Western U.S. Marshal and widower John Wayne (as J.D. Cahill) is frequently away from home. His two neglected sons, 17-year-old Gary Grimes (as Daniel "Danny" Cahill) and 11-year-old Clay O'Brien (as Billy Joe "Budger" Cahill), are often left without their father. Consequently, the boys have fallen under the influence of mean George Kennedy (as Abe Fraser). One day, while Mr. Wayne is out shooting outlaws, young Grimes gets tossed in jail. This turns out to be part of a plot to rob the local bank, with both of Wayne's sons participating. To build an alibi, the crooks get thrown in jail on minor charges, sneak out to rob the bank, and then return to jail. Little of this is actually shown, but it helps to know...Wayne and director Andrew V. McLaglen should have ended their collaborations with the far superior "Chisum" (1970)...This one gets off to a confusing start. It's not an intricate story that develops; it's artificial and lacks cohesion. Seeing the "drunk and disorderly" Grimes with Kennedy might have helped, if the young actor was given the task. There are too many instances where Mr. McLaglen leaves Grimes with widened eyes and flared nostrils. And, let's try not to highlight "half breed" Comanche colored Neville Brand's florescent teeth. Grimes and young O'Brien act like Disney boys adopted by the older, violent Wayne (the script notes he became a father late in life). Considering Marshal Wayne's sense of justice, the boys are lucky to be his sons. If not, Wayne might have plugged them with multiple, spasm-inducting bullets.*** Cahill, United States Marshal (1973-07-11) Andrew V. McLaglen ~ John Wayne, Gary Grimes, Clay O'Brien, George Kennedy

J.D. Cahill (John Wayne) is the toughest U.S. Marshal but an often-absent father to his sons angry Danny (Gary Grimes) and little Billy Joe (Clay O'Brien). Abe Fraser (George Kennedy) convinces the boys to let his gang escape to rob a bank and then return back to their cells. Abe promises not to hurt anybody but they kill the sheriff. When J.D. returns, the boys lie to their father and Abe's gang has an airtight alibi. Billy Joe had hidden the money. Abe and his gang are released. Then four innocent men are caught for the crime and about to be hung. Abe pressures Billy Joe to give him the money but he doesn't really remember where he left it.I like the story of the boys and the conflict with their absent father. The problem in this movie is that the kids need to be great actors. Both boys are workable but nothing special. They don't have the charisma to be the center of the movie. Yet the story requires them to be. In many ways, Cahill is the least interesting of the three characters. This being a John Wayne movie, he has to be on screen a lot. He and Lightfoot keep having light banter which distracts from the more serious aspect of the story. Also if J.D. suspects the boys of the crime, he should have just taken the boys and squeeze the truth out of them.

John Wayne stars as tough-as-nails U.S. Marshal J.D. Cahill. When Cahill finds out a bank is robbed and an old friend killed, he grabs an Indian friend (Neville Brand) and heads out looking for them. Little does he know that mixed up with the bank robbers are his own two sons.Starts out well but gradually bogs down in feelings of sameness. I felt like I had seen this movie before with John Wayne. Still, it's watchable and avid fans of the Duke will enjoy it most. Lots of recognizable faces in minor roles. George Kennedy makes for a good villain. The kids are annoying. It's the kind of movie you don't seek out but if it's on TV and you have time to kill, you watch it.

There may be a lot of people that will dismiss this movie as just another example of John Wayne's typical western persona. If they do, they really didn't pay attention to what was being said throughout the film.In the 150+ hours of John Wayne movies on TV this week in honor of what would be his 100th birthday, this one is an excellent example, not only of his range as an actor, but also of his personal philosophy.You can dismiss John Wayne as just a cowboy actor, but you really don't know him if you do. He played a lot of different characters and showed variation in each one, even if it was just another western.In Cahill, he shows the struggle many fathers have gone through to raise their children and fulfill their responsibilities at the same time. Sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate how much of a struggle that is. Those of us who grew up with Depression-era fathers know that they just wanted to make sure that their children did not suffer as they did. Sometimes, that meant we felt fatherless as they were working all the time. This is very evident in this film.But one thing our fathers did manage to impart was duty and responsibility. You see that evident in every thing that Cahill does. He showed respect for women, regardless of race, he treated everyone the same. He emphasized the need to finish the job you agreed to do even if it caused you pain or hardship.There are many lessons in the film that would speak to all of us today. It is not done in a preachy way - it is just a natural part of the story.Sure, it's just another John Wayne western, but it is so much more if you take the time to really watch it. AMC and Encore Westerns, and TCM would all be doing us a favor to show this film every Father's Day.