The Train Robbers (1973)

Nothing more than a formulaic western starring John Wayne. Just to clear something up now, they don't rob a single train throughout the whole film so if you're looking for a fast paced action driven western, this isn't it. Burt Kennedy directs a ragtag group of six men and a woman, each of which fills some western stereotype or another, who are in search of gold. A large group of men chases them, none of whom know how to shoot a gun very well despite being a huge posse of what are supposed to be scary people. The shoot out scenes are very few and far between, most of the movie is a slow paced ride through the desert with poor dialogue and off tempo rhythmic editing to try to keep you engaged and instill some kind of emotional response. Unless you're a huge fan of John Wayne this movie probably won't be very enjoyable for you. It offers little aesthetic value with the exception of a handful of shots, and does not have much of a message to offer like some westerns such as The Searchers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Hombre, to name a few. The one saving grace of this film is that it is well acted throughout, especially Anne Margaret, who does a good job of combining the two stereotypical western female roles. However The Train Robbers contained hardly any of the characteristics of a good western in my opinion and isn't worth a watch unless you just want to have something on in the background while you clean up your living room.