Clint Eastwood stars in this 1972 western written by novelist Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty) and directed by John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape). Eastwood plays the title character, a former bounty hunter in the early 1900s enlisted by a wealthy landowner named Harlan (Robert Duvall) to track down a Mexican revolutionary named Chama (John Saxon), who has been organizing revolts against landowners who have forced indigenous people off their lands. Kidd initially demurs, but then is told Chama has raided Kidd’s own ranch. Kidd reluctantly joins a posse led by Harlan, and when the trail leads to a hideout in a village, Harlan threatens to kill five villagers if Chama doesn’t emerge.
Eventually, Harlan comes to distrust Kidd for his attention to a Mexican woman, Helen (Stella Garcia), and Kidd ends up taking Chama’s side in an upcoming battle. The story is a little tough to follow at times because of changing alliances between characters and causes. But the action is strong (at one point, a train drives right through a saloon), and Eastwood’s hero, while as taciturn as any of those he played during this period, is driven by conscience and his feelings for someone, i.e., Helen. The film looks great, capturing that turn-of-the-century blend of modern progress with the Old West. Strongly recommended.