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thomson7625
Reviews
Jesse James' Women (1954)
Too many hats for one man does not a good movie make.
Where does one begin ? Anyone who attempts to take on the mantles of producer, director, writer, and star of a film is either an extremely versatile talent or someone with delusions of grandeur biting off much more than he can chew. In the case of Jesse James' Women it is decidedly the latter. Don "Red" Barry has given us a very low budget, highly fictionalized look at what purports to be a slice of the life of the famous western outlaw / hero. Granted he isn't up to any of the tasks he performs here but he also manages to give us an effort that is so dominated by his presence that the very few other professional performers here can make little impact. I have seen a number of films and TV appearances featuring the efforts of Peggy Castle and she is, at least for my money, the best performer here though scant evidence is provided to back that up. The best thing one can say is that at least she looks good here. Lita Baron has a rather thankless role and provides two vocal performances, one of which is pretty much in keeping with the poor quality of the film. Other than Jack Buetel's decent turn as Frank James I must assume that most of the other "actors" rarely if ever worked again in film - at least I hope not for once was surely enough. The films' sole reason for being remembered, apparently, was the titillation aspect complete with a daring-for-its-time catfight which gives Castle an opportunity to throw some punches, roll around on the floor, and end up with beer poured over her and her co-combatant by the "star", Barry, She also takes part in a "climactic" gunfight with the same female which has its ending suffer the same fate as the film, botched. Trust me, your time could be much better spent watching ... well, ... nearly anything else and this comes from a true lover of old westerns. Peggy Castle supposedly once showed up on the set of a film and after taking in the cast, budget, and script said "Who do I have to sleep with to get out of making this picture ?" I do not know if that anecdote is true but. if so, one has to wonder if this is the film referred to.
Ride a Violent Mile (1957)
Not Worth The Effort
I'm not quite certain what the previous reviewer is referring to regarding the artsy photography angles etc. but he is accurate in stating that this western suffers from a weak, convoluted plot as well as a weak cast, poor dialog, and very undistinguished performances from all present. It is supposed to be a Civil War spy / agent western and it does have a number of twists which must have utterly befuddled the female lead. That is the only explanation I can offer for her performance. Poor John Agar seems to be wandering around as if lost in this head- scratcher as does everyone else. I got very little out of it myself and didn't find it worth the effort. I'm a huge western fan but this one is a (prairie) dog. I gave it a 3 because I do like John Agar but not in this one.
Jesse James: Lawman (2015)
What were they thinking ?
Having enjoyed Kevin Sorbo's previous forays into the western genre, I settled in last night for what I hoped would be an enjoyable viewing of this latest release. Suffice to say that it was not the experience I had anticipated. This film has the look of a film student's first attempt to create something in his back yard. There are only 2 performers of note present (Sorbo and Peter Fonda)and the remainder of the cast could literally have been picked off the street with equal , perhaps even superior, results. The acting is atrocious. The fight scenes (both fistfights and gunfights)are perhaps the worst that I have ever viewed in film. The film gives the impression that it had a budget of $10.00 at most. One would have hoped that the presence of Sorbo and Fonda would have elevated this somewhat from the dismal effort that it is. Unfortunately, the film has the opposite effect. The surroundings are so hopeless that the 2 "stars" are dragged into the quicksand that is this film. Sorbo is easily the highlight of the film (even in one of his weaker performances) though he is far from good. Why in the world he and Fonda lent their efforts and names to this mess I have no idea. Send your kids out to film themselves playing "cowboys" and watch the results. You will see a finer cinematic effort when you do than this film provides.