Showdown (1973)

Overrated and overhyped

Must See Movie...

Expected more

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

*** Spoilers Ahead Maybe*** I loved how Showdown started off with the way Dean Martin robbed the train by posing as a sheriff & getting the passengers to give up their guns & valuables.I think it was very interesting & inventive.It was the 1st time I've seen it done in a Western & if it's been done before, I know nothing about it.I also liked the flashbacks that were shown throughout the movie.It gave off that buddy vibe & made you feel more for the characters.I enjoyed Showdown up until Dean Martin's character turned back during the pursuit to return to the ranch.This is where the movie fell off for me & I expected it to be all downhill from there.I just could not get into the ranch scene.Surprisingly after that, the movie picked up for me again & I was back into it.The end scene was a bit of a surprise & shocking but I think it was well done.I didn't know this was a Made For TV movie until I read it on IMDb.For a Made For TV movie, Showdown was pretty good & worth watching.In my opinion, it's most definitely worth watching at least once

Following a series of flashbacks, boyhood friends wind up on opposite sides of the law in this by the book Western tale. Fans of Dean Martin and Rock Hudson will probably get some enjoyment out of this picture but the story has been done time and time again, so be forewarned if you haven't seen it yet. One thing that caught my interest was the names of both men's horses - Chuck Jarvis (Hudson) had one named Almanac, and Bill Massey's (Martin) mount was named Tops. Both kind of unusual, I'm thinking that those might have been their real names.A couple of other interesting elements popped up as well. After having watched a few hundred Westerns by now, I don't believe I've ever seen a rider mask his horse's footprints by covering them with rawhide the way Jarvis did. That was an unusual maneuver to prevent his being tracked. There was also that bizarre shotgun load being fixed up by attorney Wilson (John McLiam), consisting of busted glass and scrap iron. I was waiting for that tease to play out but it never happened. Probably a good thing.What was really cool though was that 1890's version of a Sears Roebuck washing machine Kate Jarvis (Susan Clark) was using to wash her clothes for the first time. It seemed to me that laundering by hand might have been easier considering the amount of muscle expenditure required. I guess modern appliances had to start someplace.So the showdown of the title didn't turn out the way one might have expected between the former childhood friends. Actually, I had a bad feeling about Massey when Jarvis headed out for the last time to track down his man. Not that I thought the two buddies would have it out between them, but that outlaw posse was pretty single minded about hunting Massey down. Too bad for Dino.

It's good to see this western out on DVD, although the transfer is just "okay".I'll admit to being a huge Dino fan, but I disagree with a few others who have posted here...this is a pretty average western flick of the old style...which isn't saying a lot since by the 1970s most western flicks were pretty average. The story is actually okay -- two friends split up, one becoming a sheriff (Rock Hudson), and the other becoming a train robber (Dean Martin). Some would say the age of the two stars (Dean was 56 at this time and Rock was 48) was a bit illogical. But I don't suppose all sheriffs or robbers were young. So that's fine, but where the age doesn't work is in the flashback scenes as the two friends ambled along in earlier years. This was the last major starring role for both actors. Hudson soon turned to television, and Dean's films weren't making the bucks anymore. Dean does some of his own horse riding here, though not as much as in his younger years. Dean loved making westerns, and in many of his westerns he did most of his own riding. During the making of this film his favorite movie horse died, and apparently he was quite broken up over it.The scenery is genuine and very nice -- northern New Mexico and probably a bit of southern Colorado (and you can still ride this very train). Kudos for the director in selecting the locales.The story is this -- Dean teams up with some robbers to rob a train, then has a falling out with them, shoots one of them, and skedaddles with the loot. So the 2 remaining are after him. As is the sheriff -- his old friend, Hudson. Dean eventually gets caught...sort of...or gives himself up...sort of. But the DA breaks a promise while Rock is out of town with his wife (Susan Clark), Dean escapes, and the chase is on again. The end is pretty predictable, but the filming in the forest fire is a different slant on things, and quite effective.If you like old-style westerns, you'll like this one. The first half could be a little less sentimental, but it builds nicely. It's a GOOD film, but not a great one. Very watchable, however, and the second half is much better than the early portions.

this is the last.western the dean martin and i believed what is very underrated. Dean martin now in duel acting with Rock Hudson, in other film of brothers in conflict. where dean is the star in this film. Rock Hudson is fine as opposite a dean. Respect to movie is very nice shots of scenario context to history. wonderful ambientation . very much suspense with elements what i don't view in others westerns in resume an western distinct in the style of Dean Martin what deserve more popularity with the public. this is a film lost in time and very difficult to watch for this reason. very little know in 1973 when its realized.