John Wayne and Kirk Douglas make a delightful duo in this comedic Western in which Wayne seeks revenge on a ruthless mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who had him framed and sent to prison. Upon his release, Wayne recruits Douglas in a scheme to raid and rob one of Cabot's gold-laden wagons, despite the fact that Douglas had been offered good money to kill Wayne. He joins Wayne instead (the potential profits being much greater), and they set out to ambush the War Wagon, so named because it's heavily armored, mounted with a Gatling gun, and guarded by a dozen gunmen on horses. Costarring Keenan Wynn and Howard Keel as a wise-cracking Indian,
The War Wagon was a Western precursor to the action buddy films of the 1980s and '90s, serving up plenty of exciting action and constant comic relief. The interplay between Wayne and Douglas is sharp and sarcastic, and their motley crew of accomplices provides yet another source of character-driven humor. Not one of the greatest Westerns ever made, but certainly one of the most lightly entertaining.
--Jeff Shannon
1 Good tale of the old west
This is a good western. John Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a
cowboy who has been robbed and put in jail by a member of the
local government elite. Frustrated the corrupt government
officials and judges, he decides to get his property back by
taking it back.
A natural leader, Wayne assembles a crew of men to take back
his property. He provides incentives to each man in the
enterprise rather than paying them a wage and in doing so
he liberates the natural capitalistic urge in each man. The
capitalistic urge in each man allows him to both overcome
the tremendous difficulty involved in recovering the property
and gives the men an edge over the men being paid straight
wages to guard Wayne's property.
Wayne also gathers together true individuals for the task and
although they have difficult spots working together, Wayne's
leadership ability forms them into a winning team.
Wayne hires Lomax, a firearms expert full of self-confidence
and skill. He finds an Indian and gives him a job as well
(not all indians in the old west were hostile.) He also hires
a party animal named Robert Walker whose live-hard/play-hard
style is combined with expert knowledge of bombs. And then
there is Keenan Wynn as an expert horseman. All will play a role
in Wayne's plan to get back his property.
Beyond being just a western, this is almost like training film
for entrapanures. It teaches how to build an enterprise, how
to hire and manage a superstar team and how to reward them.
There is also lots of gunplay, funny jokes and even a good
natured bar brawl.
There is also good music in the film. Recommended for everyone.
2 LESSER KNOWN WAYNE WESTERN OF THE 1960'S
Perhaps because it was not directed by Howard Hawks, John Ford, or Andrew McLaglen, War Wagon isn't quite as held in the same esteem as many of Wayne's films of the 1960's. Still, as a nice little western caper it's pretty good and gives us the pairing of two legends Wayne and Kirk Douglas who also starred in "In Harm's Way" a couple of years earlier. Wayne is Taw Jackson who was framed and jailed, and had his ranch stolen from him by a devious banker named Frank Pierce, played by frequent Wayne Co-star Bruce Cabot. Pierce highers gunman Lomax (Douglas) to kill Jackson but Jackson offers a better deal...help him rob Pierce's Armored war wagon of half a million dollars instead. Lomax goes along but keeps Jackson on a short leash.
They recruit several other members to help them pull off the job including Fletcher (Keenan Wynn), Billy (Robert Walker) the drunken, nervous demolitions expert, and in a hilarious role, Howard Keel playing half indian/half Jew. Keel has one of the films greatest scenes when he's first found bound by a band of Mexican bandits who are shooting empty liquor bottles off of him. Lomax comments to the affect of "I suppose that's your friend" and a exhasperated Wayne just sighs, "Well....." Just Classic! Bruce Dern has a small but role as one of Pierce's gunmen. Dern of course would have the pleasure of shooting Wayne just a few years later in "The Cowboys" which earned fim much hatred among movie fans for many years. There are several humorous moments in the film, typical of most of Wayne's 1960's movies where humorous interplay between the characters was such a hallmark. Wayne and Douglas had very good chemistry and its a pity that they didn't do more films together.
Underrated and really quite good.
3 Douglas: Mine hit the ground first. Wayne: Mine was taller.
Solid straightforward shoot `em up western starring John Wayne as a man who just got out of prison after being framed and having his ranch stolen by a crooked gold merchant. Determined to get his ranch back Wayne enlists the help of quick drawin' Kirk Douglas and a few others to rob The War Wagon, a steel plated wagon that's owned by the bad guy, armed with a gatlin gun and protected by a flock of seagulls, I mean, 32 mounted gunmen.
Douglas is a good pairing with Wayne and even steals a few scenes. I especially enjoyed watching him jump into the saddle. My only complaint about the film, besides that fact that John Ford or Howard Hawks did not direct it, is the poor usage of the gatlin gun. You have this build up for most of the film then it's only used for a few short bursts. Wayne used a gatlin gun more in ROOSTER COGBURN.
4 Last Western Film for Dimitri Tiomkin
For film music lovers, this film is important. It was the last western and the last Wayne film with music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Tiomkin later settled in England and composed for two other films before his death.
The music for this film is the quintessential Tiomkin complete with a song in the main title. This was typical going back to "High Noon".
5 It's like "Oceans Eleven" in the West
This is a movie about revenge. It's about the quest of one man, Taw Jackson (Wayne), to get even with the man who set him up and stole his ranch. To get his vengeance, Taw puts together a small group of men, including a gunfighter who's been hired to kill him (Douglas), to help him rob the "War Wagon," so named because it is an iron stagecoach complete with a gattling gun and a large complement of mounted guards. The five men scheme, plan, and concoct a plan to steal the wagon, and Taw and Lomax (Douglas) try to refrain from killing each other in the process.
This is not meant to be a completely serious Western, and in fact it is quite lighthearted. It is also funny, with just enough comic relief to keep things lively. Douglas and Wayne are absolutely fabulous together, and the rest of the cast works well too. This is a great all-around Western.
6 Entertaining comedy western
The War Wagon is a good comedy western starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglass as two men attempting to steal a shipment of gold. Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a man recently released from prison after being framed, who wants to get revenge on the man who put him in jail(Bruce Cabot). Kirk Douglass is Lomax, Wayne's greedy, cocky partner. These two are perfect together as they try and figure out how to rob the "war wagon." Their dialogue is sharp and cutting with insults being handed back and forth.
The movie is very entertaining to watch. Excellent cast backing up Wayne and Douglass including Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear. There is enough action and humor for everybody in this western. DVD presentation is good in widescreen with a trailer included even though it is a little pricey. Well worth it for Duke fans!
7 A get even movie
well it's a good movie some light humor a get even type movie.Enjoyable intertianing but you've to know one thing I
am a big JOHN WAYNE FAN.
8 Mission Impossible in the Old West.
Gunfighter Taw Jackson (John Wayne) recruits a motley crew of sidekicks to rob ruthless mine owner, Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). Pierce routinely transports a fortune in gold dust in an armored stagecoach called "The War Wagon." Complete with a small army of guards and a Gatling gun, The War Wagon is formidable. Taw figures to settle old scores by devising a complex plan to steal the gold. John Wayne was good at big budget B pictures. This flick is very different from a John Ford masterpiece, but so what? This movie is a typical Batjac action-adventure flick with comic overtones. Wayne trades verbal barbs with Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a too-cool hired gun. Howard Keel is Levi Walking Bear, a comic and politically incorrect Indian. Robert Walker is a drunken explosives expert. Keenan Wynn is a sadistic teamster. They each play a role in the carefully timed execution of the robbery. Unaware of their thieving alliance, Pierce hires Lomax to kill Taw, setting up several tense situations. The supporting cast includes members of Wayne's Batjac production company family. Look for Bruce Dern, Gene Evans, and Sheb Wooley in small roles. Throw in colorful outdoor locations, a saloon brawl, lots of hard-riding action, and it's great fun for Western movie fans. It's well worth the price. ;-)
9 A Good Shoot'em Up Western
Taw Jackson, played by John Wayne, is out on parole and building a team to heist a shipment of Gold dust. The problem is, the town where he's planning his heist is filled with his worst enemies. Kirk Douglas as Lomax, is one of Taw's partners. Together they study to work out every detail to commit their crime. All they got to do now is do the deed. Will they make it? Lots of fancy gun slinging, fighting, and a really neat Saloon fight add to the flavor of this movie. Oh, and you gotta see the way Kirk Douglas mounts his horse, it's Peachy! One of the most suspenseful scenes is where Taw and another of his cohort's line a bridge they plan to blow up with nitroglycerin. Also, look for a very short role by Bruce Dern . He, as he has in most films, plays a bad guy, and when he's confronted by Taw Jackson he quickly learns what "BAD" really is.
10 Above-average western
This is an above-average western that pairs John Wayne & Kirk Douglas as scheming partners who try to capture a heavily defended gold shipment. It has a witty, funny script, and colorful supporting characters.
11 War Wagon
Excellent movie- The Duke at his best. The film was entertaining, had a great plot and the subtle humor was well done.
12 A good western
One of the Duke's better vehicles of the 60's. An extremely entertaining western. It wasn't meant to win an Oscar; it was made to be fun to watch and it most certainly is that. The interplay between Douglas and Wayne is especially funny.
On a side note that sarcasm and veiled hostility between the Duke's and Douglas' characters was not too far removed from their real life relationship. John Wayne was Hollywood's leading conservative. Kirk Douglas is one of Hollywood's most outspoken liberals. Friction was a certainty. Also their Oscar hunting pet project films- Wayne's "The Alamo" and Douglas' "Spartacus"- went head-to-head with each other for 1960's Best Picture. During Oscar ballotting time, Duke's publicity people raised hackles by impyling that a vote for "Spartacus" was un-American because it was penned by formerly blacklisted screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. In any event neither film won; but the competition was not helpful for a working relationship between the two stars.
Yet they made three films together and always made a great on-screen team. I guess they recognized each as professional actors who could work well together and it certainly shows on screen.
13 A Cool Western
What a team! John Wayne and Kirk Douglas are SO good together! There are a lot of funny parts in this movie, and plenty of action. There are all the elements of a great Western: John Wayne, horses, good guys, bad guys, nitro glycerin, fist fights, chase scenes, and gunfights. You put all them in a movie, and you've got a dilly! A must see for everyone who likes the Duke, Kirk Douglas, and a great Western!
14 Good Flick but....
While I did enjoy The War Wagon on DVD, I would have to say I did enjoy other John Wayne movies on DVD more, The Searchers and The Cowboys both 5 stars in my mind. I would have given The War Wagon 3 stars except that Kirk Douglas is in it which would have been 3 1/2 stars, so I gave it an extra 1/2 star for the hell of it.
15 Much better than the VHS tape version.
You must see the DVD version to truely appreciate the beauty and splendor of the land where this was filmed. In many cases it upstaged the Duke, which is hard to do. I can't count how many times I have seen this movie in other formats. But, after viewing it on my Big Screen from DVD, I feel I have just seen all of it for the first time. My only complaint about the quality would be the projector weave in the opening reel. Otherwise, the picture is spectacular!
16 Pretty good by my standards
This John Wayne movie is one of my favorites because it shows a lot of action and some very good chase scenes.
17 Pretty good action.
This, like Rooster Cogburn, is one of my favorites. Wayne and Kirk Douglas are two of my favorite actors. This movie is one of their best.
