The Shadow Riders (1982)
After starring in "The Sacketts", Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott team up again but this time as Mac and Dal Traven, in a movie based on a classic Louis L'Amour novel. They are brothers, who meet up at the end of the Civil War fighting on opposite sides. They go home only to find their family in dire need and their sisters and brother kidnapped by ruthless raiders. They set out to rescue their family.
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Undescribable Perfection
Absolutely Brilliant!
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Brothers Mac (an excellent and engaging performance by Tom Selleck) and Dal Traven (the always fine Sam Elliott) return home after fighting in the Civil War only to discover that their home town has been ravaged by a gang of renegade Confederate soldiers. Assisted by their wayward Uncle Jack (a wonderfully rascally Ben Johnson), the Travens go after the soldiers who have kidnapped their younger sisters as well as Dal's feisty sweetheart Kate (well played with considerable spunk by Katherine Ross).Director Andrew V. McLaglen keeps the engrossing and entertaining story moving along at a brisk pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the period, maintains an amiable good-natured tone throughout, takes time to develop the characters, and stages the shoot outs with aplomb. Selleck and Elliott display an extremely winning and natural chemistry in the leads. The tip-top cast keeps this picture humming: Geoffrey Lewis as the fanatical Major Cooper Ashbury, Gene Evans as wicked slave trader Colonel Holiday Hammond, Jeffrey Osteridge as the brave Jesse, Dominique Dunn as the spirited Sissy, R.G. Armstrong as the vengeful Sheriff Miles Gillette, and Jane Greer and Harry Carey Jr. as Ma and Pa Traven. Both Jack Whitman's polished cinematography and Jerrold Immel's lively honky tonk country score are up to speed. An immensely fun film.
I really like Sam Elliott, he was real huge in Gettysburg as General Buford, or he was very very decent as Sheriff Bucky O'Neal in Rough Riders. Here, he is a pale shade of his later self. Tom Selleck is not of a much help, too. What is the main reason? Weak script, and a very strange, almost skewed genre - it borders on a deep drama and then, it almost glides onto a farce, or a comedy. Very light, almost comedy-prone music is not suitable here as well. The film was made but the same fella who did great The Undefeated. Here, a huge disillusion awaits. The wry smile of Selleck tires itself off very soon, and raw character of Elliott is a big drawback, too. The main pair does not hold our attention and leaves rather bored, if not bemused. Do not watch this mish-mash of genres, a waste of time, and really nothing new. Very trite and banal. It is also so badly predictable, you can easily say what's lurking round the corner next frame. Boring, unfunny stuff.
I'm not one to like Western movies, but this movie is one Western I like. Tom Selleck plays his part with 100% perfection.**Spoilers ahead**Mac Travern, (Selleck) has just served in the Civil War, on the Union side. His younger brother, Dal Traven, (played by Sam Elliot) had been on the Confederate side. But the two brothers joined each other to rescue their Uncle "Black Jack" Travern, who had been kidnapped by some Confedreates who refused to believe the3 war was over. Jesse Traven (Jeff Osterhage) had also been kidnapped, and then comes the chase and rescue bit that always turns out either funny or tragic.I have not read any of Louis L'Amour's books, but this was a great film based on his writing.My Score: 7/10.
Comment on Ted Castle's statements regarding Texas Geography: 1. There is a Baffin Bay in Texas. It is down by Kingsville 2. While there is no Converse County in Texas, there is a town named Converse -- it is east of San Antonio.I agree, the terrain shown in this movie is nothing like the coastal areas of Texas, it does more resemble California.Unfortunately, many movie makers substitute California shots for supposed Texas scenes. I think the one I got the biggest kick out of was in 'Footloose'. The movie is supposed to take place in (IIRC) Beaumont, TX, which is just west of the Louisiana state line. If you look closely, you can see mountains in the background -- there are definitely NOT any mountains in that part of Texas.