Joe Kidd (1972)

Synopsis:

A corrupt and ruthless land baron (Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies) hires a gunslinger (Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry) to hunt down a Mexican bandido (John Saxon, A Nightmare on Elm Street), who is fighting to keep his land.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“I gotta dollar here says I can break your neck.”

Sandwiched between two of Clint Eastwood’s most popular movies, Dirty Harry (1971) and High Plains Drifter (1973), Joe Kidd feels like something “lost in the shuffle.” Even I, who prides himself on being well-versed in all things Eastwood, had never seen it before. Now that I’ve watched it, I fully understand the film’s semi-obscurity.

In the 1970s, Eastwood was on a roll. The Beguiled (1971), Play Misty for Me (1971), and Dirty Harry (1971), all great movies. Nearly fifty years later, Joe Kidd hasn’t aged as well as the aforementioned films. This well-crafted but unoriginal revisionist western seems a little too content with relying on Eastwood’s ample charisma.

It’s disappointing to see that so much talent was unable to create something of greater value. The film was directed by veteran John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven). The script was written by iconic crime writer Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty). The music was composed by Lalo Schifrin (Cool Hand Luke). The film was shot by ace cameraman Bruce Surtees (Dirty Harry). I expected more from this extraordinary group of men.

In my opinion, the film’s main problem is its underwritten title character. Eastwood once again plays a monosyllabic gunfighter, but this time around the character he plays is so ill-defined that one can never totally understand what he is doing.

“Joe Kidd” is likable enough — he is an irreverent and skilled gunfighter — but he suffers from an acute case of “more of the same.” Because of its cardboard title character, Joe Kidd looks a little better if you see it as a direct sequel to Don Siegel’s Two Mules for Sister Sara. Eastwood plays essentially the same character — I noticed that the actor wears the same funky-looking holster in both movies!

The film’s finest moments are provided by the supporting characters, played by an array of wonderful actors. The underrated John Saxon is excellent as the proud Mexican revolutionary Luis Chama, who is fighting racism and economic inequality. Saxon does a good job selling Chama as a morally complex “good guy.”

Robert Duvall beautifully underplays the greedy landowner. Duvall plays the super-rich land baron as a “civilized gentleman” who has a savage streak. Don Stroud (Licence to Kill), one of my favorite character actors, plays Duvall’s main henchman. I also liked Dick Van Patten (Mel Brooks’s High Anxiety) as a hotel manager.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

This is one of Clint Eastwood’s weakest westerns. Joe Kidd seems like something Eastwood did to keep himself busy. However, having said all this, the movie has some goodies — I liked the supporting cast and the gorgeous cinematography. Lower your expectations and you might enjoy it. Color, 88 minutes, Rated PG.