Rough Night in Jericho

source: Rough Night in Jericho

...but I'm a big Dino fan, and I hate to see Dean here as the bad guy...really bad guy! However, it's a pretty good Western. Far from the quality of "Rio Bravo", but "good". Dean here is fine. And George Peppard -- an actor I never cared for -- is really good here. And so is Jean Simmons in a role that seems atypical for her. Also good were the supporting actors -- the venerable character actor John McIntire, and Don Galloway, whom many may remember from the television series "Ironside" with Raymond Burr. The plot is not that unusual -- the bad guy (Dean) has taken over the town and the good guys (primarily Peppard, Simmons, and McIntire) are going to take the town back, although part of the drama is the reluctance with which Peppard gets involved. The final scenes between Peppard and Dean are quite good as a sort of cat and mouse game. Again, this is not a "great" Western. If you're not at all into Westerns, skip this for something like "Rio Bravo" (also with Dean). But I would say this this Western is better than average.

Dean Martin owns 51% of everything in town, except former lover Jean Simmons' stage line. When he and his hired guns start squeezing her, she writes former marshal John McIntire. He shows up, but remains abed while George Peppard scouts out the situation. This metaphorical western about the corruption of society by business interests makes use of symbolic values of B westerns, and balances the traditional B Western values of action with some decent speeches, with Dean Martin playing the darker edge of his screen persona in the midst of his Matt Helm era. Miss Simmons also gives a fine performance that reinvigorated her career. She and Peppard have a great drinking scene. Yet there are issues with this movie that are disturbing, both in the way that the film makers seem to have forgotten how to make a western -- the score by Don Costa is overly dramatic in a TV-Western manner that makes it seem that the events are less important than they should be within the movie, and cinematographer Russell Metty shoots the action sequences with a zoomed-in telephoto lens that makes those passages weightless. The net impact is that the film makers feel the movie is simultaneously more important and less important than it is. Perhaps the only way to get this film made was to populate it with major talent in front of the camera. Certainly the actors take the subtext seriously. It's too bad the people behind the camera overburdened a good story with unnecessary technique, making this an interesting and watchable western, but little more.

5 USA showed "Rough night in Jericho"yesterday evening in pan and scan that is generally the kiss of death to any movie and certainly the big fight between Mr Peppard and Mr Pickens loses much of its impact,but generally the whole piece held up reasonably well. Good old pros in front of and behind the camera do their stuff very professionally and Mr McIntyre is particularly good as a retired sheriff turned stage driver. Mr D.Martin plays Flood as "Dude" in "Rio Bravo" might have turned out if MrJ.Wayne had ridden away and left him after the closing titles. He has the veneer of charm and bonhomie but it is stretched pretty thin by Mr G Peppard as a former deputy who involves himself in what Flood considers to be his town and with Miss J.Simmons who he considers to be his woman. "Rough night in Jericho" would have been a very good TV Western but doesn't quite reach the heights on the big screen. Nonetheless it is pleasing enough and well cast enough to be worth your time.

A stagecoach bound for Jericho is ambushed by Alex Flood (Dean Martin). He's a bad man and he takes over the town with his brutal gang. He hangs the stagecoach driver for shooting one of his men in self-defense. Stagecoach owner Molly Lang (Jean Simmons) tries to save the driver but fails. She happens to be Flood's ex and he still holds a flame for her. A wounded Ben Hickman (John McIntire) and his former deputy Dolan (George Peppard) arrive in town to take partial ownership of the stagecoach line with Molly. Molly had informed Ben of her dire situation but Dolan was unaware and is unconvinced of joining her. Flood is demanding 51% of everything including the stagecoach. It's interesting to see Dean Martin play against type. He's actually pretty good at playing evil. It's an interesting tense stand-off for the first half of the movie but I kept wondering about Dolan's plan if he had any at all. I really like Flood losing the poker hand to Dolan. It would have been even more interesting if the losing was deliberate as a way of enticing him to leave. On the other hand, I don't like the inciting incident with the deputy tearing up the stagecoach. It's too haphazard and rescuing a damsel is too bland. A better inciting incident would be killing Ben. That would lead to Dolan going on a revenge war against Flood and that would be a better movie. Once Dolan killed a deputy, Flood would have hung him without a trial. That section do not make sense. It's not until the saloon shootout that the movie finds its violence. It's a long time coming and about thirty minutes late. The shooting is still a little old fashion but at least, there is plenty of it.

Yet another movie ruined by the perverse desire of the filmmakers to have actors endlessly eating throughout entire scenes, and eating while speaking. It made this movie utterly intolerable. Why Hollywood insists on having actors eating so often in movies, and talking at the same time, the Devil only knows. It ruins countless movies, and adds nothing to their stories. It's pointless, repulsive, odious, and just ruins movies. This particular movie was looking rather bland, anyway.

George Peppard is very wonderful in this movie. His acting is very well done. His character in this movie reminds me of the character he will later play on the A-Team. (Plot Spoilers) His character rides into town and saves the day. He even sets up a trap to catch the bad guys like he did at the end of every episode of the A-Team. (Plot Spoilers)Dean Martin plays a very good villain in this movie. Dean Martin plays a bad guy that is almost nice until you get on his bad side. Sim Pickens who played bad guys before in movies like Blazing Saddles, One Eyed Jacks, and a few others. Top all other bad guys he played before in this movie. John McIntire was a lovable, kindhearted and tough lawman.Jean Simmons plays a head strong woman that has a independent spirit. This has got to be one of my favorite George Peppard movies.

Off beat casting of Dean Martin as the town tyrant who, among other things wants the stagecoach line that his former lover, Jean Simmons, currently owns. In steps George Peppard, playing a former deputy, who comes to town and eventually gets caught up in things when his better sense tells him that he shouldn't stay. Simmons plays a hand in this. Slim Pickens, who usually played good guys, played one of Matin's henchmen. The film gets rather violent--especially the fight scene between Peppard and Pickens-which begins with Pickens using a whip. Acting was quite good. I liked Don Galloway and John McIntyre in supporting roles. It was a bit of a stretch to believe Martin as a total villain--but he pulled it off quite well

Dino's daughter would have you believe that her dad was never drunk, but drank apple juice substituted for whiskey. Well, Dino's eyes look glazed and watery this whole film. Some scenes he looks terrible and really hung over. Maybe it's a good thing because he was definitely miscast as a brutal psycho. Entertaining enough if you are a fan of Dean Martin; which I am. A bit of brutal violence which was not needed and a bland triangle love story without any sparks at all. Jean Simmons looks tired and plain and her so called love spell over Martin and Peppard just seems unbelievable. A rough night for everyone involved in acting in this film. Just pass the Apple Juice.

Compelling tale of an ex-deputy and his nemesis who is hired by a widow to protect her from revenge-seeking outlaws . In the Old west there are always the men who live breathe violence and the women who hold their breath . A ¨town tamer¨ , ex-sheriff and now professional gambler named Dolan (George Peppard) along with his old pal (John McIntire) come hired by Molly Lang (Jean Simmons) who owns the stagecoach line to rid the baron land named Alex Flood (Dean Martin)and his hoodlums (Slim Pickens , Steve Sandor) . Dolan as ex-lawman brings peace for the townspeople , meanwhile Alex takes the justice on his own hands , hanging enemies and appointing marshals and orders warnings , as wearing of guns or other weapons in town is banned . Flood is a whole villain determined to kill Dolan , he owns the Palace Casino, Saloon , General Store and lands . But the town council afraid the raw methods carried out by Flood and reunite , when Alex aware he orders to burn the place . At the end the kingpin landowner appears and attempts to murder Dolan with his own means . This is a tremendously exciting story of an ex-deputy-for-hire who had only one more killing to go. It begins as a sluggish , slow-moving Western but follows to surprise us with dark , rudimentary characters and solid plot . The tale is almost grim though full of clichés, a pacifier and his old partner come to a town just in time to make sure its citizenry but later the events get worse . The action is brutishly cruel as when Dean Martin slaps and hits Jean Simmons. The highlights of the film are the facing off between Peppard and Slim Pickens and the climatic showdown on the ending at the saloon and the town. Phenomenal and great role for Dean Martin as bad guy , he's the whole show. Vivid and lively musical score by Don Costa and atmospheric cinematography by Russell Metty. Watchable results for this offbeat Western. The motion picture is professionally directed by Arnold Laven . Laven formed a production company along with Jules Levy and Arthur Gardner. The first Levy-Gardner-Laven movie was 1952's "Without Warning"'; in the decades since, they have produced and directed dozens of additional features . He's an expert on Western genre as cinema as television as he produced and directed several TV series including "The Rifleman," "Law of the Plainsman," , "The Big Valley" . And directed acceptable Western films as ¨The glory guys¨, ¨Geronimo¨and ¨Sam Whiskey¨.