Meh serio/comic western. First half is trying too hard to be "Maverick" and not quite making it. Problem is that where James Garner and, to a lesser extent, Jack Kelly were charmingly roguish the character of Jason Sweet, as written by William Bowers, James Edward Grant and William Roberts, directed by George Marshall and acted by Glenn Ford comes across as more of an obnoxious butthole as he gratuitously cheats horse traders and storekeepers and starts fights in restaurants. Perhaps realizing that they've fallen short of rebottling the "Maverick" formula the film makers switch to a darker, more Anthony Mannish revenge story but that, too, is beyond the modest talents of Marshall and is on the pallid side with a wooden bad guy turn from Leslie Neilson and what I'm fairly sure is the dullest Shirley MacLaine performance ever. Give it a generous C plus for some amusing stuff with Edgar Buchanan as the horse trader and Slim Pickens as a cowardly sheriff.
Review of The Sheepman
