Rogell's 'War
', a sex comedy (until it switches to a rural drama and the characters sometimes get a bit sententious) replete with exciting love innuendo and genuinely good one-liners, has that ineffable uplifting quality known as zest, or gusto; very dynamic, at the twilight of the cherished West, when the land of the farmers, cowboys, Indians and wry coach-drivers becomes the land of the upcoming oilmen, a comedy of the later West, if you will (yet this typology is secondary here, as Jim behaves like the usual ruthless rich, regardless of the spring of his income), and not at all a screwball, because it's another genre altogether: a rivalry drama, well handled and flawlessly written on its own unassuming terms, the storyline remaining a look at love, and in this it's nicely written, and also well directed, by Rogell. When angered, the oilman looked like a saner Atwill; but he is not maligned as a villain (at least at first, up until the ride to Tulsa, then we get less certain about his even basic honor), but instead comes across as a genuinely limited person, naturally unable to understand what's outside the range of his daily life, and this seems reasonable. Martha Scott's character seems a bit dry, which she's supposed to be, and then her performance changes accordingly, as we get to know her, and she gets accustomed to her new place; but there's a minus: the schoolteacher is also a bit unlovable, a bit trite. This of course depends on what one is drawn to feel towards the actress herself and her character such as it is.
But then, who are the titular wildcats? It seems like not only the girl, but also her two rival pursuers are such wildcats. Dekker is annoying, as prescribed by the script, it's his job to look that.
Teddy R. is a cartoon. There are also villains, so that the community looks plausible.
'War of the Wildcats' is not a Western (and certainly not a kids' movie!), of course (Somers plays as an archetypal twilight cowboy, drifter, gunman, adventurer, eventually turned oilman and settled), but a blend of comedy and drama to be enjoyed by Western buffs.
There are a few twists, psychologically intriguing (Catherine's turns, even Jim's honor, up to his showing an uglier side of his soul). Jim comes across rather as a limited person, unable to understand the girl, not as a double-crosser; but then things change and, if he's cleared of the Cherokee misdeed, he becomes the handler of some really ugly schemes meant to derail the farmers' business. The ride to Tulsa was a romp.
The director, Rogell, knew his craft, his trade. Him, and Wayne, and most of the cast give this movie a pleasurable humane quality, also aided by the complexity of the script and by the production values, and the movie is charming, and even stylish in its way. Good movie.
The playful Wayne reminded me of Gibson in his comedy roles. And thank you for reading this, if you did.
But then, who are the titular wildcats? It seems like not only the girl, but also her two rival pursuers are such wildcats. Dekker is annoying, as prescribed by the script, it's his job to look that.
Teddy R. is a cartoon. There are also villains, so that the community looks plausible.
'War of the Wildcats' is not a Western (and certainly not a kids' movie!), of course (Somers plays as an archetypal twilight cowboy, drifter, gunman, adventurer, eventually turned oilman and settled), but a blend of comedy and drama to be enjoyed by Western buffs.
There are a few twists, psychologically intriguing (Catherine's turns, even Jim's honor, up to his showing an uglier side of his soul). Jim comes across rather as a limited person, unable to understand the girl, not as a double-crosser; but then things change and, if he's cleared of the Cherokee misdeed, he becomes the handler of some really ugly schemes meant to derail the farmers' business. The ride to Tulsa was a romp.
The director, Rogell, knew his craft, his trade. Him, and Wayne, and most of the cast give this movie a pleasurable humane quality, also aided by the complexity of the script and by the production values, and the movie is charming, and even stylish in its way. Good movie.
The playful Wayne reminded me of Gibson in his comedy roles. And thank you for reading this, if you did.