John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and a bunch of nitroglycerin in a robbery western - what’s not to love? IN military van, Wayne and Douglas plan to rob the eponymous military van of $500,000 worth of gold while avoiding a Gatling gun. While Burt Kennedy Full of humor and action, as well as some great lines, Caper doesn’t seem to have much of a footprint in the cultural landscape. Of course it may not be Seekers or Rio BravoBut military van deserves a share of the praise that Duke’s more famous films regularly receive.
“Military Van” is a victim of John Wayne’s success
There are few stars who have as extensive a filmography as John Wayne, both in terms of scope and quality. Whether you’re looking at the 1930s or the 1970s, you can find a really great movie with John Wayne in the top spot without breaking a sweat. An inevitable consequence of a deep and varied career is that many excellent films fail and do not find a place in the minds of a wide audience. One of those films military vanwhich has such an obvious selling point that it’s shocking, no one seems to care.
IN military vanJohn Wayne plays Thaw Jackson, a rancher who is framed for a crime and tricked into depriving him of his property and the gold underneath by his rival Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot). Paroled after three years, Jackson hatches a plan to reclaim his property by robbing Pierce’s upcoming half-million dollar gold shipment with the help of Lomax (Kirk Douglas), the man Pierce hired to kill him. Why is this not everyone’s favorite movie?
John Wayne And Kirk Douglas Have Incredible Chemistry In “Military Van”
One of the selling points military van this is his star power. Despite the fact that they are completely different people, the pair work perfectly on screen. military van this is their last collaboration and also the third one in as many years, having previously appeared together in On the way to harm And cast a giant shadow, and they demonstrate their mutual understanding from the first meetings of their characters. Twin jokes, a shot, Lomax is wearing a shirt that looks like it’s made of leather, and Jackson convinces Lomax to rob a military van. Back and forth, when Lomax explains why this heist can’t work, it’s a real punchline.
Even though Douglas wore a lift in several scenes to make up for the seven-inch height difference with Duke, the contrast in body types and behavior adds to the dynamic, especially when they pretend to be enemies in public. While Jackson is busy plotting a John Wayne-style heist, Lomax instead roams around in silk robes embroidered with dragons, showing off his carding skills, and attacking just about every woman he comes across. Douglas also rides a horse named Bo, the same horse he rode. Spartacuswhich John Wayne would ride in several later films such as True Grit.
‘Military Van’ talks about the greatest bar fight of all time
Bar fights are a staple of many westerns. military van features are among the best. Sometimes the action goes too far into humor (a fight in a dirty pit in McClintock! good example) or being completely devoid of it, but this particular brawl fits the lane perfectly. There are broken bottles, broken chairs, broken windows and a piano used as a weapon. The gag where someone walks into a saloon only to get punched in the face on the spot is well played. It’s really everything you could want from a bar fight, and highlights one of the best things about the movie - it’s just a lot of fun.
“Military Van” is a great heist movie
Bank robberies, train robberies, wagon robberies, and just about every heist you can think of are staples of the Western genre. However, very few westerns can actually be considered heist films. It may be an esoteric distinction, but something stolen is not the same thing as something being robbed. A robbery has a level of planning and cunning that sets it apart from a run-of-the-mill fight or simply pointing a gun at someone. You have to assemble a team, develop a cunning plan, collect the necessary equipment and inevitably change all this when something goes wrong. military van nails it all, starting with a great team building sequence.
The team that Jackson and Lomax put together includes Levi the Walking Bear (casting Howard Keel it’s wildly offensive, but unfortunately a hallmark of the time it was made) who “learned to live in the white people’s world and do what they do. Grab whatever you can at any time”, a grumpy old man and his too-young wife, as well as an alcoholic explosives expert (Robert Walker Jr.). They also enlist the help of a nearby Native American tribe who also want revenge on Pierce.
Where it all really turns into a heist movie groove is when they bluff Pierce to steal his nitroglycerin to blow up the bridge, disguising it as nothing more than Jackson wanting some ranch clothes that Pierce stole from him. It’s a ridiculous plan, but with some of the pettiness that Jackson has already shown, it makes enough sense. The high-stakes bridge rigging made possible by this scene is truly excellent, filled with tension as highly unstable explosives are neatly placed into the wooden beams under the bridge. When the robbery is actually set in motion, it is kinetic and propulsive, and the explosion is impressive. As is inevitable in films of this nature, things go awry. There is a double cross, another double cross that eventually helps, and spilled flour plays a shockingly large role in overall resolution. It really couldn’t be much more satisfying.
Source: Collider
I have worked as a journalist for over 7 years and have written for many different publications. I currently work as an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover entertainment news. I have a great deal of experience in the industry and am always looking to learn more. I am a highly motivated individual who is always looking to improve my skills. I am also a very friendly and personable person, which makes me easy to work with.
