Showdown

Old friends and partners Rock Hudson and Dean Martin unwillingly collide when Martin is wanted for train robbery and Hudson is the sheriff who has to catch him, which he does when his wife, Susan Clark, stands between the two men.

George Seaton's first western and last movie is an oddly paced affair. Both men seem to be uncomfortable at all time, and Miss Clark very relaxed. I attribute this to the idea that it seems a more more calculated to show off Ernest Laszlo's stunning cinematography than a story film. True, westerns, the most conservative of movie genres, was always more about the camerawork and vistas of the old western than stories; western writer Frank Gruber said there were only seven plots for westerns, so what else was a western movie supposed to be about other than the pictures? Yet even the great color westerns of the 1950s always had an artificial look to them. Laszlo's camerawork is seemingly more casual and gorgeous for that.

The print and transfer I saw were both carefully done. That always helps.

Showdown is another version of the two buddies who take different turns in the road of life. It borrows elements from George Marshall's supremely enjoyable Texas which starred two very young players named Glenn Ford and Bill Holden.

The buddies here are Dean Martin and Rock Hudson. They're a little older than Bill and Glenn were. Rock Hudson is now a solid respectable citizen ranch owner, married to Susan Clark, and who also happens to be the sheriff.

Dino cleared out from the ranch they had and has been gone for two years so he doesn't know that Hudson is the new sheriff. Maybe he wouldn't have decided to rob that train with some very serious outlaw types. Unfortunately Dino was recognized and Hudson has to bring him in.

This turned out to be the last western film for both Dean Martin and Rock Hudson. Martin, starting with Rio Bravo in 1959, did a whole string of westerns of varying quality. But making them is hard work, a fact Dean discovered one day out in the desert heat making these films. The rest of his movies were done in modern dress.

Also for some reason two of the most agreeable stars to work with as attested to by numerous co-stars of both did not get along during the making of Showdown.

Yet this Damon and Pythias story is still good entertainment and nothing either Rock or Dean had any reason to be ashamed of.

It may not be an amazing script, but the couple great actors of Martin and Hudson make it well worth the watch. It's a decent western, even if there's no great "action" to speak of. You won't find any memes from it, and it's not even really blog-worthy beyond the hour and a half of relaxing tv watching. Both Martin and Hudson play their parts in an understated way, which makes it more believable.

There's enough chemestry between Rock and Dean that they're comfortable to watch. There is some subtle humor here and there, and the story doesn't offend. Personally I enjoyed it, if you like westerns and buddies on opposite sides you may like it too.

The plot for Showdown is so ordinary that you might just find yourself asking why you picked this up in the video rental place. But there's enough star power on the first through third tiers that this 1973 oater can't be a complete waste of time.

I remember seeing the movie on NBC some thirty years or more ago. I'd never heard of it, it had interesting people, and how badly could it be butchered for television? It was only PG back then.

Showdown is one of those movies you should see just so you can say something like, "Hey, I saw this old western with Rock Hudson and Dean Martin, and it wasn't too bad." Of course, if your time is just too valuable, then skip it.

But it's a decent excuse to eat some popcorn.

When I sat down to watch the 1973 Western "Showdown" here in 2022, it was actually the very first time I have ever seen it. In fact, it was my very first time to ever have heard about the movie as well. Then again, I haven't really been harboring much interest for the Western genre before earlier this year.

So I have to say that I didn't have any expectations to writers Theodore Taylor and Hank Fine as I sat down to watch "Showdown". But I figured that since the movie had Rock Hudson and Dean Martin on the cast list, then I would most likely be in for something worthwhile.

And now having seen "Showdown", I will admit that this was actually a rather enjoyable and entertaining movie. Director George Seaton put together a very good narrative from the works of the writers, and the movie was actually good from beginning and right up to the end. So, it was definitely a movie well-worth sitting down to watch.

"Showdown" has a good cast, with Rock Hudson playing Chuck Jarvis and Dean Martin playing Billy Massey. They were really nicely cast for the leading roles. The movie also have some other familiar faces on the cast list, such as Susan Clark, Donald Moffat, John McLiam and Ed Begley Jr.

If you enjoy Western movies, then "Showdown" is without a doubt a movie that is worth watching, and it has that particularly enjoyable Western atmosphere to it. I was genuinely entertained by this movie.

My rating of "Showdown" lands on a six out of ten stars.