Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 05/13/2008 Run time: 122 minutes Rating: Nr
From a year that produced such groundbreaking "New Hollywood" films as Bonnie & Clyde and The Graduate, Andrew V. McLaglen's The Way West is an old-fashioned western--grandly shot on location by William Clothier--that did for Oregon what John Ford did for Monument Valley. Based on A.B. Guthrie, Jr.'s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Way West stars a steely Kirk Douglas as widowed senator William J. Tadlock, who is determined to "plant a new Jerusalem in the Oregon wilderness." Robert Mitchum costars as Dick Summers, a weary and grieving scout whom Tadlock persuades to help him lead the disparate group of "greenhorn storekeepers and tenderfoot farmers." A lively Richard Widmark also stars as restless Pennsylvania farmer Lije Evans, who's "got to go where I've not been." Traditional western action, including disastrous river crossings and Indian encounters, takes a backseat to the sudsy human dramas. Tadlock is a stern taskmaster who drives the settlers as mercilessly as John Wayne drove those cattle in Red River. At one point, he even makes a play for Evans' wife (Lola Albright). Sally Field makes a memorable screen debut as sexually precocious Mercy, "all hellfire and sin," and who seduces a newly married man whose wife refuses to consummate their marriage. Throw in the accidental shooting of an Indian boy, plus such welcome faces as Jack Elam and Stubby Kaye, and you have an epic adventure that western buffs will follow all the Way. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
A Good Film As I saw It:
The one thing I have learned about the so-called "professional" reviewers of films is that they have built in prejudices and ideas just like the rest of us...so I really do not pay that much attention to a review, good or bad. As for The Way West" I have seen this film at least twice. I enjoyed it both times. While I like The Big Sky better, that is not to say I did not enjoy this film. Probably the one negative I have is Sally Fields portraying a young tramp who causes problems for others along the way.... more info
Way Great....:
Great western, Kirk Douglas plays a ego-maniac hell bent on getting to Oregon at any cost. Widmark is in a typical role and Bob Mitchum is so laid back you'd think he was smoking his favorite herb throughout the filming.
An Unofficial Remake of The Big Trail:
With a cast that includes Kirk Douglas, Richard Widmark, AND Robert Mitchum, how can anyone who is a fan of Western Movies pass up The Way West? You can't - and you shouldn't, it's a good movie. The surprising thing is how The Way West takes so many plot points from The Big Trail. It's the first wagon train to Oregon, and big scenes include a tough river crossing, Indian attacks, and lowering both wagons AND livestock over the edge of a cliff by ropes! All of those things were straight out of The Big... more info
Much better than expected:
Despite the lukewarm reviews, and maybe because I've never heard of the book it's based on, I thought this movie was a real hoot. Widmark, Mitchum and especially Douglas ham it up pretty good but that just adds to the fun of this sprawling epic about pioneer settlers determined to make it to Oregon. It's fun to see Widmark playing against type as a boozy, happy-go-lucky farmer with a beautiful wife and a serious case of wanderlust and Mitchum hilariously underplays his role as the requisite indian-wannabee... more info
