John Wayne Westerns Film Collection

John Wayne was Hollywood's greatest screen cowboy and this Blu-ray set features three of his greatest Westerns. Unfortunately, all three have previously been released on Blu-ray in separate volumes: the John Ford cavalry picture Fort Apache (1948) with Henry Fonda; Ford's The Searchers (1956), one of the best American movies ever made; and Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo (1959), with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. New to this set are two of Wayne's Westerns from the 1970s. The Train Robbers (1973), written and directed by Wayne's buddy Burt Kennedy, costars Rod Taylor and Ben Johnson as Civil War vets who team up with Wayne to help a widow (Ann-Margret) find a small fortune in gold stolen by her husband and return it to clear his name. Overall, it's an easygoing journey film about old friends who still carry a little of the cowboy code of honor of old Hollywood Westerns, shot against striking barren landscapes. Cahill, United States Marshal (1973), directed by another Wayne friend, Andrew V. McLaglen, features Wayne as the widower father of two boys who are so neglected that they join outlaw George Kennedy to rob a bank. The story is pokey, old-fashioned, and even a little lazy, but Wayne is still a commanding presence and he's backed by a great cast of veterans, including Neville Brand, Marie Windsor, Royal Dano, Denver Pyle, Jackie Coogan, Harry Carey Jr., and Hank Worden. If you already own the three classics, the two new additions—while inessential—are available individually. If not, then this is well worth picking up. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)