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Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine3.0

RESEÑA EN ESPAÑOL AQUIFIGHT! - THE TWO STURGESA John Sturges-directed, Elmore Leonard-penned Western starring Clint Eastwood should have been an instant classic.And I guess you could say the film is serviceable and gets the job done. There are shootouts, gangs of killers blasting their way through towns trying to catch our protagonist, though you could argue there are no real heroes here, as everyone is painted either black or in different shades of gray. Eastwood effortlessly slips into that quiet persona he mastered so well: a man of few words who never flinches, even in the middle of a gunfight, casually walking around like it’s just another Tuesday. Even in weaker films, the actor’s screen presence alone carries a lot of weight.The rest of the cast deliver solid performances as well, including the late Robert Duvall and John Saxon, who make for effective antagonists. Don Stroud is also pretty good as this impulsive loose cannon, a walking time bomb ready to explode at any second. Visually, the film is often stunning, especially during the sequences set in the village. Some of the dialogue is also genuinely strong, particularly a few of the one-liners given to Eastwood.Unfortunately, like I said, this has all the makings of one of the greats of the genre, yet it never fully lives up to that potential, instead sticking far too closely to familiar conventions. With Elmore Leonard handling the screenplay, I kept expecting something sharper, maybe a cooler Western-noir hybrid, especially considering Sturges already had experience working within noir sensibilities in previous films.All in all, the decent action, strong cast, and Eastwood’s undeniable screen presence are enough to make this a solid watch that fans of the genre will likely enjoy. But again, it never quite reaches the heights it feels capable of, and that’s what makes it a little disappointing.FIGHT! - THE TWO STURGESTODAY SCHEDULEMaroonedJoe KiddChino

David Whitman4.0

A bounty hunter named Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes a job from a rich landowner (Robert Duvall). He is to hunt down a Mexican (John Saxon) who is fighting for land reform. Kidd soon finds himself switching sides.This is a pretty underrated western in that you don’t often hear too many people praising it. The plot is simple and straightforward, but it also has a an energy due to Elmore Leonard’s solid script.Eastwood does what he does best—put holes in people while giving them the evil eye. Robert Duvall is excellent as the villain. It’s a lot of fun to see these two Academy Award winners have a bloody battle.John Saxon does not believably play a Mexican. The second he spoke, I literally laughed out loud. I’m sorry, but but bad accents crack me up, and if some silly white dude says “son of beech” in these old Westerns—I will laugh. It’s ridiculous and racist. It is said that Eastwood and legendary director John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven) didn’t get along. Rumor has it that Sturges was drunk every day and that his assistant director shot a lot of the scenes. The whole thing feels very Sergio Leone inspired, though it certainly doesn’t get to that level of epic quality.This was a lot of fun. Clocks in at a brisk one hour and twenty three minutes.

Geoff T3.0

A John Sturges-directed Western starring Clint Eastwood and written by Elmore Leonard, which sadly isn't amongst the best these three talents have done. Still, I feel Joe Kidd offers just about enough to make for an entertaining if not unremarkable western outing. You could do far better, but you could do far, far worse as well.Clint plays the titular character, a retired bounty hunter that comes out of retirement when a gang of rebels led by Louis Chama (John Saxon) terrorise the town of Sinola as part of a land despute. Kidd accompianes rich landowner Frank Harlin (Robert Duvall) and several others on a mission to bring Chama in alive, but utilmately enough, it soon becomes apparent that Harlin is not a man of his word.Plenty of the basic ingredients of a typical Clint western are here, gritty shootouts, good location use and themes of revisionism. Sadly, the story isn't as compelling as it should be, and often can't make it's mind over what side we're rooting for over the land dispute plot. Still, I give this one credit for giving us some deplorable characters. Kidd himself is far from a saint, but he's still far better than the shitbags who he's paired up with, like Harlan who will literally order to have Mexican townspeople gunned down just to drive out Chama. Eastwood is as seviceable as ever with his usual "touch guy" routine, as is Duvall as the detestable Harlan. However, I can't help but feel like the legendary Saxon is miscast as Chama, who hams it up with an unconvincing Mexican accent. Regardless, it's quite fun to see him chew the scenery as such a character. Meanwhile, the music by Lalo Schifrin is sort of a weird cross between his work on the Dirty Harry series and a Morricone score, but it's fitting enough for the film's tone I suppose.The best word I'd use to describe this one at best is "serviceable". I don't think it's a bad western at all, but compared to many of Clint's other outings in the genre around the time, this one just doesn't do a whole lot to stand out amongst the pack. Still, a handful of standout scenes and a runtime that doesn't overstay it's welcome make it a good time-killer.On the other hand, that steam train crash is easily of Clint's most badass moments, by far.6.5/10