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Reviews
The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones (1966)
Lawman takes outlaws in overcoming rugged obstacles plot
I saw this movie the same night that ABC was broadcasting Clint Walker's the Bounty Man. They both have the same plot of a man taking outlaws in with bounty hunters on their trail. This is the superior effort because it tries for something different. After years of seeing the Cartwright boys on Bonanza and Barkley's on the Big Valley, risking their lives to help the law just because it was the right thing to do, it is refreshing to see Robert Horton's character refuse to take the responsibility of taking in Sal Mineo's Billy-The-Kid inspired character and Nehemiah Persoff's wife killer because it isn't his job. His refusal is realistic. Gary Merrill's dying sheriff basically shames him into taking the job by pointing out that if they just let Mineo's psychotic outlaw go he'll be free to kill again. The people Horton's Kiowa Jones character meet such as Diane Baker who is presented as unglamorous as possible are equally reluctant to help out. When Kiowa Jones is forced to kill, he is genuinely upset over the killing of fellow human beings. Highly unusual for the TV or the movies, where the hero kills and never seems to think twice about it. Across the Great Divide with Kirk Douglass and Hang'em High with Clint Eastwood trod the same territory as the Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones, but the Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones is a cooler title. Some folks might be put off by the standard locations such as Vasquez Rocks, yep those leaning rocks that Cheyenne, Maverick, Roy Rogers movie and every other western seemed to take place, but if you can get past that, you're in for a great movie. Highly recommended.
The Silent Gun (1969)
Town tamer western . l
The opening of this made for TV movie of the week is very exciting with Lloyd Bridges taking on a gang of outlaws all by himself. At the time, the anti TV violence folks power was at it's peak. TV Detective shows could only fire their guns once during an episode and the only way to kill anyone was during a car chase ending in a car going off a cliff which Mannix seemed to do every 15 minutes. This was the reason the opening gunfight with the high body count was such a surprise during this time. As the synopsis states, Bridges almost killing a little girl leads to his carrying an empty gun for the rest of the movie. Tension is created by the veteran gunman running a bluff based on his deadly reputation to keep the badmen in line. John Beck was Bridges' side kick and was cool, but wasn't given much to do. The veteran cast made it interesting, but lack of action takes it's toll on the western fan craving excitement.