Category Archives: 7 Star Movies

Love and Monsters Review

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It’s time for a fun little survival film. It ended up being better than I expected as it dodged some pretty big pitfalls that I had expected it to land in from the jump. It’s a very upbeat film with some solid humor and adventure so I can easily recommend it to the average movie goer. In fact, I nearly gave it a thumbs up for the romance too but the film jumped the shark at the very end. Ah well…that’s how it goes sometimes.

The film starts off pretty quickly with nearly all of humanity being wiped out after a nuclear defense against an asteroid mutates a bunch of animals into giant monsters. These monsters quickly made short work out of humanity and the survivors live in isolated bunkers. Joel is a member of one of these but he’s not too happy. Everyone at his bunker has shacked up while his girlfriend is stuck 85 miles away at another bunker. Joel also has difficulty feeling useful at the base since he tends to freeze up all the time. All he does is cook around the base and while everyone is super supportive, he has had enough. He decides to brave the unknown and go find his girlfriend Aimee. Can he survive out there?

A few solid notes right out of the gate. I liked how everyone as really supportive and they genuinely tried helping Joel out. There were no random bullies or petty characters here. This is the end of the world so you would expect everyone to band together and not let a single person feel isolated. A minor scene about this is how they all even rehearsed how they would gently let Joel down in the event that he asked to go on a mission. Then when he decides to leave, they even make him a detailed map and everything. (Which he ungratefully only looks at for a second before putting it away)

Another thing I was glad about is that humanity didn’t just roll over. The intro states that before getting crushed, our armies did take out all of the giant kaiju. So at least they didn’t die immediately without doing anything. Additionally we were also given a good reason for why they couldn’t make a comeback because eventually we ran out of bullets and people who knew how to create more. They went more in detail on how humanity lost in 15 minutes compared to multiple movies for a Quiet Place.

Now I was going to give the film credit for the romance but like I said earlier, that didn’t work out. I think any film veteran can likely see how this journey will play out but I’m still not going to spoil it. What I will say is that for most of the movie, Joel and Aimee were fairly mature about everything. Aimee was perhaps a little tricky at times even if it was a situation where she figured it would never matter. Where it falls apart is their final scene together. Lets just say it is completely undeserved and completely destroys the whole message of the romance. Talk about one scene destroying over 90 minutes of goodwill.

It’s one of those “Hollywood” type moments where you roll your eyes. If we ever get a sequel, hopefully this has no bearing on it. As a character Joel isn’t bad. He tries a little too hard to be funny and is often cringy but to an extent that’s the point of the character. Joel isn’t your average adventure lead and is completely out of his depth. He is still earnest and tries his best though. I wouldn’t say that he’s great or anything like that but he is a good character. He gets points for how he handled the final boss as well.

Then Aimee was a bit of a roller coaster for me. She was good in the intro, took some steps back near the middle with how quickly she got drunk and let her guard down, then buttoned up during the climax. So on the whole I would say she is a good character but as the essential leader of her group, she needs to keep her guard up. Leaders have an extra burden on themselves compared to other characters and while it may feel harsh or unfair, that’s just how the job goes.

Throughout the film Joel is accompanied by his pet dog, Boy. I’d say travelling together during the apocalypse makes him a pet by the end at least, but not to be misleading, they first meet on the journey. Boy is very helpful at numerous points in the film and Joel wouldn’t have survived without him. The film avoids going for the low hanging fruit of tragedy and drama here which was really appreciated. He makes for a really fun sidekick.

In general the film was really good with the supporting characters like Clyde and Minnow who show up later on. Minnow is a little kid who is really confident and doesn’t mind letting Joel know how weak he is. Then Clyde is an expert survivor who has been surviving very well all this time. The two of them make for a great team and are also very kind to Joel. They help him learn a lot in a short period of time and get him ready for the real world. They had a very strong team dynamic between the three of them.

As for the villains we get at the end of the film, they’re a bit sudden but it made sense in terms of having a true climax. Just having some monsters show up probably wouldn’t have been as intense in this case. You definitely wanted to see the villains go down after they spent a lot of time launching electric shocks and everything. So it made for a satisfying ending there, you always like to see the monsters getting some revenge of their own as well.

Overall, This was a pretty fun film. It had a good sense of humor. Honestly without destroying the romance message at the end this could have even gone up one more point. With monster films my worry can be on the animal violence and how badly the monsters get damaged. This time that ended up not being a big problem. Some monsters were blown up but generally it wasn’t really done in a big animal violence kind of way. There weren’t a lot of gross moments here and it also wasn’t one of those dystopias with a really jaded view on how evil everyone would be. Sure we did get our villains but by and large the cast was solid.

Overall 7/10

Disaster on the Coastline Review

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It’s time for a film about the dangers of technology. A bit ahead of its time perhaps but the message still works really well today. Technology is something that will always present a whole lot of issues to everyone around and this one is no exception. When you throw in the rogue human element, then things get even worse. This makes for a pretty solid thriller film with quite a lot of players involved although ultimately a lot of the plot does revolve around some characters being really gullible/naive.

The film starts off by explaining that the vice president’s wife will be taking a train since the planes are currently on strike. As a result the government wants to be extra sure that the ride goes smoothly and they send one of their operatives to wait by the central computer base where all trains and their connections are monitored. The team is annoyed to have him there but they will have to make do. What they don’t realize is that the driver of the train has been knocked out and replaced with a terrorist. Meanwhile a big time con man has escaped onto the train as well and is using an annoyed lady as his cover. All of the characters will soon be colliding.

Now I have to say that for most of the film I figured the thief was in cahoots with the terrorist. I figured he was the inside man who would be ready with distractions as necessary but in the end it was all separate. Stuart really is just trying to avoid the people he swindled and that’s why he is being so shady. Now the romance probably still should not have worked even with the relationship dramas that Paula was having but anytime someone is quickly ready to have a beer, that is a red flag. Now to be clear, the guy was cheating on her first and while she didn’t know this for a fact, the signs were there.

So you can see her wanting to find something new but this still ends up being a rebound. She also knows from the jump that Stuart isn’t an honest man. So that’s a bit of a snag in a relationship because how does she know he will be honest about that? Trust is the biggest part of any relationship and so if you don’t have that, then it seems to me that everything else will be moot right? A train ride just isn’t long enough for this to be ready for a serious relationship even with the dramatic ending. So this part didn’t feel earned.

Meanwhile the actual terrorist has things be a little too easy. For example he has to convince the other driver on the second car not to listen to everyone telling him to stop which is what will ensure that the two trains collide into each other. To a degree his excuses make sense which is that everyone else is a terrorist trying to trip him or a civilian held at gunpoint. However, the terrorist says that the helicopters outside are here to support him and you have people waving and telling the guy to slam on the brakes. I don’t know how they could have been more clear about the instructions and he still kept on going straight. That was real lucky for the villain.

It should have been curtains right there. Additionally the thief should have been out of luck right away when Paula found the briefcase with the stolen money in it. There would be no reason to aid a villain at this point in time. So both villains were really lucky all the way. Well, luck aside it does make for a pretty tense scenario. The film did a good job with the mounting danger and ho the various characters were all starting to panic.

The writing is solid with a lot of good dialogue the whole time. Even when the computer guys are arguing with the FBI agent, they manage to stay rather civil and aren’t immediately resorting to personal attacks or anything like that. It does eventually come up of course but they are mainly focused on the threat at hand which is the important thing. The blame game and everything else can happen later on.

Then you also have a subplot where corporate actually looks pretty good for once. A CEO is put into a tricky spot when the terrorist gets his company involved and the guy is quick to take charge of the situation. He could have just ignored the situation or given a generic public statement but he prioritized the lives on the train the whole way through. Even once the cameras were off, he prepared the next steps on the investigation because he actually cares about justice. You don’t always see that so it was a pretty nice moment.

In the end I would say the movie as a whole did a good job of trying to show the brighter side of humanity. When the chips were down, everyone stood up to do their best. From the Con-Man risking his life (Not like he had a ton of options though) to the snobbish FBI agent forcing himself to play nice with the technicians, everyone was trying to do their best to resolve the situation. Some films take a jaded view of humanity while others lean on the positive and the latter can certainly be refreshing at times.

Overall, This was a pretty good movie. For the most part it’s what I would consider to be a fairly low key thriller. Yes, the stakes are as high as ever and people could die but everyone involved is a professional. You’re not seeing the same level of panic as what you would see in a modern version of this story. That would be in a completely different level without a doubt. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good story. It’s a well balanced movie with a solid beginning, middle, and ending. It’s the complete package.

Overall 7/10

The Lawless Frontier Review

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It’s time for the return of John Wayne. He is riding with a vengeance this time as he arrives to really turn the tides in a tricky situation. It’s a pretty good all around title with a memorable main villain as well as a decent supporting cast. It ends up being one of the better John Wayne films. He’s had so many that you will probably still end up mixing them around a bit as the years go on but I can say that they did a good job with this one.

The film starts by introducing us to a legendary crook known as Pandro. He’s masquerading as a mexican and is so infamous that the guy is worth $5000 dead or alive. He also bumps off John’s father so he is now on the lookout for revenge. This crook decides to target a local girl named Ruby and so her father takes her into town to be safe. John knows that this is now his chance to take Pandro down but the tricky thing is that the local sheriff isn’t particularly smart and may end up getting in the way. How can John defeat the villains while being limited by his own allies?

I did like the fact that the sheriff was generally incompetent the whole time but still talking a big game. It makes for a fun character to have around and also made sure John’s job wasn’t too easy. This guy doesn’t even know how to properly secure his prisoners which becomes a problem later on. I half blame John too since he knew this wasn’t a good lock but decides to take a nap anyway. It’s still on the sheriff of course but John probably should have just stayed up. If not for the sheriff’s meddaling, we do see that John makes short work of Pandro in all of their encounters. Pandro is just completely out of his depth and isn’t that durable either. John easily knocks him out the first time and in the second instance the domination is even more extreme.

Despite all of that, you will at least remember Pandro because there was actually some depth to his character. He wasn’t just a random villain with a gun. He actually had a gimmick with the whole disguise part and was very over the top. It’s a way to ensure you don’t forget him and so I give the movie a whole lot of credit there. It would have been easy to have just made him generic or something like that.

As for the heroine Ruby, she was okay but did find herself constantly getting into trouble. Not much she could do about falling into the lake but it would have been nice to have seen her learning how to shoot or something. I feel like growing up in the wild west should make everyone learn how to use a gun quickly because you never know when you might need it. There are villains lurking around every corner after all.

Her father Dusty did a good job of playing defense though. His plan to outwit Pandro and his gang was pretty good and he also came in clutch during the climax. He’s the kind of guy who never gives up. Meanwhile John is a good hero as you would expect. Very down to business and is always ready to lend a helping hand. He’s the exact kind of hero that you want on your side when you are in a situation like this.

The soundtrack is very familiar if you’ve been watching the other John Wayne films in this series. They always use the same tunes over and over again but fortunately they are always very good. Nothing to really dislike about them at least. They are dramatic, if a bit overbearing. I’ll always take that over the music being too low or being generic. They don’t really make soundtracks like this anymore.

The pacing is good and the writing is on point. This is a very simple film that nails the fundamentals and that is always the right way to go about things. I don’t really have any issues here. Even though the film is very short, it still manages to cover a whole lot of ground. Even after the climax is seemingly over, the film is able to squeeze another one in right afterwards. Now that is absolutely impressive.

I’m thinking the movie did that because the initial climax actually doesn’t have much action. We get a long walking sequence and then the villain ends up poisoning himself. It actually works well as a real twist of what the climax would usually be like, but I could see some people being upset at that which is why it would make a whole lot of sense to try and get around that. Throwing in a more standard kind of climax works well there and also matches the tone of the intro scene more. The film literally starts off with a big gunfight after all so you want to end with something a little more up to that speed.

Overall, If you like a good western then this is a good film to check out. The action scenes are on point and the movie is not afraid to hit you hard with the soundtrack. John makes for a good character and the dialogue is solid from start to finish. It’s a charming film with no real weaknesses and that’s part of why the Wayne films have so much replay value. You can watch them at any time and expect to enjoy yourself. In a way the films could stand to be longer but perhaps that would break the balance of the movies. In which case, this would actually be the perfect amount.

Overall 7/10

Crimson Tide Review

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This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

It’s time for a film about war time situations and how it can be tough to agree on a proper plan of action. The stakes have never been higher for any of the characters here and it makes for a really suspenseful watch. The story and characters are both really good and the film moves forward at a really good pace. I didn’t really have any major issues with it and was invested the whole way through.

The film starts out by explaining that a Russian extremist has taken ahold of some nuclear facilities and is threatening to fire them off if he is provoked. Captain Frank is told to assemble his troops and go underwater to set up counter measures. If ordered, he is to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike at the enemy. He picks Ron as his second in command and they head underwater. The big problem here is that communication gets knocked out early on after an order is given to attack based on certain conditions. When the conditions are met, Frank is ready to attack but Ron wants to find out more information. This threatens to tear the unity of the ship’s crew apart. What can they do about this?

The problem with a disagreement like this is that neither party is likely to back down. Too many lives hang in the balance and many will die if either one is wrong. Frank’s point is that they already have their orders and the fact that they cannot receive new ones does not mean that they abandon the old ones. Every second they wait is a second that something bad could be happening on the outside. It’s imperative that they take out Russia as soon as possible. On Ron’s side, if they attack now and the threat has already been averted, then they will be triggering a world war for no reason.

For me I would definitely side with Frank here. You have to go with the preemptive strike. It’s the whole reason you’re out here and the stakes are too high to stand back. So while he takes some rather drastic steps towards this end, they were completely justified. You just have to do this if you believe yourself to be correct. You’ll have to watch the film to see how it plays out but it’s a decision where hindsight can’t factor into it. So you have to choose a side and then just proceed with no regrets.

I imagine there will be a ton of hard feelings between the crew long after the events of the film have ended. There is quite a bit of violence here after all and that’s something you never really forget. No matter what the cause was, if you’re attacked or pushed around then you’re gonna remember it. The film develops a few of the side characters who each have to take a side by the end. One of them in particular is rather wishy washy with how he picks his sides but everyone else picks a side and sticks to it.

It also shows how easy it could be for a revolt to happen within a ship because there are so many people there with their own tasks that you can’t possibly keep track of them all. So if one guy is missing you probably won’t notice and by the time you notice 8 guys have left their posts, they’ll be in front of you with guns. You’re also completely stuck underwater so there is absolutely no escape. It has to be the scariest part of being in a submarine. I don’t even like being in a train that goes underwater for that same reason. If something happens then you’re basically doomed.

While I don’t tend to love war films, I do really like submarine stories and so that part of the balance won out. This is really a thinking man’s film where the thriller elements are in the strategy. Yes, there are some real fights here like with the enemy subs but this is still more about each character’s ideology. The top two certainly had very different ways of thinking which appears in the film right from the start. The contrast is set up really well for when the main disagreement happens.

The film does a good job of not making either one of the characters look insane either. You could probably make the case that it is leaning towards Ron as the main character here but it’s not too heavy handed. You are still able to make your decision on who you feel was right in this case. A weaker film would have definitely been throwing in not so subtle jabs the whole time.

Apparently a sequel is being worked on so it’ll be interesting to see how that one plays out. I imagine that the story will be a whole lot different for the next one. A sequel for a film like this is always going to either be hit or miss because the story doesn’t automatically lend itself to a sequel and if you don’t have too many returning characters, it will feel like they’re just borrowing the title for money. Well, we’ll come to that bridge when it happens but it will definitely be difficult to surpass this film.

Overall, Crimson Tide is a very good film. The writing is really solid and the situation feels very realistic. You never know how someone will react when a situation like this pops up and even close friends have to end up going at it. You can have as many plans and procedures as you want but when the situation actually happens, people aren’t necessarily going to listen to what is said in the book. They’re going to do what they think is right at the time and you just have to hope that it is close enough.

Overall 7/10

Ride Out for Revenge Review

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It’s time for another western! This one is about good ole fashioned revenge which can always be a tricky topic. How far do yo go in your revenge before you’re just perpetuating a never ending cycle of violence? It’s a tough call to be sure but I never tend to get upset at a character for getting their get back. In this case I’d actually say the film goes too far in making the main characters unlikable to the point where you’re absolutely rooting for the Indians. They didn’t start it so they should get to end this fight.

The movie starts with Little Wolf and his father heading into town to ask for some assistance. They are running low on supplies and are having a hard time surviving. Unfortunately Captain George is not all that broken up about that and instead tells them to get lost. In fact the government has ordered that the Indians all leave the land but they have refused to do so thus far. The Indians bring some gold in order to facilitate a deal but George allows his men to shoot the chief in the back while Little Wolf manages to get away. The bridge is burned now, the Indians will fight to the last man and get their revenge. All of this could have been avoided if George had listened to Tate, who warned against this. Unfortunately the village always makes fun of Tate for taking the side of the Indians. So now things are about to get dangerous.

So right away from the starting point here, I would totally be siding with the Indians to get their revenge. Their chief was just shot in the back. I can’t think of any country that would take their leader being assassinated without putting up a fight afterwards. It just wouldn’t make sense and that is why it’s annoying when Tate decides to go and stop them. Of course it’s not an easy decision and Tate admits as much but it’s one of the more annoying tropes that I see out there from time to time.

Person A wrongs Person B. Then when Person B goes back to fight person A, A’s friend C shows up to stop B. Yes two wrongs don’t make a right but it’s also real easy to say that when you’re on the winning side here. The Indians are fighting an uphill battle from start to finish as Little Wolf’s sister is also siding with the humans and not wanting to go down the road of violence. The notion that the Indians will eventually die in war is a valid one but you still have to try and get your revenge or else it will be a stain on your honor forever.

The main characters are also shown to be comically corrupt to really ensure you don’t feel bad for them either. After shooting the chief in the back, they all get drunk and laugh a bunch at the bar. They make fun of Tate and basically threaten him and even the kids have been indoctrinated to hate the Indians. The film’s message about hate as a disease is really clear and even by the end I would say there is no happy resolution here. That said, it still feels very unsatisfying for the Indians who don’t even come close to getting their revenge.

I’d argue that after something happens to a kid in the movie, Tate should have went straight for George and taken him out. After all he’s really to blame for what happened. The town deserves a lot of responsibility too for being sheep about the whole thing but it does start at the top. Then there is a lady who likes Tate and is super jealous of his Indian girlfriend. She is not one of the smarter characters because one way you will absolutely never get with someone is to insult his girlfriend. She never really acted in her best interests and wasn’t a subtle character at all. In fact I think she could have talked her way into going with Tate and the kid if she wasn’t so forward.

The trip is the one big plot hole of the film or I consider it to be one. Tate keeps on mentioning that the Indians will get their revenge that night and so that’s why he plans to leave with the kid right away. Then night falls…and Tate decided to leave in the morning. Really?? Why would you wait when you know that the Indians are coming? That part felt a little contrived and nonsensical. I also think the film would have been a lot better if Tate actually had left and the town had to face up to the repercussions of their actions. In this case, their complete destruction for how overconfidently they handled everything. The Indians should have returned fight away the next day to finish them off or even done the job at night. Once the weapons were taken, that was really it.

War has no victors, a lot of innocent people will get dragged into it either way. So you just let that play out with both groups destroying each other and that ends off the solemn message. The film had a bit of a somber tone throughout anyway so it would have worked just fine. The film did a lot f show don’t tell and handled the topic really effectively. While it may not have been quite as satisfying as I would have liked, it is a good all around film. Quite a few plot contrivances here and there but ultimately I didn’t have any big issues.

Overall, Ride Out for Revenge is a pretty good film. It was certainly leagues better than the last two so it was a good way to end off on the western ride. Tate also made for a good main character since we at least got one voice of reason. I could have used a few more of course but the whole one man against an army plot is a good one. The film’s message is also one of those that will always be timely since these feuds and wars are never ending. As long as humans are still walking the planet, there will always be fighting and violence.

Overall 7/10

The Dawn Rider Review

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John returns for another adventure and this time it’s more of a revenge thriller. Get ready for some classic Western hype. By now if you’ve seen John Wayne’s other films then you should understand the drill. If you haven’t seen any before, just think of this as a quick adventure film. It has a fun tone throughout and music that may be a tad generic but is catchy all the same. It’s a good film to watch.

The movie starts with John riding into town and seeing someone being forced to dance as he is shot at. John gets involved and immediately shows why he is the top gun in town. He outdraws the guy and then beats him up physically. Still, John manages to make friends with the guy and it turns out the other one being shot at was a villain anyway. It’s a small world and it turns out this guy works for John’s father but just as they arrive, the father is shot. Some hoodlums had done a heist and then they get out of there. John intends to avenge his father no matter what. How can he track these villains down though?

It’s nice to see John on the offensive right from the start here. He was definitely not going to back down easily and with his skills there are very few who can hope to stand against him. The film only lasts as long as it does because John has to find these guys but the fights themselves are a little quicker. One guy does put up a reasonable fight while they wrestle around but the victor is never in doubt. John is not somebody who will ever end up submitting. He would sooner die than be defeated here and that’s why he is such a living legend. You cannot underestimate him at any cost.

The main weakness that the film has is the villains are really not notable. Taking down John’s father was a big deal of course but aside from that they are just ordinary joes. Nobody to write home about or anything like that. They just exist to be absolutely devastated by John’s impressive gun combos. Another reason they last longer than they should is because they are easily able to convince Ben (The guy John became friends with) to turn against John. Now I didn’t mind this as much as I usually would since they’ve only been friends for a short while. Ben betraying him works well enough but it still does ensure that you don’t really like Ben much as a character.

The guy is just too easy to sucker the whole time and he also severely lacks in confidence. The guy feels like he needs a ring in order to propose instead of just going forward and doing it. Not really what you would like to see from a lead like this. Meanwhile the film does try to stick some romance into the picture by the end but it’s definitely more on the rushed side. The time skip at the end really comes out of nowhere.

You are hoping for a happy ending with a film like this of course but you will feel like the romance was still too out of the blue. You just didn’t need it here at all. It’s the kind of romance that is just here to check off the boxes instead of adding onto the plot. A weak romance like that will never succeed in feeling all that believable. Beyond that, the writing was solid as always. I enjoyed the script and how smug John always tends to act. He works really well as the main lead for that reason.

Meanwhile the soundtrack is fun enough even if there are no new tracks here. It’s the same tunes you’ve heard a million times but fortunately they are good tunes so it does work out well enough. The pacing is good too so the film has no main weaknesses. I think the best thing about a western like this one is the high replay value. You could re watch it at any time without any issues. The story beats will feel familiar but that’s because they are similar in all of the films so it helps stop you from thinking that you’ve just seen the exact same film.

Overall, The Dawn Rider is a pretty fun film. John really did well on the attack although as an older film it doesn’t feel as much like a revenge thriller as it probably would nowadays. It still keeps a high level of energy and all but you don’t feel the rage that you might expect. I suppose that might have been hard to picture for a film like this so the most important thing is that it’s a good film. I would definitely recommend checking it out whenever you have some time. You will get to see the power of a solid gunman in action.

Overall 7/10

The Star Packer Review

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It’s time for a little more John Wayne action. In this film he has to go up against the legendary Shadow which won’t be easy. This guy has been manipulating a small town for a long while now and shoots down any would be sheriff. So John takes it upon himself to become the sheriff and bring some justice to this corrupted world. It will not be easy by any stretch though. He has one friend but the Shadow has many. One wrong step and this will be John’s final fight.

The movie starts off with a lady getting robbed not once but twice on her way over to town! She’s heading to one of the most dangerous towns in America where the outlaws have really taken over from the shadows. Fortunately John shows up and saves her life. Once in town, John feels obligated to take on the role of Sheriff after watching another one get shot. Everyone warns him not to rock the boat or do anything crazy but he doesn’t care. John will save them all whether they like it or not.

The Shadow’s true identity becomes clear early on but he still maintains a lot of hype the whole time. You’re always wondering what kind of dirty trick he’s going to try next. You see another big goal of the Shadow is to get the main heroine to sell her place but she wants to stay strong even among the threats. John even gives her a gun at one point which really helps a whole lot. It was smart thinking to properly arm her since sometimes it does feel like the heroine is left on her own.

This film’s got a pretty straight forward story and it works out rather well I would say. It’s nice to see John outwitting everyone not through some kind of fancy plan or genius abilities but through every day actions. John was ready to clobber these guys and showed why his abilities are the real deal. He even uses the secret communication method against the villains by holding one of the minions at gunpoint and forcing him to act cool.

The town should still be ashamed of themselves for letting it get this bad but at least now they will be in a good spot for the future. Ideally they won’t let any more criminals take over the place. Maybe John will teach them a little more about self defense and how to handle things. He did well in teaching the heroine so I could definitely see that going over well. Once the whole town is prepped it will be one of the safest places to live.

As always you have the same general soundtrack and array of sound effects. I do think they ought to change this at some point but in this way I guess you could treat the movies like an anthology series of sorts. The characters may change around but they all follow very similar beats. John had a partner in this one for example, a local Indian who helped out. John’s had a partner in a few of these films but is still usually a solo act.

What this film did better than in most is having an actual villain. I’ll be reviewing another John Wayne film shortly and a weakness that one had was in not having any big villains or notable characters. That is always a big mistake because you want someone for Wayne to bounce off of. Instead, he really had to do everything on his own against ordinary henchmen in most films. Still not a terrible thing or anything like that but you would absolutely prefer to see a worthy foe. The Shadow delivered on that and we even got some decent banter as a result. It goes without saying that the writing and pacing were really good as always so this film nailed the fundamentals.

Overall, The Star Packer is a pretty fun film. In most of these western adventures, John plays the role of the lone cowboy or a guy getting framed. It’s a nice change of pace to actually see him become the sheriff who is calling the shots here. Definitely very impressive indeed. The film has less shootouts than in some of the other ones but we still get a solid climax here and also see just how fast John is on the trigger. He’s also not the kind of guy to back down from a fight. Sometimes you just want a fun film that is straight to the point like this one.

Overall 7/10

Twilight of Honor Review

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It’s time for a classic courtroom drama filled with lots of twists and turns. It’s a pretty solid film that is definitely dealing with a hart hitting case. That said, by the end of it there aren’t many likable characters involved with this mystery. At the end of the day, David the lawyer isn’t here to make friends but to see to it that he wins the case. He will be up against one of the toughest prosecutors in the land though so it won’t be easy. One wrong move and it’s curtains for him.

So lets get to the case. Ben is on trial for the murder of a very well respected and liked lawman. This guy seemed to know everybody and on the surface had a spotless record. What’s even worse is that Ben’s own wife Laura is against him and claims that her husband had been abusive for a long time. This murder was not in self defense or for her honor, it was all about him. Everyone believes Ben is guilty and so the trial is a formality but that’s when they rope in David as the lawyer. David didn’t want this case but now that he’s got it, he’s going to fight his hardest to win. Can he find enough straw to pull this case apart or is he absolutely doomed? Only time will tell.

First off, Ben really doesn’t make David’s job any easier. The guy is really obsessed with his wife. Not in a chivalrous way where he wants her to be okay, but in a tier 1 sub way where he just worships her to the point of losing clarity. He doesn’t seem to care how standoffish she is or the fact that she turned him in for cash. He just desperately wants her approval since he never got it before. The poor guy is a completely broken man. Usually in a case like this where your life is at stake, you will be trying your best to stay in the game so that would have been what David expected. No, Ben stays vague and unhelpful until David really pressures him.

Of course Laura’s not a good character either. I just tend to be harsher on Ben because he should have known better. “How you get her is how you lose her”, a variation of that is a classic saying for a reason. Laura was never the very traditional type and loyalty wasn’t her specialty. When you marry someone like that you are really asking for trouble and Ben found that out first hand. Throughout the movie Laura never improves as a character which is intentional. You could call her the soft antagonist of the film.

The main antagonist is Norris of course. The guy didn’t commit any crimes but he is an impressive prosecutor. He knows all of the tricks and is aiming to win. Justice isn’t the end game for this guy, he is trying to garner support for an election someday. So he even has the crying old ladies walk in dramatically during the hearing. Now this is annoying for David of course but at the end of the day in court both sides are going to do their best in order to win. I would say the irony of working in a courtroom setting is that you aren’t playing for justice anymore. Even if you know that your client is guilty, you are obligated to fight your best. So even though Norris had questionable motives, it’s not like I can fault him for going for the win every time.

Unfortunately the film does have a very underwhelming romance subplot that had no point being in the film. We meet Susan who has always liked David even while he was married and so she has been biding his time. Now that David has been widowed, she has her chance and takes it. She is constantly encouraged to do this by her father and all but this just plays out like a rebound no matter how you slice it. I also think it’s always a bit rough to know that this person liked you even while you were married. David really needed to sidestep the whole thing and tell Susan they could stay as friends or something.

Life comes at you fast but in this case it was just too fast. Art made for a fun mentor otherwise though. He was really invested in the case and gave a lot of good advice. It is clear why he was regarded as such a good attorney back in the day. If he was healthier then he probably could have won the whole case right away. Naturally as the case goes on we find out more and more how the victim was not quite as innocent as the reputation would have you believe. Additionally, Laura wasn’t the most trustworthy of witnesses.

At the end the Jury certainly had a lot to think about and the movie really followed the proper steps in how to handle the drama well. The evidence trickles in and my only complaint would be that I wish we could have gotten more screentime for the rebuttals. We basically skip a lot in the climax to get to David’s closing remarks but I wanted to see them going at it more. After all, those were usually the best parts of the film. I also enjoyed the openly corrupt judge who didn’t even bother with trying to appear fair. It was only after things were really over the top that he started to do anything.

The weakest parts of the film are naturally when we are seeing the flashbacks into what happened. None of the characters in those flashbacks are the slightest bit likable after all so you’re just waiting to go back to the present where we can have some real dialogue and action. The flashbacks are probably a good idea for people to keep up with what’s going on but honestly I would have been fine without them. Just let us picture what is happening in our heads like the jury as the two sides explain their account of the events. That would be a more effective way if you ask me although I imagine this may not be a popular sentiment since people probably enjoy seeing the actual events.

Overall, Twilight of Honor is a pretty good movie. It’s a solid reminder to not believe everything you hear at face value. People always have motives even if they aren’t readily apparent and knowing his to discern truth from fiction is a rather big skill. It’s definitely something you really have to work at over time. If you get enough experience in it, then you will be in a safer spot. Best thing to do is always to evaluate people and facts on your own. Second hand sources are just that, second hand. While the characters in the actual case are all annoying and antagonistic, it doesn’t take away from this being a well written film of high quality.

Overall 7/10

The Desert Trail Review

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It’s time for another old Western and I dare say this one was having the most amount of fun with the concept. I would even call it a comedy before a Western if I was ranking the genres. There’s a ton of in fighting and slapstick around here with none of the characters being very smart. Whether you enjoy it or not will definitely come down to how much you enjoy the absurdity. Me personally? I got a real kick out of it. This is definitely a film with a lot of replay value.

The film starts off by introducing us to John and Kansas who are friends that get very competitive with each other. They may be friends but when a girl is involved they will suddenly become total enemies. Things start off rocky right away when a lady is having a lot of trouble with her clothes and both guys fall head over heals for her. They keep on insulting each other with John usually getting the upper hand but Kansas being pretty good at pretending to be rich. This lady named Juanita is definitely someone who likes digging up a bit of gold and she takes a liking to both of them as well as to a crook who is also good at getting money. Can she make it so that she can take all 3 of them? It’ll be a tough mission.

Wait that’s the actual plot? Well it might as well be but technically a corrupt town festival tries to short John on his winnings so he holds them at gunpoint and steals the money. Then some other guys come in and rob the place for the rest of the money and make it sound like John took it all. John must now evade the cops by going to a whole new town and also doing his best to one up Kansas by getting a girl there to fall for him instead. There’s definitely a whole lot going on here.

Naturally you will have a hard time rooting for John and Kansas because of all the infighting. John is constantly goading Kansas into trying to fight back and that guy is immediately falling for the bait every time. The problem for him is that John is much stronger than he is. So this means each time that John just beats him up and Kansas is forced to make an excuse to regain his honor. This happens numerous times throughout the movie and keep in mind that this is a fairly short film. So yeah it’s really rough on poor Kansas who is really just trying to hang in there. Of course Kansas isn’t much better since he is still to blame in a lot of instances too.

Then John doesn’t always make the best moves like firing back at the cops while in the house. At that point he is only making things worse for himself although he was probably going to be doomed either way. Holding up the store owner was probably valid for trying to short change him on the money but I dare say that it would probably have been good to have tried going through the sheriff first. Worst case he would still be a fugitive either way which would not make things any easier for him.

The actual villains aren’t the most inspired. You have one who knows that stealing is wrong but he just can’t bring himself to say anything about it. He meekly goes along with everything and even shoots someone. He may feel bad about the whole thing but it’s hard to sympathize too much. He simply made way too many mistakes at that point and he had direct victims so it’s not like he did something mild like have a quick lie. As for the other villain, he doesn’t really have a ton of character but he does show up the two leads at one point. I’ll give him credit for that.

The two main characters may make a ton of mistakes and all but like I said at the start, it’s still just a really fun film. I enjoyed the constant jokes and the pacing is really fun. The soundtrack at this point is completely recycled from other Western titles but at the same time I would still say it is pretty good. I like how on the nose it is. You can almost predict when the music will appear based on what is happening on screen. Some may call that generic timing but I would say that means the timing is very appropriate. It fits in with what the film is trying to show you.

You may wish there were more gunfights here but there was enough to satisfy the Western part. The characters being so over the top is what you should really savor here because you’re just not going to see that very often. I would even say that there may not be any others quite like this one. Now that may be too bold of a claim since there are a lot more Westerns that I haven’t seen yet but this one was just so different in all the right ways. Yeah, I was definitely real impressed here.

Overall, The Desert Trail is a film I can really recommend. It reminds you of why you need to be careful about getting too enamored with someone to the point where you start trying to make your best friend look bad. It’s important to keep your priorities in order and to not be led astray. As long as you enjoy a cheerful film and like some good jokes then you will have fun here. If you can find the antics to be a little too exaggerated at times then that might work against this one. So it is hard to say for sure how much you will like the film until you check it out. You can’t really go wrong with a quick comedy like this though right?

Overall 7/10

Randy Rides Alone Review

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Next up we’ve got another one of those really quick John Wayne films. Sure enough, the guy is back into the mix trying to solve cases and save the day. It’s a pretty simple film that has an effective beginning, middle, and ending. I didn’t really have any issues with the film and of course it end pretty fast so it’s not like there is enough time for anything to drag out. It’s a very focused story from beginning to end and at the end of the day that’s all that we need.

The film starts off with Randy arriving at a halfway house where everybody has been murdered. Whoever the culprits were, they were ruthlessly efficient and there must have been more than one of them. The fact that they took everyone down so easily really speaks to their abilities. Unfortunately Randy took too long to inspect the safe so he is caught red handed when the cops arrive. He is now being framed for the robbery and must try to get out of jail and solve this before it’s too late. It won’t be easy though because it turns out that the leader of the villains is the right hand man to the sheriff.

Matt the Mute definitely has a big role here since he is basically doing double duty as a hero and villain here. As one of the heroes he can’t talk so he is always using his notepad to chat with the others. Definitely an interesting gimmick and I wonder how long he has kept up the pretense of not being able to talk. That must have been a hard role to keep up with but I guess money is a good incentive right there. He actually makes for a pretty good villain. You see superheroes with the double lives a whole lot, but less so for villains.

The rest of the group don’t get as much to do but the fact that there were so many villains is impressive. We actually have a fairly large scale battle of the cops and robbers going at it with Wayne trying to get through that to secure the treasure. He did a good job of setting up the fight and manipulating both sides to a good outcome. Definitely a good look for Randy and at the end of the day he made sure everything turned out right.

The heroine Sally goes through a lot here as she is threatened and put into harm’s way but eventually she did manage to come out on top thanks to Randy. She did help him escape and so that means she ended up directly contributing in the film. I give her full credit there since a lot of characters would have just panicked or something. The romance at the end was super rushed and made no sense though.

Meanwhile the sheriff didn’t look great here. He was a little too quick to nab Randy as the guilty party. The optics were against the hero so I don’t blame him for locking the guy up or anything but he could have at least heard the guy out. Why keep cutting Randy off over and over again? It’s almost like the sheriff was afraid to hear anything and that’s a bad look for him. He needed to just listen and try to evaluate the situation.

Meanwhile the soundtrack is basically the same as in the other short films. There isn’t a whole lot of variety here but at least I do like the tracks so that definitely helps. If the tracks were bad then we would really be in some trouble here. The writing is on point which is also very important for a film like this. Poor writing could make the experience boring at best but that’s never a problem here.

Overall, There’s not a whole lot to talk about here since the film is so short. You definitely have some pretty interesting moments and fun retro fights but it’ll probably blend in with the other westerns eventually. It is a very easy plug and play though because of how short it is though. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good adventure film. You get to see Randy not just taking down foes with his skills but with his wits as well. It makes him a very complete character and a hero who is quite compelling. I would definitely be up for watching more adventures with him in this continuity because you can imagine that there are always more villains around the corner.

Overall 7/10