Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie Review

The Duke and The Chin.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 14, 2014

The teaming of stars Kirk Douglas and John Wayne carries a surplus of masculinity. 1967’s “The War Wagon” is their third and final pairing, after “In Harm’s Way” and “Cast a Giant Shadow,” and it’s a film that perhaps extracts the purest expression of screen charisma from the actors, who contribute beefy appeal to a routine western that concerns a heist scenario. Everyone else just looks small in the feature, though the ensemble contribution is quite valuable to the picture, which has use for a range of reactions that shy away from the confidence Wayne and Douglas project. Directed by Burt Kennedy (who remained in the western genre for years to come, but also helmed “Suburban Commando”), “The War Wagon” has all the highlights a genre enthusiast could ask for: gunfights, a bar brawl, a runaway wagon, acts of nostril-flaring intimidation, and a bridge explosion. While dramatically the movie is missing a rich understanding of motivation, the surface delights of the effort are handled with care, allowing plenty of room to explore western traditions and allow the leading men an opportunity to trade barbs and suspicions as they attempt to out barrel-chest each other (spoiler: Douglas wins).

Fresh out of prison, Taw Jackson (John Wayne) is looking to exact revenge on the man who set him up for a crime he didn’t commit: businessman Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot), who claimed Taw’s land while he was away after finding gold on the property. Now faced with Taw’s deceptively calm presence in the community, Frank sends a request to hired gun Lomax (Kirk Douglas), offering to pay him a small fortune if he’ll gun down the parolee. Working ahead of the proposition, Taw meets up with Lomax, presenting him with a shot at a fortune in gold dust. The catch is that the prize is located inside Frank’s armored vehicle, the war wagon, surrounded by security officers trained to kill on sight. Agreeing to the plan, Lomax and Taw head out to collect their team, pulling a Native American, Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel), out of trouble with the local Kiowa tribe, and yanking explosives expert Billy (Robert Walker) out of a bottle. Working out a scheme to take the wagon as it makes a delivery, the gang is forced to cover their tracks around Frank, who’s consumed with getting rid of Taw and securing his financial future.

With a slew of westerns between them, Douglas and Wayne have had plenty of practice in the genre. Heck, many consider Wayne to be the architect of the Hollywood western, making “The War Wagon” a curious choice for the pair. There’s nothing especially complex about the material, scripted by Clair Huffaker, who adapts from his own novel. It’s a no-frills tale of revenge and teamwork, following Taw and Lomax has they gather their own A-Team of troublemakers, finding Levi Walking Bear in deep with the natives, found tied to a rock as his inebriated captors enjoy target practice around his body. Billy’s also found his way into a tight spot, allowing his thirst for alcohol to take over his life, threatening the stability of a man tasked with managing explosives. There’s also a sketchy delivery man in Wes (Keenan Wynn), whose child bride (procured in a trade) provides a temptation for Billy, adding additional interpersonal stress to an already volatile situation. A large portion of “The War Wagon” follows Taw and Lomax as they get the unit into shape, with suspicions and tempers flaring up as they inch closer to their goal, hoping to avoid Frank and his henchmen (one played by Bruce Dern) as they commence their attack on the wagon.

Again, “The War Wagon” isn’t an epic. It’s a serviceable western with routine elements, playing to Wayne’s strengths as a towering figure of frontier justice, while Douglas enjoys a more impish role, playing a cocksure gunslinger who demands to be paid by the shot, hits on anything that moves, and doesn’t bother to mount horses, he leaps on them. The stars provide a sense of history and marquee value to the production, while the screenplay orders up a fundamental run of hostilities, with a full-out bar brawl exploding mid-movie, hitting that genre sweet spot. Antagonisms are defined, set-backs are sufficiently massaged, and the Mexican locations offer depth to a flat feature, but “The War Wagon” doesn’t carry itself to any extremities of behavior and drama that adds a sense of surprise. With this cast and story, the viewer is well aware of what type of experience is about to unfold, but there’s some sense of disappointment that Kennedy and Huffaker aren’t interested in challenging the predictability of the piece. That doesn’t dilute the dependable appeal of the picture, it just weakens its ability to amaze.

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The VC-1 encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation does feature some traditional Universal catalog filtering, resulting in sporadic haloing. The picture looks smooth and clean, lacking a fine touch of grain, but it's a restrained image, not an overtly waxy one. Colors are largely as intended with some minor fade, and hues are quite welcome with costuming efforts that find Wayne in a salmon shirt and Douglas boasting a yellow neckerchief, offering a few focal points beyond greenery, deserts, and set dressing particulars. Fine detail is satisfactory with meaty close-ups and western expanse. Blacks are deep but rarely tested outside of a few evening excursions, bringing welcome definition. The print is in good shape, with only some speckling to endure, without any major damage to distract.

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Surprisingly rough is the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix for "The War Wagon." Dialogue exchanges aren't clean and tidy, hit with a crackly quality that sounds strained, with extremes in highs and lows really exposing limitations to the track. While this instability isn't welcome, it doesn't wash out the mix entirely, with performances remaining intelligible and scoring showing its intended foundation. Atmospherics are generally defined and communicative, while action excursions bring out pronounced gunfire and chaotic wagon destruction.

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:22, SD) is included.

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The War Wagon" has a few laughs (one with Taw and Lomax, who remained armed even while in their underwear), some unsteady stereotypes (the Kiowas show more interest in booze than gold), and features a rousing opening theme from Ed Ames. There's much to enjoy about the film, especially when it moves into its final act, where the particulars of the heist, featuring nitroglycerine explosions and an enemy Gatling gun, are revealed in full, allowing Kennedy to bring out exciting stunt sequences that have Taw and Lomax crawling all over the wagon. It's a surge of excitement "The War Wagon" is in need of, delivering big on audience-pleasing chases and wrecks while utilizing the physical presence of Wayne and Douglas in full. The screen titans make for an inviting pair of dangerous men in the movie, instilling the production with the proper amount of poise, threat, and swagger it needs to separate itself from a crowded field of nondescript westerns.