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Naked Spur
See it – This is a classic western and one of Jimmy Stewart’s best. It’s the story of a man who captures an outlaw and embarks on the long journey through the mountains to collect his reward money. It’s a unique movie because there are only 5 official cast members in the entire movie. A young Robert Ryan is very good as the villain. Plenty of action and intrigue. Compare to “3:10 to Yuma.” 4 action rating
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Navajo Joe
This is a Burt Reynolds spaghetti western that’s heavy on the spaghetti. It’s cheaply made, and dubbed very poorly. Plus, it’s just corny. Some westerns during this time were intentionally over the top. This one was not intentional. But if you can ignore the cheesiness and embrace the action, it’s actually pretty entertaining. Reynolds plays an Indian who agrees to help a town fight a band of outlaws. Some good gunfight and knife fight scenes. 4 action rating.
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Nevada Smith
See it – Not your typical western, and that’s why you should see it. Starts out when Steve McQueen’s family is murdered and he sets off on a mission of revenge. Pretty typical beginning, but then it becomes unique. He finds out one of the killers is in prison and decides to intentionally commit a crime so that he winds up in the same prison. Then he spends half the movie trying to help the killer escape so he can kill him. Fans of old-fashioned westerns may not like this as much. It has somewhat of an unsatisfying ending, and I never like Karl Malden as a villain. But I can't get enough Steve McQueen, and this is a treat for all of his fans. 3 action rating
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Never So Few
This was supposed to be a starring vehicle for Frank Sinatra. But this is romance, not war. There’s some combat in the beginning and in the middle, but a lot of nothing the rest of the way. Sinatra’s got a different rat pack in this one, made up of youngsters Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. McQueen steals the show in one of his earliest roles. But he’s not in enough scenes, and the only action scenes are the one’s he’s in. The title of the film insinuates that never before has so much been owed to so few. That’s funny, because never before have so few of my expectations for a good action movie been met. 3 action rating
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Night Passage
A relative snoozer for a Jimmy Stewart western. Don’t bother with this one unless you want to see Jimmy Stewart sing and play an accordion. Audie Murphy co-stars but is extremely bland in his role. You’ll be ok if you skip this one unless you’re a huge Jimmy Stewart fan. Other than a cool final shootout at a mine, expect to hear him sing more than he shoots his gun. 2 action rating.
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Ninja Assassin
4.5 action rating
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None But the Brave
See it – This is another one of those neglected WWII movies that is way better than you would expect. This one’s got Frank Sinatra, but don’t worry, he’s not in every scene. The main star in this one is Clint Walker, who you may remember as the star of the TV show “Cheyenne” or as the big redneck from “Dirty Dozen.” This movie is a really cool story about a military transport plane that crash lands on a pacific island held by a small band of Japanese soldiers. The Americans must worry about survival as well as the enemy. This is actually a pretty heart-warming movie as it shows the Japanese perspective as well. But don’t worry, it’s not all warm and fuzzy. This movie has its fair share of combat scenes. 3 action rating
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Northern Pursuit
In theory, an Errol Flynn World War 2 movie involving Nazis and Canadian Mounties would be a must-see. But aside from the usual last minute heroics, this one is both boring and unmemorable. When a Nazi spy heads for an unknown destination in Northern Canada, Flynn’s character, a German-born mountie, must foil his sinister plans. The entire film takes place in the snow, so unfortunately, the mounties ride dog sleds rather than horses and wear winter garb rather than the classic red uniforms. Just another disappointing element in an overall disappointing effort. 1 action rating.
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Northwest Passage
See it - 1.5 action rating
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