Another good addition to the great Clint Eastwood's filmography. Eastwood has a lot of westerns, most of them good, and Joe Kidd is no exception, well-acted, fast paced and fairly entertaining. Though it doesn't bother much with story and character development, director John Sturges creates a terrific atmosphere that will surely put a smile on some people's face, most notably, fans of the genre.The basic plot revolves around Joe Kidd played very well by Eastwood, an ex-bounty hunter, who apparently knows a rich landowner called Frank Harlan played well by Robert Duvall, Frank pays his bail to get him released from 10 days of sentenced prison time for multiple charges that include being disorderly, then Joe agrees to help Frank put a stop to a Mexican revolution leader called Luis Chama also played well by John Saxon, during their pursuit, Joe has a change of heart, seeing how bad Frank and his men are, which leads them to lock him up, along with the residents of the church they take refuge at. There's some good shootouts and so forth afterwards, and that's pretty much there plot, it only works however as a fun, western. Because there's no backstory for Frank and his buddies, nor is there any for Joe Kidd, who apparently has a past that the screenwriters didn't feel was worth mentioning.The supporting cast includes Stella Garcia as Helen Sanchez, Chama's woman, Dick Van Patten as a hotel manager, Gregory Walcott as sheriff 'Mitchell' and Don Stroud as Lamarr, Frank's right hand man, the performances are all quite respectable. There's a small hint of romance between Frank's maid Elma played by Lynne Marta and Eastwood, but nothing truly detailed, just random moments and there's a couple of amusing moments, and some decent lines of dialogue, but overall the dialogue was fairly forgettable for the most part. I admired the cinematography, the look, and mood of the picture too, and the pretty good, well suited score composed by Lalo Schifrin. Leonard Elmore's screenplay has its moments, and there is one truly brilliant scene where Eastwood takes a shot from miles out and hit's one of Frank's men, that scene was both memorable with a good build-up and well directed. All in all Joe Kidd is not a great western, but it has some good shootouts, adequate pacing and an enjoyable feel to it, it's worth seeing for fans of the genre and fans of Eastwood.

Joe Kidd (1972)Plot In A Paragraph: Joe Kidd (Eastwood) an ex-bounty hunter, reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner (the always brilliant Robert Duvall) and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader (John Saxon).Written by Elmore Leonard (Yes that Elmore Leonard) this is a bit of a mismatch, as it has good performances Eastwood and Duvall. Although Saxon, his heavy make up and his Mexican accent are a distraction when he is on screen. Sadly it's light on plot, clear characters and motivation for their actions, and an ending that looks like it belongs in a different movie. As usual Leonard was very critical of the movie and its director. This is the last time someone else directed Eastwood in a western. Eastwood's next four westerns would all directed by Eastwood himself. In an interview given to French student Emmanuel Laborit in 1990, John Sturges told How he he had lot of problems directing Eastwood and regretted not resigning during the filming.Joe Kidd didn't make a dent at the box office, as it grossed only $5 million at the domestically.

Joe Kidd is probably the least of Clint's westerns. That does not mean it is bad, it just is not exceptional. Joe Kidd does have a lot going for it though with Clint Eastwood, a good score, good support cast and tight direction by John Sturges. The film looks sharp in Technicolor and the locations/sets look great as well. Clint is Joe Kidd, a former bounty hunter caught in a range war in New Mexico. Robert Duvall is a solid antagonist and John Saxon appears against wealthy land owner Duvall. Clint, of course is great and delivers his usual uber macho performance as he drops many suckas. Of all of Clint's westerns, Joe Kidd is probably the least essential. It still is a solid production and a very entertaining western that should be good enough to please Clint's fans and fans of the genre.

Yep, it's ANOTHER Clint Eastwood Western. Typecast? HIM? NEVER! In this one though, he actually has a name. And he has a lot to say for himself. Some things never change though... he likes a drink, he barely misses with his rifle and he gets all the girls, he gets all the girls (Calvin Harris reference there, music fans). Twisted loyalties abound too, who will he support... Some Mexican revolutionaries who have been cheated out of land, or a tycoon and his men who are willing to shoot innocent people to get their hands on them? Hmm... I don't think I'll need Ask The Audience for this one...Clint's screen presence is as palpable as ever, even when the rest of the plot is just going through the motions. The highlight is the hi-jacking of a train which crashes through some suspiciously thin wood so Eastwood can get at some evil guys in a saloon; aside from that, it's all rather generic. That's not to say it's bad, but it's hardly going to join his pantheon of Western classics like The Good, The Bad And The Ugly or Unforgiven. Still, perfect for a Sunday afternoon. After a full roast, of course. 6/10