An American Western; A story about a gunfighter called for by his wealthy estranged wife because his grandson has been kidnapped by bandits demanding $1 million ransom. His sons join him on the rescue trail. The film's long prelude, following a brutal kidnap sequence, has a ransom and rescue plot with many drawn out travelling sequences alebit glued together with a first rate musical score and captivating Mexican locales. The third act is worth the wait. Patrick Wayne and Christopher Mitchum provide some comedy relief but are resigned to stooge roles, receiving the usual lessons in macho morality. Shouldering the weight of the uneventful build up John Wayne gives a convincing performance from his formidable persona for mythmaking and reverence for tradition. A high dose of overgratuitous violence mirrors the influence of revisionist filmmakers like Sam Peckinpah in the early 1970s. Richard Boone is impressive as the quietly psychopathic villain leading a band of cut-throats. There is only passive support from Maureen O'Hara.
Review of Big Jake
