Review of Cahill: United States Marshal (1973) by Robert W — 05 Sep 2010

One of John Wayne's late westerns and you can tell that the golden era of the west is long bygone. Still, the Duke still got it and wouldn't it be for him, this movie would be mediocre at best. The story is another washup of the Rooser Cogburn characters, with the old Marshall standing alone against a bunch of bad guys (great as always, George Kennedy). However, the movie introduces a twist in the form of Marshall Cahill's two young sons who get entangled in the fight between good and evil and Cahill struggles to fulfill his duties on both ends, as a father and a Marshall. This adds a bit of depth to the role and the film but the story never leaves the area of the familiar and as such, the extra glazing of the cake quickly runs dry. Still, for fans of the Duke, this is a must and a better movie than many of his other late outputs. Wayne's son Michael produced this and no other than Andrew V. McClagen produced this.

HX.