Cahill U.S. Marshal

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.

"If you don't like the treatment, then don't rob banks"

J.D. Cahill is a fearsome Marshal, his reputation goes before him where ever he roams, but when his two sibling boys decide to get his attention by way of joining a gang and then robbing a bank, he is perhaps faced with his toughest challenge.

This is not a great John Wayne film, in fact it's distinctly average, but at its heart, the tale of a single father trying to balance his work and bring up his children properly, is interestingly watchable. Unfortunately after a brisk and entertaining opening the film ambles along without any wish to up the ante. John Wayne, and chief bad guy George Kennedy appear to merely be going through the motions, and some of the technical work here only compounds the cheap feel that cloaks the story. It's ultimately mostly unforgettable stuff, but it deserves a watch because it does at least say a bit more than at first thought, it's just real sad that it's not put together very well. 5/10

Many liberals like to bitch John Wayne out - I know because being a left-winger I have to put up with whiny liberals for company! What many of these liberals forget is that John Wayne - whilst politically unacceptable in many ways - was still an actor and a human being. Something some ''liberals'' complain about is Republican political oriented criticism on liberal actors and directors and the disrespect of the artistic talents of these liberal personages. I see no difference in disrespect to a left-winger or a right-winger so the hypocritical stance of these liberal ''film fans'' doesn't do their ideology any favours.

The film 'Cahill U.S. Marshal' whilst not being the greatest of westerns, is an enjoyable western with a good message - which isn't as Republican or right-wing as some other voters claimed. The wonderful acting from John Wayne and George Kennedy is on par with their best work, the plot is original and the opening of the film is fantastic and rousing.

One of the features that other voters have not commented on is the music by Elmar Bernstein. The score for 'Cahill' is amongst the great composer's finest work and the song 'A Man Gets To Thinking'' sung by Charlie Rich is a good theme on par with the 'True Grit' by Glen Campbell and I am sure that a lot of Country and Western fans - I am only mildly enamoured with this genre - will enjoy it.

As portrayed by John Wayne, United States Marshal J.D. Cahill is a man obsessed with his work as a lawman. I guess you needed super dedication in doing that job right. Trouble is, he's neglected his two sons, Gary Grimes and Clay O'Brien who've fallen in with bad company. In fact that bad company has thought of a pretty good scheme in how to rob the town bank with the help from the Cahill boys. One unforeseen consequence of the scheme is the sheriff and deputy from the town are both killed.

Wayne catches up with some nefarious characters who fit a general description and have a chunk of cash on them. They're not the right guys and he suspects as much. The rest of the story concerns what happens as Grimes and O'Brien are conscience stricken and how that brings about a general righting of wrongs.

My problem with the story is that marshal's kids or not, they've committed a major league felony. In another film Grimes would have hung for it. Two law enforcement officials were killed in the performance of their duty. You do recall in Hang 'Em High those two kids who did not help Bruce Dern overpower Clint Eastwood still hung in the end. Or in True Grit, John Wayne shoots without hesitation some young criminals there.

But this is a John Wayne film involving his family so the Duke is trapped by certain parameters that his fans expect. It makes for some weakly resolved issues in the plot.

But if you're a fan of the Duke, Cahill U.S. Marshal will fill your bill.

This is a typically glossy late John Wayne western. Wayne plays Cahill a US Marshall whose job has meant that he has somewhat neglected his kids. When they decide to rob a bank with the help of George Kennedy and his gang they find themselves in trouble.

John Wayne looks pretty tired in this although he still has a great screen presence. The film is essentially about a man's relationship with his sons and as such there is relatively little action. This is itself is no bad thing but it's just that the plot is a little too thin to carry the film. As a result it's just intermittently interesting mainly when George Kennedy is on screen.

This is John Wayne in reflective mood but it's just not comparable to his great performance in the brilliant 'The Shootist'.

Overall although watchable there's just not enough of interest here to make this anything but an average western.