Review of El Dorado (1966) by Martin T — 06 May 2010
The setup is similar to Rio Bravo. Robert Mitchum in the Dean Martin role (drunk), James Caan in the Ricky Nelson role (greenhorn kid), Arthur Hunnicutt in the Walter Brennan role (cranky old coot) and John Wayne in the John Wayne role (John Wayne).
It's even got Charlene Holt in the Angie Dickinson role (Wayne's spunky girl). The plots differ enough so that it doesn't feel like a total rehash, but a lot of the beats are the same. iMDB labels it a remake, but I wouldn't go that far.
.. both screenplays are by Leigh Brackett, but they're based on different stories. It isn't nearly as fun as its predecessor, but it's good enough and anyone would be an improvement over Walter Brennan.
I was reminded by how much I like Jimmy Caan, to the point where the movie made me feel like putting in The Godfather. Which is why it's goddamn shame that he was forced to pretend to be Chinese in one of the ugliest stereotypes I've ever seen.
It was only for about 20 seconds, but those seconds were painful. Otherwise I enjoyed the movie but I wouldn't place it far above the average Western.
This review of El Dorado (1966) was written by Martin T on 06 May 2010.
El Dorado has generally received very positive reviews.
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