The War Wagon poster & wallpaper

Bruce Cabot, Howard Keel, Joanna Barnes

John Wayne and Kirk Douglas make a delightful duo in this comedic Western in which Wayne seeks revenge on a ruthless mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who had him framed and sent to prison. Upon his release, W...( read more  read more... )ayne recruits Douglas in a scheme to raid and rob one of Cabot's gold-laden wagons, despite the fact that Douglas had been offered good money to kill Wayne. He joins Wayne instead (the potential profits being much greater), and they set out to ambush the War Wagon, so named because it's heavily armored, mounted with a Gatling gun, and guarded by a dozen gunmen on horses. Costarring Keenan Wynn and Howard Keel as a wise-cracking Indian, The War Wagon was a Western precursor to the action buddy films of the 1980s and '90s, serving up plenty of exciting action and constant comic relief. The interplay between Wayne and Douglas is sharp and sarcastic, and their motley crew of accomplices provides yet another source of character-driven humor. Not one of the greatest Westerns ever made, but certainly one of the most lightly entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

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73% liked it

6,631 ratings

Unrated, 101 min.

Directed by: Burt Kennedy

Release Date: May 27, 1967

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DVD Release Date: August 18, 1998

Stats: 194 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (194)

  • flixsterman
    January 22, 2009
    flixsterman
    It might not be great cinema but it's great fun!
  • stopitgoaway
    January 10, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    This is a "caper" film, about what would be a heist in other circumstances. Since the ethics of the perpetrators are those which should have made the authorities make the robbery unnecessary, their act is justified in this situation. This noir western is a bit slick-appearing at ...( read more)some times; but it is physically attractive, has a good cast portraying colorful and somewhat desperate characters, and a strong theme song. Dimitri Tiomkin supplied the very capable score; and Burt Kennedy did a solid job of directing throughout. The very appealing storyline concerns Taw Jackson, played ably by John Wayne, who returns from prison to get back what he can from Bruce Cabot, who stole his ranch and framed him. All he can do is to recruit a group of "mission fighters", beginning with the man who had shot him 5 years earlier, Lomax, played by dynamic Kirk Douglas-and raid the "war wagon"--his enemy's vehicle for transporting gold, a Gatling-Gun-equipped armored stagecoach. Taw's team includes a drunken young dynamite expert he met in prison Robert Walker Jr., Keenan Wynn who is insanely jealous of his young wife, Valora Noland as the wife, Levi Walking Bear in the charismatic person of Howard Keel, his liaison to needed Indian allies, and more. Gene Evans, Joanna Barnes, Ann McRea, Terry Wilson and Frank Mcgrath are among those also doing good professional work in this interesting narrative. Only Noland is a bit weak in this cast. There are some humorous lines and interesting character moments as Wayne assembles his group and plots an attack worthy of "The Dirty Dozen" or "Where Eagles Dare", involving trees that fall at the right moment, Indians faking an attack as a diversion, dynamite used to block off access to a bridge, and a log that swings down and opens the rolling piggy bank violently. What happens after this successful robbery leads to a compromised denouement and ending; but the film is vividly put together, professionally mounted and decently scripted by Clair Huffaker from his own novel. The film stands as a reminder of what any well-made film about an ethical central character can provide relative to any un-ethical and not-fictional man's story competing for a cinema viewer's attention. Moments such as Wayne's visit to his ranch and his talk with the man who stole it, the recruiting of Lomax, the relations of the group, and the raid itself are all memorable. Underrated and always visually interesting.
  • PvtCaboose91
    November 3, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "You caused me a lot of embarrassment! You're the only man I shot, that I didn't kill."


    John Wayne (commonly referred to more affectionately as The Duke) developed into a much-loved American icon during his sprawling career that spanned over multiple decades. The

    ...( read more)War Wagon is one of those forgotten gems. It wasn't as critically acclaimed as The Searchers or Rio Bravo, thus to some it's "just another John Wayne movie". Be that as it may, this is an extraordinarily fun and engaging little flick. The War Wagon performed as a Western precursor to the buddy action movies of the 80s and 90s, offering an adequate quantity of exciting action and amusing comic relief. This is an enjoyable revenge Western, featuring clichéd cowboys and standard gunslingers of all stripes playing out in an intriguing premise. Screenwriter Clair Huffaker also wrote the novel on which the film is based. Clair has a decidedly keen understanding on the expectancies of a John Wayne Western, as he once reportedly said: "John Wayne plays the strong, silent man, with a certain sense of humour and an inner feeling of justice."

    The straightforward story is one that's been exploited in various other genres. A man is wrongfully accused, and this man seeks revenge on the wrongdoers. In this case, the protagonist is Taw Jackson (Wayne). Years ago Jackson was framed and sent to prison. After being released on parole, he returns to his old stomping ground to find his estate in possession of the man who framed him: powerful mine owner Frank Pierce (Cabot). You see, Pierce realised there was gold on Jackson's land and wanted to get his greedy hands on it. Due to Pierce's connections and power, he could successfully have Taw Jackson framed and Jackson could do nothing to prove his innocence. In order for Jackson to settle the score with Pierce, he becomes dead-set on capturing an iron-clad stagecoach transporting half a million dollars worth of gold (mined from his land, that is). He enlists the help of an old enemy of his known as Lomax (Douglas).

    An extremely similar story was utilised for the 1969 heist film The Italian Job, be it purposeful or otherwise. The War Wagon is the Western version of the story, whereas The Italian Job is a modern appropriation. This is a testament to the clever little plot assembled for the film.

    Despite never being widely acclaimed, The War Wagon holds its own all these years later. It's a good fun old-fashioned action/adventure ride created for providing Saturday afternoon entertainment at the movies. The cinematography looks utterly beautiful. In tradition with all the greatest American Westerns of the 50s and 60s, there are wonderful locations that have been captured suitably. It has been perceived that the message of this Western is to nourish the ideology of vigilante committees aiming to safeguard their rights and possessions. Clair Huffaker's screenplay is fairly adequate. As a straightforward, enjoyable romp it succeeds but by no means does it break new ground. The heroes are clichéd: depicted as being infinitely smarter than their opponents, and are capable of many amazing feats. Meanwhile the villains can't shoot straight and aren't smart enough to rival the heroes. There are also no surprises at all along the way. It plays out exactly how we expect it to. The conclusion is fairly predictable. Still, it's a thoroughly fun ride to take. It isn't the greatest Western of all time, nor is it one of John Wayne's best, but you could do a whole lot worse. In fact, modern Hollywood blockbuster fluff is inferior to this kind of exciting John Wayne material.

    The interplay between John Wayne and Kirk Douglas is sardonic and sharp. It's the chemistry between these two leads that places this above the commonplace standard. Rumour has it that The Duke grew annoyed with Douglas during the production, and this would explain why there were no other features starring the two legends. That's a pity, because on-screen the two stars appear to work well together, providing a solid backbone for the rest of the characters to work off. There are several wonderful moments to be witnessed featuring Douglas and Wayne bouncing off each other. After they simultaneously out-draw two opponents, Douglas remarks "Mine hit the ground first". "Mine was taller" Wayne replies laconically.
    John Wayne is at his usual standard here. Not his best performance to date, though. Same can be said for Kirk Douglas. He's appealing enough, but far from Oscar-worthy. Also in the cast are such names as Bruce Cabot, Keenan Wynn, Howard Keel, Robert Walker, Valora Nolan, and there's a brief appearance of Bruce Dern. A few years later Bruce Dern would feature in a John Wayne film entitled The Cowboys. Dern became one of the only actors in history to shoot a John Wayne character dead. Interestingly, Wayne kills Dern's character in The War Wagon.

    If you're on the lookout for an enjoyable old-fashioned Western, this is the one for you. In tradition with censorship of the time, villains are dispatched without any blood. Plenty of blokes are gunned down alright, yet none sports an injury. Whilst being a fairly typical John Wayne vehicle, The War Wagon is loads of fun with Wayne and Douglas sharing a terrific on-screen camaraderie. There's plenty of horse-riding, lots of guns, a few girls, a dash of romance, and a lot of excitement. What's not to like? By no means is this the greatest Western of its decade, but it's engaging enough to hold your interest for 100 minutes.
  • shchase2000
    July 25, 2009
    shchase2000
    Saw it before and really love his movies
  • gilbert1589
    June 7, 2009
    gilbert1589
    ''It's mine'.just one of many quotes in this flik..
  • Soundsofmadness
    March 28, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • ima365ryder
    March 11, 2009
    ima365ryder
    Outstanding movie John Wayne is my family favorite actor
  • 339z
    February 1, 2009
    339z
    well umnn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch...its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie...i think that both john wayne n kirk douglas were good as the 2 lead roles thorughout this movie,,,,i think that the director ...( read more)of this western/classics movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie..its an enjoyable movie 2 watch
  • 01MovieMan
    November 22, 2008
    01MovieMan
    This is a good movie

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