JLRVancouver A typical star-driven late 60's Hollywood-oater, "Chisum" was entertaining but it's easy to see the rising appeal of grittier, harder Westerns like 1969's "The Wild Bunch" (a film reportedly disliked by John Wayne). Other than the iconic Wayne as the titular character and the always great Ben Johnson as his muttering sidekick, most of the cast looked like Hollywood actors and actresses playing at 'old-west' – hairstyles seemed anachronistic, women had tight fitting dresses, everyone had perfect teeth etc. Billy the Kid was portrayed as a pretty nice guy with his on-screen killings always justified (at least by him) and lots of references to him learning to read, do sums etc., and again, his mentor Tunstall is portrayed as an older British father-figure (he was actually less than 10 years older that The Kid). After watching John Wayne play a lot of 'larger-than-life' heroes like John Chisum, it's not surprising that some people were surprised by his actual acting ability when he finally played a more complex and ambivalent character in "True Grit". What I most disliked about "Chisum" was the music, especially the clichéd opening Ballad of John Chisum and the intrusive "Sally" song. All-in-all, an OK old-school western from an era when the genre was moving away from white hats vs. black hats story lines to more realistic (at least as realistic as a highly-fictionalised era can be), dirtier, and bloodier films.

cricket crockett . . . as in, "What would John Wayne do?" During CHISUM, Mr. Wayne joins forces with Billy the Kid to gun down countless corrupt sheriffs and deputies. No doubt many of these deputies think that they "were just following orders." But as hundreds of low-level Nazis hung for War Crimes after World War Two discovered as they were dangling from their nooses, this excuse of "I was just following orders" does NOT cut it when push comes to shove. How is CHISUM relevant to we Americans of the 21st Century Now? In a nut shell, 46% of U.S. voters have violated their Constitutional Oath NOT to elect Satan as America's President. First off, they voted for a self-proclaimed finger rapist of American Womanhood. Try to channel Mr. Wayne's (or Chisum's) reaction to the ACCESS H0LLYWOOD taped confession, or his response if Mr. T's tiny little digits had sneakily penetrated his niece Sallie's most personal part. Can't you just hear him muttering "You make me sick, Donald" in that disgusted guttural tone he had (assuming that he did not resort to immediate "Frontier Justice")? At the very least, CHISUM Justice calls for any known Trump supporters to spend the rest of their lives on their state's Sex Offender Registry, because American Law always has equated conspiracy to condone or facilitate a crime with actually committing that offense yourself, with an equivalent penalty being imposed on you.Perhaps the next biggest Reveal from last month's fiasco is that Communist Russia has been propping up the National Rifle Association financially for at least a decade, funneling in countless rubles for their pro-Trump political ads. Exit polls show that election loser Trump got 91% of the vote from card-carrying NRA dupes. If America ever gets back to her normal self, the NRA MUST be outlawed as a terrorist organization.Finally, Trump's appointment today of KGB chief Vlad "The Impaler" Putin's top Fifth Column Agent in America as U.S. Secretary of State--4th in line to the Presidency--after the previous Administration had Nixed this clown's plot to double what we pay at the gas pumps by merging his Exxon Company with Putin's Oligarch Oil Concern essentially welds America onto Russia's Rump as a Puppet Regime. Heroic Anti-Communist fighter Wayne would not have tolerated this sad situation for a New York Minute, nor would have Chisum or his buddy, Billy the Kid. They would have had the sense to go after ANY Trump supporter, given the fact that 24 U.S. intelligence agencies announced their agreement that the Trump Campaign was micro-managed, financed, and controlled by Putin and his Red Communist Henchmen in Russia BEFORE anyone voted. The U.S. military especially must be PURGED of the 226 generals and admirals Trump has claimed as supporters, and the rest of the Oath Takers there who have sworn to "fight to preserve and defend the U.S. Constitution" MUST be put on Trial for High Treason as soon as things get back to normal. John Wayne and his buddy Billy the Kid have NO qualms about killing as many corrupt so-called law enforcement people to make things right in CHISUM. If they had to waste a couple million Ring Leaders who duped a minority of 50 million some Fellow Travelers to Vote Trump, they would view the necessity for undertaking such a task--no matter how daunting--as a No-Brainer. America sometimes can show a little Mercy (though NOT toward a Baby Killer such as Tim McVeigh). As long as the weapons and assets of the weak-minded sheep who blindly danced to the tune of Trump's Pied Piper are promptly surrendered, there may not be a need to thin their suspect gene pool by liquidating them. We are NOT Nazi Germany. But we cannot afford to stay Putin's Amerika for very long, since inertia loves company. Again, ask yourself WWJD--What Would John Do?--and contribute to your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps) Today!

TankGuy John Chisum(John Wayne)is a fair-minded and successful rancher who has built up something of an empire on the rolling New Mexico plains. However his interests are threatened by unscrupulous land baron Lawrence Murphy, who has started to dominate the nearby town of Lincoln by forcing business owners and other ranchers to sell up. Chisum becomes increasingly concerned by Murphy's tight grip on the territory and contempt develops between the two men, but Chisum vows to fight Murphy legally. When Murphy hires a band of killers to rustle cattle, including Chisum's, the fragile piece is shattered by cold-blooded murder. With range war now on the cards, Chisum joins forces with none other than Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid to rid the territory of Murphy and his thugs.I haven't watched a John Wayne western in years and Andrew V. McLaglen's fictionalised re-telling of the Lincoln County War is a rip-roaring delight. It's one of those movies that gets you rooting for the good guys early on which successfully engages the viewer. The duke chews the scenery as the tough patriarch(who else?)and steals most of the movie's best scenes and lines. Forrest Tucker was also excellent as the ruthless businessman Lawrence Murphy. The verbal confrontation between Murphy and Chisum in the town's street is one of the most memorable scenes in the film. "If your men cross my land, touch any of my cows or do anything to that store over there, I'm not going to the sheriff, the governor or the president of the United States, I'm coming to see you!" exclaims Chisum before socking Murphy in the jaw when the latter plays the statement off as a threat. Glenn Corbett and Geoffrey Deuel were great as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid respectively, as were Patric Knowles, Ben Johnson and Richard Jaeckel, not to mention Glenn Langan as Colonel Dudley.I've always thought that the soundtrack is one of the greatest things about the movie, particularly the rousing title song. The title song even has a superb voice-over running through it describing Chisum's struggle to build up his cattle empire. This accompanies an excellent title sequence which features colourful paintings of stampedes and Indian attacks complete with the sound of distressed horses and gunfire. The first half of the film does drag a little before kicking into gear in the second half. There's exciting shootouts between rustlers and cowboys as well as a chaotic river ambush. The subplot involving Billy the Kid taking revenge on the crooked deputies who murdered his mentor added drive to the film, but the best part is spectacular standoff in the town's street between Billy and his friends and the sheriff's posse. There's some severe ass kicking done here as Chisum stampedes his entire herd into the town with his cowpokes charging behind him causing complete destruction, before taking on Murphy in a frenzied hand to hand fight . (Murphy's death is unintentionally humorous!). The movie also features some pleasing vistas of the lush hills and plains.Extremely underrated, Andrew V. McLaglen's fun horse opera has the duke doing what he does best. 9/10

utgard14 Cattle ranchers John Chisum (John Wayne) and Henry Tunstall (an almost unrecognizable Patric Knowles) face off against villainous Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker). Murphy has the corrupt law on his side, but that's okay because Duke has Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid! Fairly by-the-numbers western very loosely based on the real life Lincoln County War. A decent supporting cast, headed by Ben Johnson playing himself. There's also Bruce Cabot, Richard Jaeckal, Christopher George and soon-to-be wife Lynda Day, Andrew Prine, Glenn Corbett, and Geoffrey Deuel as Billy the Kid. All in all, not a bad bunch. It's all enjoyable enough but not one of Duke's best.