Stellead
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Mathilde the Guild
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
moonspinner55
Kirk Douglas' second stab at film directing garnered him some favorable reviews, however this western with political flourishes is full of hot air rather than excitement. A US Marshal, beloved by the residents of a small dirt town, plans the ambush of a gang of bank robbers; their leader (Bruce Dern), who gets away, would be the feather in his cap for the Marshal, who is also running for State Senator. Though this is probably the only time in movie history a crook escaped from prison using a broomstick (!), this screenplay from Christopher Knopf and William Roberts is loaded down with the usual western clichés (mostly visual, though we are not spared the muttering old coot who works the printing press). With an extremely weak cast and unattractive locales, Douglas has only himself as an actor and the picture's marginal technical merits to fall back on. Some saw this as a political allegory; if so, it isn't a very incisive one, nor an entertaining or important one. *1/2 from ****
inspectors71
Kirk Douglas proves that his first choice for a career--in front of the camera--was a good one, directing Posse, a weak and silly "message" western about a politically ambitious US Marshall on the hunt for a notorious outlaw and the promotion that will result from his capture.It is interesting seeing Douglas run his PR spin machine in the Old West, and Bruce Dern, as the outlaw, is both cunning and charming (and not the psycho we all grew to love and hate). There is so much character-actor star-power in Posse, that I remember liking it despite its wheezy moralizing and Watergate-era world-view.Yet, if you've got nothing better to do than watch a late entry into the genre, with a strong cast more comfortable than good and a story more parody than satire, I'd just about recommend Posse.Just tie your standards to the hitchin' post.
Jonathon Dabell
Kirk Douglas had already directed the somewhat terrible Scalawag in 1973, but that previous flop did not deter him from having a second stab at the directing job a couple of years on. Fortunately, Posse is a much more accomplished film than Scalawag in every way: Douglas's own direction is more assured, the script by Christopher Knopf and William Roberts is very literate and clever, and Fred Koenekamp's cinematography has a good, professional look about it. By 1975, one would have thought that there would be little mileage left in the western genre. It seemed that nothing new could be done, but this one comes up with a fresh twist by having the "hero" gradually revealed as an unlikable and ambitious social climber.Marshal Howard Nightingale (Douglas) publicly announces that he will bring in infamous railroad bandit Jack Strawhorn (Bruce Dern). Although Strawhorn is a criminal of considerable notoriety - and definitely a man who belongs behind bars - Nightingale has an ulterior motive for apprehending his man. For the good Marshal has decided to run for the Texan senate, and believes that if he can nail Strawhorn - painting himself as a hero into the bargain - he will win over plenty of voters. Gradually, more and more people begin to see through Nightingale's selfish and egotistical political plans. His own posse have their doubts about how they will figure in the Marshal's future schemes; a news editor named Hellman (James Stacy) expresses distrust over the Marshal's ludicrously self-important opinion of himself; even Strawhorn eventually realises what his sly adversary is up to. Ultimately, Nightingale loses his posse and his public favour, with a little clever intervention from Strawhorn, and sees his political dreams left in tatters.The critical response to Posse was much more favourable than Douglas's previous directing attempt, and deservedly so. The western action in the film is good, solid stuff, not too violent (as was the trend in '75), but certainly tough enough to satisfy genre addicts. Douglas gives a strong performance as the absurdly self-obsessed marshal, and Dern is even better as the charismatic, even likable, bandit. The subversive nature of the plot (hero gradually turns out to be villain, villain gradually turns out to be hero) is intriguing and fairly fresh, and helps to add interest to the film. While Posse has occasional lulls, and a few noticeably amateurish performances lower down the cast list, it remains a fresh, interesting, and intriguing addition to a virtually exhausted genre.
helpless_dancer
Not a bad western, but not a real winner either. Most of the acting was good, but some of the performers need to go back to drama class and bone up a bit. Douglas and Dern kept the show going with their give and take, although I don't think the real lawmen and desperados actually carried on in this fashion. I think Strawhorn was more of a realist than a truly bad person; he saw the reality of life and became practical because of his vision. Dealing with 2 faced con men like Nightingale merely solidified his outlook on life.
