Aside from seeing Jimmy Stewart, I really can't think why anyone would want to see this rather silly film. I have seen almost every film Stewart has made and I am a bit compulsive about things like this, so I forced myself to watch this slight film. The problem is that the writing and acting was rather poor and it's a sad way for Stewart to begin wrapping up his acting career with such films.
Stewart and two other men are being released from prison in 1935. They're all friends and plan on going into business together but they are indeed a motley crew--guys you wouldn't expect to be friends, as they range in age from an old Stewart to a very young Kurt Russell. The film begins with the three being placed on a train and being sent to a West Virginia town near the Ohio border. However, once they arrive, the same nasty jailer (George Kennedy) is waiting for them with some sidekicks, as they want to kill and rob the three men. It seems that Stewart has accumulated a huge bankroll while in prison and Kennedy will stop at nothing to get it. Now at this point you are left wondering--if the three men took a train, given the roads of 1935, how could Kennedy have beaten the train there?! The rest of the film consists of the three men being chased by the homicidal maniacs. Considering Stewart was a very fine actor, such chase films seem way out of his league and he certainly deserved better. There were also some clichés in the film that just seemed more like plot devices than anything else (such as the romance between Russell and the teenager they pick up during their travels). As for the acting, it wasn't too bad except for George Kennedy. With his horribly stained teeth and over the top acting, he more closely resembled a wild hog than a villain--making it one of the worst performances of his career.
The bottom line is that this isn't a particularly interesting or inspired film. In hindsight, I really wish Mr. Stewart hadn't done this film as it was simply beneath his abilities and star power to be in such a sub-par movie.
Stewart and two other men are being released from prison in 1935. They're all friends and plan on going into business together but they are indeed a motley crew--guys you wouldn't expect to be friends, as they range in age from an old Stewart to a very young Kurt Russell. The film begins with the three being placed on a train and being sent to a West Virginia town near the Ohio border. However, once they arrive, the same nasty jailer (George Kennedy) is waiting for them with some sidekicks, as they want to kill and rob the three men. It seems that Stewart has accumulated a huge bankroll while in prison and Kennedy will stop at nothing to get it. Now at this point you are left wondering--if the three men took a train, given the roads of 1935, how could Kennedy have beaten the train there?! The rest of the film consists of the three men being chased by the homicidal maniacs. Considering Stewart was a very fine actor, such chase films seem way out of his league and he certainly deserved better. There were also some clichés in the film that just seemed more like plot devices than anything else (such as the romance between Russell and the teenager they pick up during their travels). As for the acting, it wasn't too bad except for George Kennedy. With his horribly stained teeth and over the top acting, he more closely resembled a wild hog than a villain--making it one of the worst performances of his career.
The bottom line is that this isn't a particularly interesting or inspired film. In hindsight, I really wish Mr. Stewart hadn't done this film as it was simply beneath his abilities and star power to be in such a sub-par movie.