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Big Jake (1971)

 -  Action | Crime | Drama  -  26 May 1971 (USA)
6.9
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Ratings: 6.9/10 from 5,145 users  
Reviews: 56 user | 27 critic

The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. There is only one man who is ... See full summary »

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Title: Big Jake (1971)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
John Fain
...
James McCandles
...
Michael McCandles
...
Sam Sharpnose
Bobby Vinton ...
Jeff McCandles
...
O'Brien
...
Buck Duggan
...
Martha McCandles
...
...
...
Gregg Palmer ...
...
Virginia Capers ...
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Storyline

The McCandles ranch is run over by a gang of cutthroats led by the evil John Fain. They kidnap little Jacob McCandles and hold him for a million dollar ransom. There is only one man who is brave enough and smart enough to bring him back and that man is Big Jake. Written by Christopher D. Ryan <cryan@direct.ca>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

John Wayne and Richard Boone star in a thrilling chase across the changing frontier See more »

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Western

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for western violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

26 May 1971 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Million Dollar Kidnapping  »

Filming Locations:


Box Office

Gross:

$7,500,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(photographs in opening credits)| (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Also the tenth out of ten John Wayne films co-starring his son, Patrick Wayne. See more »

Goofs

Toward the beginning of the movie, the Texas Rangers and the McCandles boys are trying to get ahead of the kidnappers. When viewed from behind, the shadows are on the vehicle's right-hand side, when the camera is in front, the shadows are on the left, even though the vehicles are traveling the same direction the entire time. See more »

Quotes

Martha McCandles: They're very dangerous men. They've already killed ten people, many of them you know... Juan and his family...
Jake: Tina and the little boy?
Martha McCandles: And Moses Brown.
Jake: Old Mose... lousy cook.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
Your fault. My fault. I'm gonna blow your head off!
21 April 1999 | by (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

That's one of my favorite lines from this picture and the way it's delivered, both times, is thrilling. Violent and bloody (and Bernstein's music makes one of the machete attacks even worse, his sense of drama is so good!) so don't let pre-teens or the impressionable see it! Boone is an awesome villain and Wayne and his "dog" make an odd hero combo. Big Jake is a big film, depicting the end of the cowboy era, without bemoaning the passing, and deftly incorporating new technology with the old. The tension between Wayne and his three boys is fine and there's some funny scenes, too. Highly recommended. PS: a Big Jake fan wrote into Entertainment Magazine in the 80s that this was one of his favorite Wayne films; the EM staff had never heard of it. I canceled my subscription.


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