moonspinner55
Kirk Douglas' second stab at film directing garnered him some favorable reviews, however this western with political flourishes is full of hot air rather than excitement. A US Marshal, beloved by the residents of a small dirt town, plans the ambush of a gang of bank robbers; their leader (Bruce Dern), who gets away, would be the feather in his cap for the Marshal, who is also running for State Senator. Though this is probably the only time in movie history a crook escaped from prison using a broomstick (!), this screenplay from Christopher Knopf and William Roberts is loaded down with the usual western clichés (mostly visual, though we are not spared the muttering old coot who works the printing press). With an extremely weak cast and unattractive locales, Douglas has only himself as an actor and the picture's marginal technical merits to fall back on. Some saw this as a political allegory; if so, it isn't a very incisive one, nor an entertaining or important one. *1/2 from ****
inspectors71
Kirk Douglas proves that his first choice for a career--in front of the camera--was a good one, directing Posse, a weak and silly "message" western about a politically ambitious US Marshall on the hunt for a notorious outlaw and the promotion that will result from his capture.It is interesting seeing Douglas run his PR spin machine in the Old West, and Bruce Dern, as the outlaw, is both cunning and charming (and not the psycho we all grew to love and hate). There is so much character-actor star-power in Posse, that I remember liking it despite its wheezy moralizing and Watergate-era world-view.Yet, if you've got nothing better to do than watch a late entry into the genre, with a strong cast more comfortable than good and a story more parody than satire, I'd just about recommend Posse.Just tie your standards to the hitchin' post.
helpless_dancer
Not a bad western, but not a real winner either. Most of the acting was good, but some of the performers need to go back to drama class and bone up a bit. Douglas and Dern kept the show going with their give and take, although I don't think the real lawmen and desperados actually carried on in this fashion. I think Strawhorn was more of a realist than a truly bad person; he saw the reality of life and became practical because of his vision. Dealing with 2 faced con men like Nightingale merely solidified his outlook on life.
Wizard-8
Bet you didn't know that Kirk Douglas took the director's chair a couple of times, POSSE being one of them. If you like westerns, like me, you'll probably find this decent. The movie does suffer from the middle third of the movie, where the story pretty much grinds to a halt. Though this part wasn't really boring, it will probably make you wish they would get on with it. Also, the actions taken by certain characters near the end, though having some justification, didn't seem to have enough justification.On the positive side, POSSE is well shot, well acted, good production values, and an interesting ending. It's worth seeing.P.S. - Leonard Maltin's description of this movie isn't exactly how the movie plays.
AD
