Once Upon a Texas Train (1988)

Directed by: Burt Kennedy | 96 minutes | western | Actors: Willy Nelson, Richard Widmark, Shaun Cassidy, Chuck Connors, Ken Curtis, Royal Dano, Jack Elam, Gene Evans, Kevin McCarthy, Dub Taylor, Stuart Whitman, Angie Dickinson, Jeb Stuart Adams, Clare Carey, Harry Carey Jr.

The western is surely the most recognizable genre in the film world and with an age of more than a hundred years it is also one of the oldest. What started in 1903 with Edwin S. Porter’s ‘The Great Train Robbery’ resulted in a huge series of films for lovers of the wild west, cowboys and bank robberies. The acting careers of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are carried on by their roles in westerns and other leading actors such as James Stewart and Humphrey Bogart also made the occasional successful foray into this genre. In the film ‘Once Upon a Texas Train’ it is good old Richard Widmark with his almost 45 years of acting experience who takes the lead role. It would also be one of his last roles, as he retired in 1990 at the age of 76.

Captain Oren Hayes (Richard Widmark) is the superintendent of the powerful group of law enforcement officers called ‘Texas Rangers’, who reach the pinnacle of his career when he captures and incarcerates the notorious criminal John Henry (Willie Nelson), an outlawed cowboy. Twenty years later, John Henry is released. He is older, but does not regret his act and has not lost his wild hair for a long time. Within six hours of his release, he made Hayes pay by robbing the Bank of Texas of $20,000 in gold. The furious Hayes – who has a bone to pick with Henry anyway because he used to chase his wife (Angie Dickinson) – decides to give up his pension and go on a hunt with his mates for this notorious outlaw.

Those who regularly watch westerns will encounter many familiar faces in ‘Once Upon a Texas Train’. Chuck Connors, Stuart Whitman, Dub Taylor, Jack Elam, Ken Curtis, Gene Evans, Royal Dano, Kevin McCarthy, Harry Carey and Hank Worden; they are all American character actors who more than earned their spurs in the forties, fifties and sixties, especially in westerns. It is clear to some that these gentlemen were already quite old at the time of the shooting of this film. For example, consider Ken Curtis, who plays Kelly Sutton. He is clearly physically lacking in everything and hardly says anything. Still, it doesn’t bother because he is at times reminiscent of an older version of silent film actor Buster Keaton. The presence of this large group of old character actors is certainly something special.

The film does not have to rely on the story; the whole thing feels dated and a bit long-winded (while the film is only 96 minutes long). The colors are faded and the monotonous soundtrack doesn’t add much either. It is, however, dripping from all sides that the actors enjoy their work, without exception. The ‘oldies’ put their best foot forward one last time, because they all know it will probably be the last time. That would become clear later, because most of them died during the nineties. They must have been grateful to director Burt Kennedy for this last chance. Willie Nelson, one of the ‘younger’ cast members, said: “They may be old, but they’re great professionals and that’s what matters in the end.”

For fans of the western genre, this film is definitely worth watching. It’s nice to see all those familiar, characterful heads from long ago in action. A feast of recognition. Especially considering the subtle humor that writer/director Burt Kennedy has incorporated into the story (Jack Elam selling his horse to buy a bicycle with the money, to keep up with the times). Film viewers who have little to do with cowboys and westerns will probably not find this otherwise mediocre production much.