one-nine-eighty
The McCandles ranch is attacked by a gang of bad guys led by John Fain. They kill people, they steal things, but worse, they kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. Only "Big" Jake McCandles, John Wayne, can save the day, despite being old and presumed long dead in the film. Big Jake leads a small group which includes his real life son, as well as the kidnappers bounty through the wild west to the meeting point. Learning about each other in the process and having the occasional punch up.The acting can be split into two in this film. First, the dialogue - it's strong and the narrative drives action throughout the film. Secondly the acting, it's bloody awful, the punches are so fake that you could walk an elephant through the space between fist and face. Not being a massive font of knowledge on John Wayne films this felt like what a typical John Wayne film would feel like; an older looking fellow who rides into town, he's got a smart and sarcastic mouth, he respects ladies, he stands up to the bad guys, he punches some people, shoots others, then he rides off into the sunset. This is that kind of a film. It's set in 1909 at a time when motorbikes and motorcars roamed the wild west as well as outlaws on horseback, this felt a little out of place for my expectations of a western film, but hey ho, they have to move with the times too I guess. Not the best western, not the best western (because that's a hotel in the UK), something to watch with your brain disengaged on a lazy Sunday. Enjoy!
Leofwine_draca
BIG JAKE is another solid western for the dependable John Wayne, here playing up his age as an old-time gunslinger drawn back into action once more when his own son is kidnapped. The film charts the progression of the Old West with the advent of new technology; I never thought I'd be watching motorbike stunts in a John Wayne movie! I loved Wayne's character in this one, as his one-liners are tougher than ever and he has lots of little neat touches, like needing his glasses to read anything and sticking to short-range weapons due to his failing sight. The rest of the story is familiar but the cast is well populated by familiar faces and the action hits home.
mfredenburg
From its documentary style opening, Big Jake delivers big fun, big adventure, nasty villains, whippersnapper sons and classic John Wayne. This movie has something for everyone, but be warned it has plenty of violence and is definitely a PG/ PG13 type film.The supporting cast is excellent with Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum, Richard Boone,Bruce Cabot, Maureen O'Hara, Gregg Palmer and Dog turning in solid performances.While there are the formulaic elements such as horrendous acts perpetuated by bad men that give license to the good guys to do whatever is necessary to right the wrong, Big Jake also has other elements that make this film not just another Western:1) Takes place in transition period of the turn of the century which provides some interesting interaction between the old ways and new ways. 2) Fun relationships and interplay between an estranged father and his young adult sons. 3) Great mixture of fun and intense gritty action. (John Wayne movies are known for this)Consequently - If you like Westerns this is a classic that you will enjoy.If you are a fan of John Wayne at all this is a must see film.If you are just looking for a good gritty action film with a healthy dose of humor seamlessly woven in to the story you will not be disappointed.Ultimately, this is one of my favorite John Wayne films.
gmead02
I believe it was the last film I saw in the old Bayshore 5th avenue drive-in (not the bayshore sunrise drive-in). Websites claim the drive-in's last season was 1964, but to those that remember it closed much later. I think during or after that summer (1971)when the screen was torn in half by a tree after a storm. Either way, this film was a good old-fashioned western that came out in a time when westerns became revisionist garbage ("Doc"), or had political undertones that paralleled the view of some on the Vietnam war (Ulzana's raid, soldier blue, pat garrett and billy the kid)- not to say these were bad films, but it was the direction many films were going at that time. "Big Jake" made a statement about the changing times and how certain old tried-and-true methods were tried-and-true for a reason. Wayne knew full well what he was doing; his popularity was so for many reasons, one of which was tried-and-true movie-making. Good was good, bad was bad and people just wanted to sit back and enjoy rooting for the hero. This is not to say he didn't make westerns with gray areas, but when he did it was more a case in character study than political statements for the purpose of revision.
AD
