start. There were epic parts (with some wild motorcycle skills), as well as bits that played with my heart strings. Michael was my favorite character. I love how caring he is as well as careful, but also takes some big risks. He's always so nice to his dad and kind of moderates James. He was awesome.

Who else was awesome? And it would be her birthday?

Maureen O'Hara!

While she doesn't have much screen time, she is an important character who calls most of the shots (sorry, pun not intended with this Western). Her presence seemed so regal to me in this one.

My sisters and I watched The Parent Trap (1964) a few days ago and I was thinking about reviewing it for today, but I decided on this film so it could be my first entry in Legends of Western Cinema Week 2020! You know, kill two birds with one stone?

As I said earlier, I'm glad I did because this is a new favorite Western! I don't get the chance to watch many, and usually my dad and I just make fun of how bad shots the "villains" are, but this was a solid enjoyable film for me. Now I'm in the mood for more! Are you, too? Check out HERE or HERE for a ton of more recommendations all week long.


Your turn to talk! Have any of you seen this? Favorite Western? Favorite Maureen O'Hara movie? Anything else? Thanks for reading!

Happy 100th, Maureen O'Hara!

MovieCritic