Day 45- Movie 41. The Train Robbers (1973)

You know, I've watched 40 movies so far in this challenge, and I realized that I had not yet watched a Western. That's a shame, so I decided to rectify it with John Wayne's The Train Robbers. This is one of Wayne's later films (he made only 5 others before he died), but it is in many ways the traditional Western we've come to expected from him.

I wouldn't say The Train Robbers is one of Wayne's best, but this is still a solid movie. The film is about a gunfighter (John Wayne) hired by a widow (Ann-Margret) to find $500,000 in gold stolen by her late husband in a train robbery. She wants to return the money to the railroad to set an example for her son. Wayne and his group set out with the widow in tow, but they face off against a much larger band of outlaws who want the money for themselves.

The movie features some good performances by Wayne and Margret. They work well together, and seem to get along pretty well. Wayne is at his charismatic, tough guy best. Margret adds some much needed softness to the film, and has a pretty funny scene in which she's very drunk. The movie unfolds pretty much as you expect- lots of horse riding, some gun fights, a few explosions, etc. The movie also devotes time to develop the characters, which doesn't always happen in Westerns. We have a number of scenes of various people talking, remembering old times, and reflecting on their current state. These quiet moments were interesting, and really gave the characters needed depth.

The movie is pretty beautiful to watch- the cinematography is oftentimes outstanding. The score was very well done. The movie also has an unexpected twist near the end, which makes the movie a bit unique in terms of your average Western movie. For some reason, though, this movie isn't regarded as very good by many critics. That surprised me a bit. The film is not a classic, but it is a serviceable, entertaining film. I thought it was a bit underrated by many critics and viewers.

I thought The Train Robbers was a good movie. John Wayne movies are almost always good. While this is clearly not one of his best, there's not too much wrong with it, either. I would give this film a 7/10.

I wish more people today would watch Westerns. Westerns were such a huge genre of film for decades- dozens and dozens came out every year. Over time, audiences' tastes changed, and now we get about 1 a year. The genre is certainly predictable, but I've always loved watching them regardless. There's something so relaxing about watching Westerns simply because you know what to expect. There's good guys and bad guys, gunfights, gold, drinking in saloons, revenge plots, and horse chases. These elements make up the majority of Westerns and it's just so comforting to see these elements play out over and over again, always with slight variations. If you love movies and haven't gone back to watch some of the classic Westerns, I highly encourage you to check them out. There are some truly great movies in tha collection.

So, John Wayne made an almost shocking amount of Westerns- what is your favorite John Wayne Western?