Cahill U.S. Marshal

Released in 1973 and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, "Cahill United States Marshal" is a Western starring John Wayne as the titular marshal and Neville Brand as his half-Native tracker in the Southwest. Widower Cahill is so busy with his work that he's neglectful of his two sons, 10 and 17, and thus they veer toward delinquency, hooking up with a group of ne'er-do-wells (led by George Kennedy). After getting away with robbing a bank, the sons must deal with the moral conundrum of a (dubious) group of men being hanged for a crime they didn't commit.

The Duke had some great or near great Westerns in the final two decades of his career (e.g. "The Horse Soldiers," "The Alamo," "The Comancheros," "El Dorado," "True Grit," "The Cowboys," "The Train Robbers" and "Rooster Cogburn"), but "Cahill" isn't one of 'em. While I appreciate that Wayne tried to do something different by having the story focus on the ramifications of his neglected kids, the movie simply isn't very compelling and the boys aren't interesting as characters. It doesn't help that Kennedy is decidedly cartoony as the villain. Disregarding the awesome Western locations, the storytelling smacks of a 60s or 70's TV show Western.

Yet, if you're a Duke fan, "Cahill" is mandatory viewing. The relationship between Cahill and the tracker (Brand) is a highlight, as is the Western scenery. Speaking of the latter, the movie is further hampered by three nighttime sequences obviously shot in the studio, which appear at the beginning, middle and end, but that's a minor cavil.

The film runs 103 minutes and was shot in Sonora, Mexico; Arizona; and Calderon Ranch, California. The screenplay was written by Harry & Rita Fink based on Barney Slater's story.

GRADE: C

Unlike the comment that said "unoriginal", for a western of the early seventies, when the western was at that time dying out for a period, this is a gallant effort on the part of all involved in the production. I must confess, it would be hard for me to say anything bad about a John Wayne movie, it certainly is not "The Searchers", but no where near "The Geisha and the Barbarian". Cahill was a milder Wayne as a family man, with a good lesson of being there when your needed as a father. A strong point that stands out in the movie, with the other elements (bank robbers, bad guys, boys in trouble) well incorporated around the basic theme. Andrew V. McLaglen did justice to the script, keeping things simple but well rounded, with a conclusion that will satisfy the western fan. After watching the film on TCM recently, I came to realize that it may be dated, somewhat, but a true measure of what good film making is all about. In a world of high budgets, overpaid actors and grand special effects, "Cahill, U.S. Marshall" gives what any viewer would want from such a film: A good story.

"Wednesday Morning" was the working title; "Cahill U.S. Marshal" had its world premiere in Seattle, Washington on June 14, 1973 at the 7th Avenue Theatre, where there were pickets by American Indians protesting the film. John Wayne had just arrived in Seattle the week before to start shooting "McQ". Cast and crew members from "Cahill", "McQ" and "The Cowboys" were at the premiere: Mark Rydell, Diana Muldaur, Eddie Albert, Robert Duvall, Clay O'Brien, Michael Wayne, James Caan, Marsha Mason (these two were filming "Cinderella Liberty" in Seattle at the time), Andrew McLaglen, Marie Windsor, Jackie Coogan. The regular run started the next day at the Town Theatre.

As Wayne aged, either he or someone working for him began pairing him with a series of young actors, which was a pretty good idea. In CAHILL, a routine western from the early 1970s, that youthful role was filled by Gary (SUMMER OF '42) Grimes as U.S. Marshal Cahill's rebellious teenage son Danny. The kid has gotten involved with some pretty nasty bank robbers, led by squinty eyed, mustachioed George Kennedy. Cahill doesn't know this, and goes off in search of the robbers while Danny and his little brother decide to defy and deal with the robbers, who killed the town sheriff during the robbery. Several old-time actors are in the cast, including Marie Windsor and Denver Pyle, but most notable is Neville Brand as Cahill's favorite tracker, a wisecracking, self-proclaimed Indian chief who is actually half white. While CAHILL was shot in Mexico, it is painfully apparent that some scenes were shot on soundstages, which hurts the story's believability factor. Also, while director Andrew McLaughlin was well known for his action movies, some of the fights and gun battles here are clumsily staged at best. Wayne was getting on in years and appears tired a lot of the time, but he plays the role this way, so we buy into it. He would do this again in THE SHOOTIST, to similar effect. The highlight of the movie is clearly George Kennedy, playing one of the meanest, low-down, no-good villains to be found in a Wayne western. There is a whole generation that only knows Kennedy as the buffoonish sergeant in the NAKED GUN movies, but an older generation remembers his amazing performance in COOL HAND Luke and several other movies of that period. His piercing stare and sneer here are priceless, and he goes out in high fashion.

An American Western. A story about a veteran law officer who realises that his sons have turned to a life of crime while he is away tracking down law breakers. John Wayne musters up some spirit as a hard-nosed old-timer but he is weighed down not least by a tacky, preachy script about the extent to which modern youth corrupts. It all ends predictably as the widower realises he is partly responsible, due his neglect. An unavoidable impression is that this film has a drowsy pace with some pretty stiff acting from the younger cast. Despite George Kennedy's good performance and best effort to create some menace and tension as outlaw and ringleader, he, and Wayne, are let down because the material is not directed with much verve.