Noutions
Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Moustroll
Good movie but grossly overrated
ActuallyGlimmer
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Wuchak
Released in 1973 and written & directed by Burt Kennedy, "The Train Robbers" stars John Wayne as Lane, a former Civil War officer who enlists a couple of his old subordinates (Ben Johnson & Rod Taylor) and a few younger gunfighters (e.g. Christopher George & Bobby Vinton) to help a widow (Ann-Margret) obtain a hidden cache of gold to honor her family's name. They travel 200 miles from West Texas into the Mexican desert while being chased by a gang who also wants the money, not to mention a mysterious man who has his own agenda (Ricardo Montalban). While I relish this Western, it does have its flaws. The story is wholly contrived and contains a couple questionable dialogues, not to mention the "yeah, right" activities of the Montalban character. But I've seen way worse Westerns; the overrated "The Searchers" (1956) comes to mind. If you like authentic breathtaking Southwestern vistas, notable Western music (reminiscent of "How the West was Won"), a tried-and-true cast (including cutie Ann-Margret) and desert adventure marked by a long chase with numerous camping-out scenes (almost a survival movie), not to mention an exceptional centerpiece set, featuring a dilapidated abandoned train in the desert, and a quality surprise ending, you can't go wrong with "The Train Robbers." The magnificent Western cinematography is particularly notable: Myriad frames from practically every sequence could be used as awesome Western art. Then there's the fact that this is essentially a Western "road movie," albeit without the road (you could call it a trail movie). On top of this you get some dialogue exchanges that are nigh iconic for the Western genre. For instance, we've all seen those Westerns where the aging protagonist and a female half his age fall in love and ride off into the sunset, but there's a scene in "The Train Robbers" where the hot widow reveals her attraction to the aged-but-commanding Lane wherein he frankly informs her: "I got a saddle that's older than you are, Mrs. Lowe." This, of course, swiftly douses any romantic sparks. Some criticize that the title is misleading, but it's applicable in three ways: (1.) Mr. Lowe robbed a train of $500,000 in gold before the movie begins, (2.) Lane & his team "rob" the abandoned train in the desert, and (3.) when the group decide to chase the train at the end one of them specifies that he's going to "rob a train!" As for the cavil that there's no central villain and that the gang chasing the protagonists are faceless gun-fodder, while this is true you have to respect the film for saying, "Villain, villain? We don't need no stinking villain." Besides, there IS a villain in the predominant cast. A conman IS a villain, albeit with a smile and charm. The ending reveals all and those who complain about the lack of a key antagonist are doofuses who can't see the forest for the trees.For those who scratch their heads at various elements of the plot, just connect the dots from the various dialogues and it makes sense. It's all there. I admit that "The Train Robbers" is palpably flawed for the reasons cited earlier. If the filmmakers would've just taken a little more time and spent a little more money to work out the kinks it could've been a latter-day Wayne Western on the level of "True Grit" (1969), "The Cowboys" (1972) and "Rooster Cogburn" (1975). Still, its highlights make it not far off; it's an entertaining cult Western. The film runs 92 minutes and was shot in Durango, Sonora & Chihuahua, Mexico; and Yuma, Arizona.GRADE: B
classicsoncall
Well, a Western with a twist ending - you don't see that very often. Usually the white hat hero rides off into the sunset with the pretty lady by his side, but this one served up what could have been a set up for a sequel. I think once was enough though.Once this got under way it reminded me a lot of the Burt Reynolds flick "Sam Whiskey". Both pictures have the same plot, a 'widow' hires on an aggressive gunman to retrieve the gold her husband stole and return it to the authorities to clear the family name. The Reynolds picture was a little more complicated since it required Mission Impossible-like coordination, so it kept you on your toes a bit more as the viewer. This one runs a bit slower, in fact there seems to be a fair amount of down time after Lane (John Wayne) and his group whittle down the twenty man posse in the desert.As far as leading ladies go, it's a toss-up between "Sam Whiskey" and "The Train Robbers". Angie Dickinson did the honors in the earlier film (1969), while Ann-Margret cuts a pretty mean profile in this pic. I've never mentioned it before, but the lack of that second 'a' in Margret's name always seems to bother me, it's like an itch that can't be scratched. You have to admit though, she looked darn good in her boiled shirt; heck, she even looked good in that wet blanket.
edwagreen
A rather typical John Wayne western with the Duke literally very comfortable in his favorite genre of western films.Hired by the widow of a dead train robber, Wayne and others seek to locate the gold that her husband stole and return it to the authorities so that they can collect a reward and at least her husband's name can be cleared.The plot is revealed in less than 15 minutes after the film begins and is then devoted to traveling over difficult terrain, shooting between the good guys versus the original robbers and others, Wayne getting the "widow" Ann-Margret intoxicated so as to learn more and other Wayne riders such as Rod Taylor and Ben Johnson revealing themselves.As the story goes on it is highly predictable, but at the very end it is shown that you can't trust anyone or their respective stories.
GUENOT PHILIPPE
I know this film since I was a kid. Nothing new here. I watched it yesterday, once more. It could have been made by Andrew Mac Laglen. All these westerns made in the late 60's and early 70's, starring John Wayne and his pals, have nothing to do with the same period Sam Peckinpah's or Monty Hellman's ones, the new western, another kind. But I like the both. The new generation was more downbeat, the counter culture, the death of the old west. Wayne was thousand miles away from this. On the contrary, he was still in the old western, from the fifties and forties. So, what could I say more about TRAIN ROBBERS?I like this kind of westerns, and always will do. Period.
