Leofwine_draca
TYCOON is a very typical John Wayne picture with little to distinguish it from the multitude. The western star plays the man in charge of building a railroad across a dangerous gorge in South America; the plot is complicated - and slowed down quite considerably - when he ends up falling for his boss's daughter in the meantime. Yes, it's one of those dawdling tales that gets bogged down in romance and character interplay, with Wayne playing something of an amoral figure required to redeem himself through manly action. Unfortunately the running time goes on way too long, and there are too many scenes involving Cedric Hardwicke's glum character and not enough with the more interesting characters, like a youthful Anthony Quinn.
SimonJack
This 1947 film by RKO is one of several in which John Wayne has an interesting role other than Western or war. The movie has a very good plot, but an unfortunately weak script. The cast includes some of the best second tier performers in Hollywood during that time, and all delivered very well. Wayne is good in his role, but Anthony Quinn's role doesn't quite develop. Laraine Day and Cedric Hardwicke turn in good performances in roles that could have been developed better with a good script. One aspect that I don't see anyone else has commented on is the character played by Wayne. We all see quickly the hardness of Hardwicke's character, and the dislike between him and Duke's character. But the film has a good undertone about the Wayne character. Pop touches on it toward the end when he says that Johnny has changed – and not for the better. He does go through another transformation – a return to his former self at the end. But the underlying characteristic that is the cause for much of the trouble he encounters is his pride. This is a film about a decent guy who lets his pride get the best of him when he gets locked into a feud with the Hardwicke character. And it almost leads to his downfall. In the end, the loyalty and lasting friendship of his main crew members help draw Wayne's character out of his self-centeredness and he returns to the Johnny everyone knew and liked.My rating is high for this film mainly for its subtle message and lesson, and for its overall entertainment value. "Tycoon" holds one's interest from start to finish, and has some excellent action segments, some very good scenic shots, and very good camera work.
MartinHafer
This movie provided little satisfaction when I watched it. No, it wasn't BAD, really, but it was certainly several notches below the quality you'd expect from one of his films. For example, while this is a color movie, every print I have seen looks very grainy and cheap--so it's very interesting that another reviewer comment on how good it looked. Maybe I just didn't get to see the right print. Also, the dialog is, at times, really crappy and riddled with clichés--like it was meant for just another B-movie and not a star whose career was definitely on the upswing as Wayne's was. And finally, the plot just didn't engage me--perhaps because there just wasn't that much action or suspense. Without the Japanese or Commies or Indians to fight, it just falls a little flat.
Marta
John plays an engineer helping to build a bridge over a dangerous South American gorge, and Laraine Day plays the daughter of the wealthy man trying to get the bridge built. This is a tough film to wade your way through; it's over 2 hours long, and not especially exciting. Cedric Hardwicke and Judith Anderson are good, but they can't help this piece much.
AD
