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Brilliant and touching

Absolutely Fantastic

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A typical star-driven late 60's Hollywood-oater, "Chisum" was entertaining but it's easy to see the rising appeal of grittier, harder Westerns like 1969's "The Wild Bunch" (a film reportedly disliked by John Wayne). Other than the iconic Wayne as the titular character and the always great Ben Johnson as his muttering sidekick, most of the cast looked like Hollywood actors and actresses playing at 'old-west' – hairstyles seemed anachronistic, women had tight fitting dresses, everyone had perfect teeth etc. Billy the Kid was portrayed as a pretty nice guy with his on-screen killings always justified (at least by him) and lots of references to him learning to read, do sums etc., and again, his mentor Tunstall is portrayed as an older British father-figure (he was actually less than 10 years older that The Kid). After watching John Wayne play a lot of 'larger-than-life' heroes like John Chisum, it's not surprising that some people were surprised by his actual acting ability when he finally played a more complex and ambivalent character in "True Grit". What I most disliked about "Chisum" was the music, especially the clichéd opening Ballad of John Chisum and the intrusive "Sally" song. All-in-all, an OK old-school western from an era when the genre was moving away from white hats vs. black hats story lines to more realistic (at least as realistic as a highly-fictionalised era can be), dirtier, and bloodier films.

Any Movie that has Ben Johnson as a Cowboy can't be All Bad, and this John Wayne Western begins His Seventies Period that had some Highlights, "The Cowboys" (1972), "The Shootist" (1976), and is an Entertaining and Epic Yarn, but not as Good as the Aforementioned.The "Duke" must be given some Credit for Trying to Soften His Image as a Knee-Jerk Conservative (my way or the highway), as can be Witnessed by Inclusionary Characters and Situations where He makes some "Veiled Apologies" concerning some of His Previously Right Wing Notions in some of His Movies from the 1970's.It can be Seen in this one where He goes to Great Lengths to Yap about His Friendship with an Indian Chief now on a Reservation that "Chisum" finds Unsettling.This is a Sprawling Western that is Enjoyable with Many a Characters from the History Pages and some Capitalistic Concerns. There's not only Chisum, but Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. Also Henry Tunstall (Patrick Knowles) who took Billy "Under His Wing" with Reform in Mind (it almost worked).There is a High Body Count and Bullets Flying, Cattle Stampeding, and John Wayne opens and closes the Movie Striking a Pose as Almost a Deity Among Men.Note...The opening credits are superimposed on some fine Western style Art that is different and memorable.

Andrew McLaglen directs "Chisum", a film based loosely upon the Lincoln County War of 1878. It stars John Wayne as John Chisum, a wealthy land owner who owns huge swathes of New Mexico Territory. Encroaching upon Chisum's domain is Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker), a millionaire racketeer who uses gangs, violence and old-fashioned monopolistic tactics to undercut Chisum's businesses."Chisum" was publicly praised by US President Richard Nixon, so right away you know it's a moronic flick. McLaglen's audience is asked to accept Chisum as a "good capitalist" and "good land baron", who runs "good banks", "good farms" and "loves minorities". Murphy, in contrast, is presented as a "bad capitalist" who uses underhanded tactics, buys politicians, bribes sheriffs, runs "bad banks" and uses his clout to exploit others. That the real Murphy was a Republican Party leader is an irony missed by Nixon. That Chisum is a guy who wiped out Native Indians, hires thugs of his own, is himself monopolistic, that all land grabs are exclusionary and that all banks and 18th century private property laws exert the same negative knock-on effects, is likewise completely oblivious to McLaglen. The film's false dichotomy ends with our Good Capitalist Patriarch and Bad Capitalist Partirarch in a literal fist fight, John Wayne, of course, eventually emerging victorious. With fists and six-shooters, and in the name of God and Law, he cleans up town.Ultimately stupid, "Chisum's" first hour nevertheless cons you into expecting complexity. The film initially feels revisionist, feels expansive, feels like its genuinely attempting to sketch the realities of 19th century New Mexico. In the end, though, most of "Chisum's" interesting avenues are derailed by John Wayne himself, and the ancillary baggage he brings with him. 5/10 – Better westerns: "McCabe and Mrs Miller", "Sitting Bull's History Lesson", "Broken Lance", "Ulzana's Raid", "Hud", "Bad Company", "The Long Riders", "Hombre" and "Ride with the Devil".

Yet another western from the first few decades of Hollywood talkies that exploits the names of several iconic persons of the wild West, but suffers from a bizarre combination of some reasonable historical accuracy, combined with blatant inaccuracy: sometimes presenting the opposite of what really happened. This shoot-em up Wayne western features 3 iconic names of the Old West: John Chisum, Billy the Kid, and Pat Garrett, who supposedly played important roles in the Lincoln County NM war of 1878. However, the participation of cattle baron Chisum(John Wayne)in this war is greatly magnified compared to the historic Chisum. The historic Pat Garrett, as a supposed frequent ally of Billy the Kid and Chisum during this war, wasn't even involved! He only became relevant a couple of years later, after Billy's gangs became bothersome rustlers. Chisum did have a niece: Sallie, who may have dabbled a bit romantically with Billy, but not with Garrett, who become the contestants for her heart in this story. Historically, the war involved primarily competition between the team of McSween and Tunstall vs, Murphy and Dolan. Both owned various businesses in the towns, as well as cattle. Chisum, whose land was to the south of Lincoln county, only got involved because he was a business partner with McSween. Dolan, who was the ultimate beneficiary of this conflict, isn't even included in the film! The deaths of Tunstall and McSween are reasonably accurately portrayed, as is the role of Billy and companions in executing some of those involved in the murder of his employer(Incidentally, Tunstall was only in his 20s, not the grandfatherly figure portrayed!). However, the dominant role of Murphy in the war, as well as the mode of his death, are blatant fabrications, if much more dramatic. In fact, the historic Murphy was quite sick from a cancer during this period, and would die within a few months after the war petered out. Dolan later bought the businesses and lands of the deceased Tunstall and McSween. Chisum certainly didn't help end the standoff between the two sides by stampeding cattle through the main street, half knocking down some of the flimsy set buildings! Historically, it was a cavalry unit that showed up to help end the siege.This is an old style western, played according to the iron clad censorship restrictions of the Hays commission from the '30s through much of the '60s. We have clear cut good and bad guys, for the most part, and some of the good guys survive as winners , for a happy ending. Chisum, his buddy James Pepper(Ben Johnson), Tunstall, Mcsween and Garrett are the main good guys. Murphy(Forrest Tucker) and his bunch, including Sheriff Brady, along with Neemo and his Mexican bandits, are the main bad guys. Billy is ambivalent in this respect. He kills a number of the main bad guys, but he's too quick and persistent in seeking revenge via vigilante shootings to suit Chisum and Garrett. Thus, in the end, he rides off alone, hoping to catch up with and shoot the now deceased Murphy's last hand-picked sheriff: Nodeen, who had just murdered McSween. The take home message is that wrong doing should be dealt with through the legal system. whenever possible, rather than by shoot-from-the hip vigilante justice. Of course, as history abundantly proves, going the legal route is often a slow, expensive, option, that doesn't necessarily achieve a greater measure of justice, especially when political corruption, financial resources, or ethnic prejudice, for example, is an overriding factor, or the accused can easily disappear. Besides, Billy's experience was that he lived in a kill or be killed, rustle or starve, world. Billy was less of a loner than here portrayed, always part of an outlaw or legitimate group. Technically, the film is well done, with excellent camera work. Wayne includes some well-known actors in Ben Johnson, Forrest Tucker, and Patrick Knowles, for example. The cattle stampede through town, to help break up the siege, is pretty spectacular, as is the fight between Wayne and Tucker, that ends in Murphy's(Tucker) death from a fall. Geoffrey Dueul probably comes across as too nonchalant for Billy, although Billy was reputedly a charmer. Pamela makes an appealing, big-eyed, Sallie Chisum, with a crush on the rightfully vengeful Billy, later realizing that Pat Garrett provided more realistic husband material.A couple years later, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" would be released, directed by Sam Peckinpah. Unlike the present film, this dramatizes the later historic tangling of now sheriff Garrett and fugitive-from -justice Billy, a couple years after the conclusion of the Lincoln County war. Billy was then wanted for his recent rustling activity, as well as for his killings in the war and elsewhere. This film would take advantage of the recent much relaxed censorship rules, in presenting a much more realistic, gritty, world, of 1880 New Mexico. Garrett is portrayed with his worts, as well as virtues.Presently available as part of a TCM greatest classic films collection, which includes "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", as well as "Ride the High Country", and "The Stalking Moon"