Film Snail

6.7

Chisum

G·1970·111m

Western

Summary

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln County Land War in the New Mexico Territory of 1878.

Cast

John Wayne

John Chisum

Forrest Tucker

Lawrence Murphy

Christopher George

Dan Nodeen

Ben Johnson

James Pepper

Glenn Corbett

Pat Garrett

Andrew Prine

Alex McSween

Bruce Cabot

Sheriff Brady

Patric Knowles

Henry Tunstall

Richard Jaeckel

Jess Evans

Lynda Day George

Sue McSween

Geoffrey Deuel

Billy 'The Kid' Bonney

Pamela McMyler

Sallie Chisum

John Agar

Amos Patton

Lloyd Battista

Neemo

Robert Donner

Bradley Morton

Christopher Mitchum

Tom O'Folliard

Edward Faulkner

James J. Dolan

Ray Teal

Justice J.B. Wilson

Ron Soble

Charley Bowdre

John Mitchum

Baker

Glenn Langan

Colonel Nathan Dudley

Alan Baxter

Gov. Sam Axtell

Alberto Morin

Juan Delgado

William Bryant

Jeff - Head Wrangler

Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

Ben

John Pickard

Sgt. Braddock

Abraham Sofaer

Chief White Buffalo

Gregg Palmer

Karl Riker

Hank Worden

Stationmaster Elwood

Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez

Mexican Rancher

Jim Burk

Trace - Wrangler

Eddy Donno

Cass

Bob Morgan

Pegleg on Street

William Conrad

Narrator - Opening Credits (voice) (uncredited)

José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla'

Governor's Aide (uncredited)

Ron Fletcher

Doctor (uncredited)

'Chico' Hernandez

Boy on Town (uncredited)

John Kelly

Minister (uncredited)

Cliff Lyons

Wrangler (uncredited)

Josh McLaglen

Young Boy Loading Wagon (uncredited)

Mary McLaglen

Young Girl (uncredited)

Lee Meriwether

Sallie's Mother (picture in Chisum's Pocketwatch) (uncredited)

Chuck Roberson

Trail Herder (uncredited)

José Torvay

Mexican Blacksmith (uncredited)

José Trinidad Villa

Blacksmith (uncredited)

Ralph Volkie

Blacksmith (uncredited)

Henry Wills

Extra (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer

Andrew J. Fenady

Reviews

Dark Jedi

June 3, 2014

Maybe it is because I grew up with watching John Wayne (my father was a big fan of western movies) but I still really like these old goodies with John Wayne. Actually there are few movies with John Wayne that I do not like even though all of them are rather outdated in this age of overkill action and special effects.

This is definitely one of the better ones. John Wayne is doing what he does best. That is playing a slightly grumpy, hard-hitting cowboy. The role of Chisum is really perfect for John Wayne. That is not to say that the others are not doing a decent performance but it is really John Wayne that makes this movie.

The movie itself is a fairly standard land-grabbing, cattle-steeling and bullying western story were two men spend most of the movie working themselves towards the final confrontation which, as good western tradition prescribes, involves a hearty exchange of gunfire. Just for good measure a bit of fist fighting was thrown in as well.

There is nothing special with the story, there is nothing special with the acting, there is nothing special with the footage. It is just that everything is what I would expect, or at least hope for, in this kind of movie. The entire movie is just right in some old-fashioned way. The fact that the ending is reasonably happy is of course an additional plus.

This movie is simply great uncomplicated entertainment.