The War Wagon (1967)

Directed by: Burt Kennedy | 101 minutes | action, western | Actors: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker Jr., Keenan Wynn, Bruce Cabot, Joanna Barnes, Valora Noland, Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, Terry Wilson, Don Collier, Sheb Wooley, Ann McCrea, Emilio Fernandez

Released from prison, Taw Jackson wants back his gold mine and home taken from him by the mighty Frank Pierce. But he soon realizes that it’s better to put this out of his mind. Pierce knows the law on his side because of the current corruption among the authorities, so Jackson has little chance of getting his property back legally. He therefore focuses on a slightly easier goal and that is to capture a large amount of gold that Pierce wants to transport from the mine to civilization. The complication is that it is not an ordinary means of transport, but a metal armored vehicle equipped with a machine gun, which is also accompanied by a large group of heavily armed men who are not afraid of anything. Jackson therefore gathers a group of confidants to assist him in this.

There is the shaggy Indian Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel) who has to provide safe conduct through the territory of the Indians. The underhanded Wes Fletcher (Keenan Wynn) who has a car that can transport the looted gold. Young drunk Billy Hyat (Robert Walker) who, if he’s sober, is a genius when it comes to explosives. And, of course, Lomax, Jackson’s nemesis, who has been hired by Pierce once before to take out Jackson and whose loyalty Jackson may, but may not, rely on. This illustrious group has to take on the great criminal Pierce and his many men.

Ha, this is totally John Wayne as we know him: big, strong and a tad too heavy, but a one-piece dude with real man lyrics. When he sees his old revolver from one of Pierce’s men, he takes it away and says that the bullets belong to the thief and that if he wants it back, he can come and collect it from him. Whenever he wants. Delicious. Kirk Douglas is also such a macho and when he drops a handful of coins one by one into the décolleté of a local beauty, while he is sitting right on top of it, she doesn’t slap him in the face, but starts cooing gracefully with so much masculinity. The tough men and their equally tough lyrics are fun, the story is exciting enough and the fun is infectious. A nice movie for a Saturday afternoon.