Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Micitype Pretty Good

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Jeff (actionrating.com) See it – One of the best of Gregory Peck's later westerns, this is actually a very underrated movie. Also, if you like listening to Peck speak in a Scottish accent, that'll give you another reason to like it. Not particularly unique or smart, but an enjoyable western with a classic feel just the same. Peck and his young half-breed sidekick, Billy Two Hats, are outlaws on the run. We never hear much about their past, but their camaraderie is evident as they save each other's lives multiple times while being chased through the desert by a relentless lawman. When things turn south, they'll have to use their wits, not just their guns, to survive. 3 out of 5 action rating.

MARIO GAUCI Given the fact that it doesn’t have much of a reputation, I had missed out on this Western countless times on Italian TV; however, since the film stars Gregory Peck, I was interested in it regardless – and, having last year caught up with SHOOT OUT (1971), another minor genre outing from him, it was high time that I got round to this one as well. Most Westerns made during this time were Revisionist and elegiac in tone; in this respect, screenwriter Alan Sharp seemed like the ideal choice (having had already contributed THE HIRED HAND [1971] and ULZANA’S RAID [1972]): however, the end result is merely a pleasant-looking and oddly pointless affair! The plot develops into one long chase as an elderly Scottish bank-robber (Peck) and his young half-breed companion/associate (Desi Arnaz Jr. playing the titular character) are doggedly pursued by Sheriff Jack Warden. Along the way, they meet up with a reformed criminal and his squaw (the former, seemingly indebted to Warden, willingly joins him on the trail of the fugitive Scotsman – while the latter has compassion for the boy, who’s been caught but subsequently freed by Peck), a band of renegade Apaches, and an unhappy prairie couple (having been wounded, the star requires the man’s help to procure a buck-board to travel in – while Arnaz stays behind to look after the farm and the owner’s nervous mail-order bride). The latter relationship is quite movingly handled: the two innocents fall in love, a situation which Warden can’t bring himself to understand when he turns up; eventually, the trio take off to reach Peck – whose journey has been beleaguered with a raid by the traditionally hostile Apaches, and which has left him for dead. Ultimately, only the young couple survive: the woman pleads with the half-breed to be taken along, in spite of the intolerance this will undoubtedly provoke.Old-fashioned and essentially dreary, the film is nonetheless fairly tolerable while it’s on. Incidentally, Norman Jewison served as co-producer on this one: curiously enough, he would never tackle the genre in his more regular capacity as director!

bkoganbing Billy Two Hats was made at a dry spell in Gregory Peck's career. He himself admitted he was taking roles just for the work and the loot and possibly the thought of doing a western shot in the Negev desert in Israel may have appealed to him. It probably would be more feasible today. In 1974 Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat hadn't sat down at Camp David and made peace. I wonder just how much danger Greg and the cast were in.The title role is played by Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Gregory Peck plays a Scottish outlaw from the old west. A pair of amiable bankrobbers, Arnaz prevents Peck from being captured by Marshal Jack Warden. Of course Arnaz is caught, but later Peck rescues him at the cost of a broken leg. Actually the most interesting part in the film is that of Jack Warden as the Marshal. He may have the badge, but he's not exactly Wyatt Earp as the Wyatt Earp legend has him. In fact Gene Hackman may very well have studied this film for his portrayal of a nasty town marshal in Clint Eastwood's The Unforgiven.I wouldn't recommend this film for anyone other than fans of Gregory Peck.

gaby01575 I haven't seen this movie since I saw it in its initial release where it was playing to a nearly empty theater. It was shot in widescreen, the format appropriate to the genre and the movie would undoubtedly suffer if seen on TV. Granted that the foreign location gave it an odd quality but the desert vistas are no less magnificent. I'm not a particular fan of the western film genre but this one seems to have clung to my memory. Peck's Scottish burr seems forced at times but it does not detract from what is essentially a visually compelling entertainment. If it becomes available in DVD(widescreen) format, I'll certainly buy a copy.