MovieChat Forums > Joe Kidd (1972) Discussion > Even Eastwood couldn't save THIS one.

Even Eastwood couldn't save THIS one.


Pretty poor excuse for a western starring the great Clint Eastwood. Clint is one of my very favorite western movie actors, but I was disappointed in this one. Give me "Where Eagles Dare", that's my type of Eastwood movie.
Mountain Man

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I have to disagree.

While this isn't High Plains Drifter nor The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, this movie tells a story about about a largely glossed-over period of US history and tells it efficiently.
It certainly (IMHO) could have been a little longer,had a touch more character development and it could have done w/o some the "flourishes" added by the director (was the train really necessary?).

But overall it was a satisfactory Revisionist Western w/ a truly ambiguous ending. My kind of movie.



No offense...but your style of writing makes reading even that more difficult

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Agree jw..

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[deleted]

I saw the first fifteen minutes, and I have to admit, it doesn't look good. I don't know who shot this, but it needed work before being released.

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I tend to agree with the mountain man that it's one of Clint's weaker efforts, certainly in the western genre. Great director...John Sturges, writer...Elmore Leonard no less (though that doesn't forgive the lame script), extremely photogenic locations (IMO the best aspect of the movie), a generally fine cast (John Saxon...an interesting Mexican?)...but it just doesn't somehow gel together. Joe seems to be a "hero" who constantly prevaricates, seemingly unable to make up his mind one way or the other. He is supposed to know the frontier regions where they track Chama really well, yet that's not used to his advantage. He ends up heading back to town for an over the top showdown complete with trains and Sheriff Mitchell! I bundle Joe Kidd with other less than salubrious Eastwood offerings such as "Pink Cadillac". Pale Rider, Unforgiven and High Plains Drifter it definitely ain't!

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You are right.. not my idea of a good western nor something good enough for the great Eastwood.

,,Now this is good... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9HvXMnfwmk

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[deleted]

I have a theory that any movie, tv show with john saxon in it equals bad. he's a fine actor, but anything with him in it means sub par. saying that, I still like this movie a lot. how can you not love anything with robert duvall and clint? plus it has great scenery. look up a list of john saxon movies and tv shows and you'll see what I mean. it was just like bad luck on his part to be in so many bad movies and tv shows. he was one of those actors who would take anything for the work, which you can't blame them one bit for doing.

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I actually found it to be one of his best lesser known movies.

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