Movie #136 The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid *1972*

Cliff Robertson - Cole Younger
Robert Duval - Jesse James
Philip Kaufman (Director)
 
Who wouldn't want to watch a movie where one of America's most talented actors (Robert Duval) plays outlaw Jesse James?  The answer would be anyone that had the displeasure of watching The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.

This movie is told with a very Dukes of Hazard story structure.  It open with a lousy narration, then cuts to establishing shot after establishing shot that leads to no where.  I had feelings that this film was a westernploitation import flick from Australia.  The movies director would later go on to direct very good movies.  I guess he was just getting his feet wet with this one.

The story is just what the title says. It is the events leading up to, during and the aftermath of the largest bank robbery attempt of its time.  This film sucked.  I lost interest very quick and it did nothing to regain it.  The production value was really low as well.  It neither looked or sounded very good.  The images were poorly lit and even more poorly staged.  The action and pace of the film was off from the beginning. 

The script had a few moments of promise, but the next scene was so totally out in left field that I didn't want to follow one of the most well known and idolized stories in American history.  I will give the film credit for that.  It took the story of Jesse James and made it dull, lifeless and nonsensical. 

There was a baseball game in the middle of the film that went on forever.  The film spent a lot of time on Cole's fascination with mechanics, but then when pressed to open a safe he couldn't.  The music was weak and annoying at times.  I am going to stop writing about this movie because I don't think I have a single positive thing to say about it.  I give The Great Northfeild Minnesota Raid ★1/2 .  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #110 Open Range *2003*

Robert Duvall - Boss Spearman
Kevin Costner - Charley Waite
Annette Bening - Sue Barlow
Michael Gambon - Denton Baxter

A few weeks ago MSN.com listed its Top 10 Greatest Westerns of all Time.  I suppose this is in response to the surprise popularity of The Coen Brothers True Grit.  Open Range made their list.  It was the only one of the ten that I hadn't seen.  I have to say that I think the people at MSN should be drug out in the street and shot like they would do in the western films of yesterday.

Top 10 lists are difficult to formulate.  It is made even worse when it is done by committee (which is how I think the MSN article was formulated).  You should take into account the entire body of work that you plan on ranking (many of which you haven't seen).  Do you try to appeal to a broad audience?  If that is the case you need your list to be varied and broad.  Is it a list of favorites, or a true list to the "best".  Here is the MSN list:

True Grit *2010* Too soon to see how this film fits in to such a rich catalogue of westerns.
Stagecoach - Belongs on the list
My Darling Clementine - They are showing how well versed they are by adding this little seen film by John Ford.  It is the retelling of the shootout at the OK Corral.  Tombstone was better.
Shane - The quintessential western.  It contains all the themes and commentary of the western genre
The Searches - Belongs on the list
The Wild Bunch - They had to get a spaghetti western on the list, or close to it
McCabe and Mrs Miller - They had to add a revisionist western
Dances with Wolves - Not even a western
Unforgiven - Great film.  Belongs on the list
Open Range - Good movie, but shouldn't be anywhere near a top 10 list.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - One for the art house crowd. "Look at how smart we are".

Here are my opinions on their list are the comments in red.

As for Open Range it is a solid movie, but not great.  Costner and Bening didn't work for me as old west characters and their romance sub plot felt injected.  Robert Duvall is one of American greatest treasures.  Take a look at his IMDB profile.  The films he was in and the roles he has played helped shape the better part of the last 50 years.  He does not disappoint here.  He is a cowboy.

The film is about cattlemen that allow their stock to run free and graze.  This angers a local rancher who owns the town sheriff and enough gunmen to cause trouble for Costner and Duvall and their 2 young cattle hands.  Bening is the sister to the town doctor.

At first I thought this was going to be a paint by the numbers western.  It does evolve above that.  The scenery is nice, but it looks too clean and staged.  Costner is the director of the movie.  I think he wanted everything to look pretty.  I prefer my westerns gritty.  There is a shootout at the end of the movie that was well staged and executed. 

The movie starts slow and ends slow but I would say there is enough in-between to make this a worthy film.  I would give Open Range a 3/5 stars.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

I guess I would be amiss if I didn't list my Top 10 Greatest Westerns after all the guff I gave MSN.  So here we go:

Unforgiven
Tombstone
The Searchers
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Once Upon a Time in the West
Rio Bravo
The Magnificent Seven
Shane
Red River
Hud
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Wild Bunch
Duck you Sucker

LONG LIVE JOHN WAYNE!