Catlow (1971)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Redundant and unnecessary.

People are voting emotionally.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Okay western comedy is kept afloat mostly by it's two leads, Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna. Brynner plays Callow, a fast talking cowboy conman, who steals cattle from a wealthy rancher. Civil War buddy and now sheriff, Crenna, goes after Brynner, as does a vicious killer hired by the aggrieved rancher. The film gets a lot of milage from Leonard Nimoy playing the hired gun. Seeing Mr. Spock in a villainous and highly animated role is a whole lot of fun, even if his part is a smaller one. And Nimoy isn't the only one playing against type. The usually stoic Brynner is equally amusing to watch all goofy and smiling (at one point he even gets to mug after getting kicked in the groin). On the downside, the comedy as scripted isn't all that funny, though the cast does the most with what they have. Despite that, the film is fast paced, never boring, and I consider myself entertained. Overall, this is far from a western classic, but it's a must-see for Brynner and Nimoy fans, and well worth checking out for western fans.

Based on the 1963 novel by Louis L'Amour, this modern western stars Yul Brynner, Richard Crenna, and ... oddly enough, Leonard Nimoy (Spock, from Star Trek), who had been appearing in small TV roles since the 1950s. Brynner is Catlow, and in spite of being hunted down by Cowan (Richard Crenna), he not only helps Cowan when Cowan is in injured, but also plans on stealing two million dollars in Mexico. This one is more of a "bullet burner" than an "oat burner", as the ol westerns were called. Some beautiful scenery of Spain in here. It's listed as "Comedy,western" by imdb... and granted, there are some scenes with fun, upbeat music, as they are clocking the soldiers, one by one. For all the years Brynner had been in hollywood, he still has a pretty strong foreign accent. Also a knockdown, slap-stick fight with Christina. Christina was played by JoAnn Pflug, who was married to Mr. Game-Show, Chuck Woolery. I consider this one more of a western than a comedy. It's a typical western... L'Amour, who was actually born LaMoore, had written TONS of western stories, and many were made into films. Directed by Sam Wanamaker, who directed mostly TV shows, and had been acting since the 1960s. It's pretty okay, but it aren't no shakespeare.

Actor turned director Sam Wanamaker and Academy Award winning "King and I" lead Yul Brynner teamed up for the second time as director and star respectively in "Catlow," a harmless, featherweight adaptation of bestselling western writer Louis L'Amour's novel. Wanamaker and Brynner collaborated earlier on the espionage thriller "The File of the Golden Goose." Anyway, this 101-minute, PG-13 rated oater deals with the camaraderie between roguish cattle rustler Jed Catlow (Yul Brynner), and Richard Crenna's determined, arrow-straight, U.S. Marshal Ben Cowan."Star Trek" star Leonard Nimoy is cast against type as Catlow's nemesis who wants to put a bullet in him. Daliah Lavi and Jo Ann Pflug provide suitably distracting love interests for both Brynner and Crenna. The austere scenery around Almeria, Spain, substitutes marvelously for the Old West in this frivolous frontier yarn about maverick steers, two million dollars in stolen Confederate gold, Mexican soldiers, and savage, bloodthirsty Indians. Roy Budd's orchestral soundtrack enlivens this tolerably entertaining epic.One of the gags in the average but unexceptional Scot French and J.J. Griffith screenplay appears to have been lifted from Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." Our amiable anti-hero Catlow surprises a bad guy and shoots at him through the sole of his boot with his six-shooter concealed in his footwear. Jason Robards performed a similar stunt in the train sequence of Leone's classic. The most distinctive feature of this otherwise ordinary but entertaining oater is Nimoy's hand-to-hand combat with Brynner in the nude. That's right. Mr. Spock shows his butt and a glimpse of something else when our protagonist catches him off-guard with his britches down. Nothing dirty, mind you.As "Catlow" unfolds, Cowan has a warrant to bring Catlow in for rustling cattle, but the charges have been trumped up by greedy cattlemen who don't want anybody rounding up maverick steers. It seems that their own hands demand extra pay that their bosses refuse to pay for the hardship involving in such activities. Ben Cowan is on Catlow's trail when Apache's jump him, wound him in the leg with an arrow and about about to kill, when Catlow's opportune intervention saves Ben's bacon. Meantime, the cattlemen have hired a hardcase, Miller (Leonard Nimoy), and several gunslingers to corral Catlow. During a showdown in the desert, Catlow spoils Miller's necktie party. As he is putting on his boot, Catlow shoots at Miller through the sole with a gun. A brief gunfight erupts, and Catlow's men scatter Miller's minions. After Catlow sells his steers for $23 dollars a head, he allows Ben to take him into custody. Ben claps Catlow in irons, and they take a stagecoach back to Fort Smith. Catlow's men rescue him in route. Naturally, the cattlemen aren't happy about Catlow's escape.Cowan rides into Mexico and Miller trails him. In a border town, Cowan finds Catlow long enough for our hero to lock him up. Catlow has set his sights on a mule train loaded with stolen Confederate gold that the Mexican army has discovered in a cave. Audaciously, Catlow hijacks the mule train right out from under the Mexican Army's nose. Cowan sounds the alert inadvertently when he stumbles onto the vicious Miller and all hell breaks loose. Catlow leads his unwilling men into the desert with the army nipping at his heels. One of Catlow's oldest accomplishess, Rios, doesn't cotton to Catlow's plans and plots mutiny.No sooner has his men and he plunged into the desert than they find themselves at the mercy of the vicious Seri Indians. Catlow and company reach a fortress in the desert that lays in ruins. Cowan beats them to the fortress and spoils an ambush that the jealous Rosita has set up for Catlow. Catlow and his men cut down most of her gunmen and Catlow ties her up. Meanwhile, Rios decides to double-cross Catlow, join forces with Rosita and take the gold. They steal all the guns from Catlow's men and leave them unarmed to face the advancing Seris. Catlow, Cowan, and the outlaws are between a rock and a hard place when the Mexican Army ride to their rescue.The ending is entirely improbable. Miller's reappearance, however, restores some drama. Nimoy excels as a rough and tumble villain with hate in his heart. Sadly, "Catlow" doesn't have enough grit to qualify as genuinely dramatic. The antics between Catlow and Cowan become rather childish and unbelievable, particularly the last minute reversal. "Catlow" isn't a bad western, but it is neither top drawer. The performances are adequate, the scenery is rugged, and the editing is incisive, but the story unravels toward the end.

This decent but little known comedy-western is all about acting! Especially Yul Brunner has the time of his life portraying a smooth cattle-thief who just promoted himself to gold-robber. His name is Catlow and he rides through the Texan desert with his gang of thugs, chased by Sheriff Richard Crenna (the two are buddies even though they ought to be enemies) and hired hit man Leonard Nimoy. Everybody – Catlow as well as his pursuers – encounters trouble on their ways, such as aggressive Indians, sneaky Mexican villains and deadly ladies… The script of this film (which I believe was filmed in Spain, like many contemporary westerns) isn't very special and lacks coherence. Sam Wanamaker's direction is very hammy and it looks like though the cast is pretty much doing what they feel like. Still, it often is enormous fun to see the comic interactions between Brunner and Crenna when they're trying to outsmart each other with lists and dialogues. Leonard Nimoy is terrific as well, but unfortunately he has little screen time. The beautiful camera-work and exhilarating Country & Western music make you regret that the story is so weak.