ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[memento]

IMDB: Sam (John Wayne) and George (Stewart Granger) strike gold in Alaska. George sends Sam to Seattle to bring George's fiance back to Alaska. Sam finds she is already married, and returns instead with Angel (Capucine). Sam, after trying to get George and Angel together, finally romances Angel, who, in the meantime, is busy fighting off the advances of George's younger brother, Billy (Fabian). Frankie (Ernie Kovacs) is a con man trying to steal the partner's gold claim.

[oilgun]

Plot:  This rather unusual 50s western is set in a town where men may not enter. The town is controlled by a woman gambler who eventually succumbs to the allure of a handsome and persistent cowboy.

[southendmd]

Sergio Leone's best, some think.  AKA "For a Few Dollars More".

IMDb:  "For a Few Dollars More" has become the template for which most Spaghetti Westerns derive.

As Leone went along, his films got more daring and complex, exploring new ideas and raising not only the bar for Spaghetti Westerns (which, contrary to popular belief, were around before "A Fistful of Dollars") but for Westerns in general. However, this exploration at times affected the quality of his films. Leone was a popcorn director - a visual stylist who always entertained first and maybe provoked a thought or two second. However, his films were never think pieces so when he tried to integrate depth into his films the results became uneven.

"For a Few Dollars More" is his best film because it catches Leone in his most transitional period. At once the film is more complex and stylized than "A Fistful..." and more tight and efficient than "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly" (which is almost on par with "For a Few..."). The revenge sub-plot involving Colonel Mortimer is more compelling than the similar one in Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" because Mortimer is more developed as a character than the Harmonica Player (which is not to insult the great Charles Bronson).

And hell, it has Lee Van Cleef as one of the biggest bad-asses of all time. The mere presence of Colonel Douglas Mortimer elevates the film to a new level. He steals the film from "Manco" completely. And Van Cleef's theft of the film is what makes it a cut above "A Fistful...". As a character, "The Man With No Name" (who in actuality has three: Joe, Manco and Blondie) isn't very interesting and there always needs to be a counterpoint to play off of him. That's why "A Fistful..." isn't nearly as good as this film or "The Good..." (which had the great Eli Wallach in one of the best scenery munching performances ever).

So in closing, "For a Few..." is a tight masterpiece of fluff Western entertainment. It's mean, violent and immoral, just the way any good Spaghetti Western should be.

[Fran]

From IMDb:  Big Jake McCandles is on the trail on bandits in this action drama that stretches from Texas to Mexico. It's 1909, and the Old West is giving way to modern times. When the outlaw gang led by vicious John Fain raids Jake's ranch and kidnaps his 8-year-old grandson, Jake's wife, whom he hasn't seen in 18 years, sends for her husband to rescue the boy. While the law gives chase in rickety automobiles, Jake saddles up with an Indian scout, a faithful dog, and a box of money. But paying ransom isn't Jake's idea of good old frontier justice.

[memento]

Plot from IMDB: Not a Rowdy Yates in sight in this western set in a stop over for the California to St Louis mail stagecoach run. The two staff are warned that four dangerous outlaws are in the area, and together with a female stage passenger and her baby they wait patiently for the word to go round that these men have been caught. Can you guess where the outlaws decide to hide out while they plan a large gold robbery? What follows is a film that concentrates on small details (like attempts to slip a warning note to a passing stage, or to reach a hidden gun that the bad guys don't know about) as the captives try anything to get away from the outlaws.

[Lynne]

Based on my all-time favorite western novel by Jack Schaefer!!

From Wiki:
A mysterious gunslinger named Shane (Alan Ladd) drifts into a quiet western town, and quickly finds himself drawn into a conflict between simple homesteader (sodbuster) Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) and powerful cattle baron Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer), who wants to force him and every other homesteader in the valley off his land. Shane accepts a job as a farmhand, but finds Starrett's young son Joey (Brandon DeWilde) drawn to him for his strength and skill with a gun. Shane himself is uncomfortably drawn to Starrett's wholesomely charming wife, Marian (Jean Arthur).

As tensions mount between the factions, Ryker hires Jack Wilson (Jack Palance), a cold-blooded and skilled gunslinger. After Wilson cold-bloodedly murders another homesteader (played by Elisha Cook, Jr.) who stands up to him, Joe Starrett decides to take it on himself to go kill Wilson and Ryker and save the town; however, he is stopped by Shane who insists on going himself. Starrett and Shane get in a fist fight where the winner will go on to face Wilson and Shane regretfully uses his gun to hit Joe over the head and knock him out, knowing this was the only way to prevent Joe from getting killed. Shane then goes to take on Wilson in a climactic showdown, killing him and Ryker, but being wounded in the shootout. After urging young Joey to grow up strong and take care of both of his parents, Shane leaves for parts unknown.

When Shane rides away, Joey calls after him, "Pa's got things for you to do! And Mother wants you. I know she does." The movie closes with Joey shouting "Shane! Shane! Come back!"

Due to the ambiguous nature of the final shot, there is some question as to whether or not Shane actually survives his wound, especially as he is last seen riding off in the direction of the local cemetery, a possible symbolic intimation of his death or in a more general sense the symbolic death of the gunfighter in western life.

[Fran]

From IMDb:  A gunhand named Lane is hired by a widow, Mrs. Lowe, to find gold stolen by her husband so that she may return it and start fresh.

[memento]

IMDB: On a cold, eerie evening, on a barren, wind-swept mountainside, a leathery, evil man named Grady brings eight people to their destiny. A priest looking for the money to build a church hides a dark past, a young married couple looking for the wealth to start a life together, a prostitute searching for a way out of her present, - they all share one thing - a desire for the gold that is buried deep in the mountain. What they find instead is a terrifying horror and a powerful greed that leads them into a descent into the maelstrom of their existences.

[southendmd]

IMDb:  Truly bad western with some soft core sex scenes. Cowboy comes to town, goes to a 'cat house' to get a bath and sample the wears [sic]. For some reason or another 'the bad guys' come looking for him so he has to make a hasty departure and takes the 'madam' along with him. It all ends happily. ( If you blink you will Brigitte Maier, former Penthouse Cover Girl, in a 'cat fight' with another prostitute.) Perhaps the beautiful porn star hurt her career by appearing in this garbage.

[Fran]

From IMDb:  Taw Jackson returns from prison, having survived being shot, to the ranch and gold that Frank Pierce stole from him. Jackson makes a deal with Lomax, the man who shot him 5 years ago to join forces against Pierce and steal a large gold shipment. The shipments are transported in the War Wagon, an armored stage coach that is heavily guarded. The two of them become the key players in the caper to separate Pierce from Jackson's gold.