I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

hyped garbage

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This is a typically glossy late John Wayne western. Wayne plays Cahill a US Marshall whose job has meant that he has somewhat neglected his kids. When they decide to rob a bank with the help of George Kennedy and his gang they find themselves in trouble. John Wayne looks pretty tired in this although he still has a great screen presence. The film is essentially about a man's relationship with his sons and as such there is relatively little action. This is itself is no bad thing but it's just that the plot is a little too thin to carry the film. As a result it's just intermittently interesting mainly when George Kennedy is on screen. This is John Wayne in reflective mood but it's just not comparable to his great performance in the brilliant 'The Shootist'. Overall although watchable there's just not enough of interest here to make this anything but an average western.

Western U.S. Marshal and widower John Wayne (as J.D. Cahill) is frequently away from home. His two neglected sons, 17-year-old Gary Grimes (as Daniel "Danny" Cahill) and 11-year-old Clay O'Brien (as Billy Joe "Budger" Cahill), are often left without their father. Consequently, the boys have fallen under the influence of mean George Kennedy (as Abe Fraser). One day, while Mr. Wayne is out shooting outlaws, young Grimes gets tossed in jail. This turns out to be part of a plot to rob the local bank, with both of Wayne's sons participating. To build an alibi, the crooks get thrown in jail on minor charges, sneak out to rob the bank, and then return to jail. Little of this is actually shown, but it helps to know...Wayne and director Andrew V. McLaglen should have ended their collaborations with the far superior "Chisum" (1970)...This one gets off to a confusing start. It's not an intricate story that develops; it's artificial and lacks cohesion. Seeing the "drunk and disorderly" Grimes with Kennedy might have helped, if the young actor was given the task. There are too many instances where Mr. McLaglen leaves Grimes with widened eyes and flared nostrils. And, let's try not to highlight "half breed" Comanche colored Neville Brand's florescent teeth. Grimes and young O'Brien act like Disney boys adopted by the older, violent Wayne (the script notes he became a father late in life). Considering Marshal Wayne's sense of justice, the boys are lucky to be his sons. If not, Wayne might have plugged them with multiple, spasm-inducting bullets.*** Cahill, United States Marshal (1973-07-11) Andrew V. McLaglen ~ John Wayne, Gary Grimes, Clay O'Brien, George Kennedy

There may be a lot of people that will dismiss this movie as just another example of John Wayne's typical western persona. If they do, they really didn't pay attention to what was being said throughout the film.In the 150+ hours of John Wayne movies on TV this week in honor of what would be his 100th birthday, this one is an excellent example, not only of his range as an actor, but also of his personal philosophy.You can dismiss John Wayne as just a cowboy actor, but you really don't know him if you do. He played a lot of different characters and showed variation in each one, even if it was just another western.In Cahill, he shows the struggle many fathers have gone through to raise their children and fulfill their responsibilities at the same time. Sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate how much of a struggle that is. Those of us who grew up with Depression-era fathers know that they just wanted to make sure that their children did not suffer as they did. Sometimes, that meant we felt fatherless as they were working all the time. This is very evident in this film.But one thing our fathers did manage to impart was duty and responsibility. You see that evident in every thing that Cahill does. He showed respect for women, regardless of race, he treated everyone the same. He emphasized the need to finish the job you agreed to do even if it caused you pain or hardship.There are many lessons in the film that would speak to all of us today. It is not done in a preachy way - it is just a natural part of the story.Sure, it's just another John Wayne western, but it is so much more if you take the time to really watch it. AMC and Encore Westerns, and TCM would all be doing us a favor to show this film every Father's Day.

This is not one of John Wayne's better flicks from his later years. It really isn't because it's a bad film, but the energy level is so low due to the fact he was so gosh-darn old! Unlike the energy that he somehow mustered for MC Q and BRANNIGAN, this movie just seems to crawl along and offers very little more than what you might see in an episode of BONANZA or GUN SMOKE. I really wish Wayne had held out for a more worthy film, but considering he spent most of his life just churning out films, it isn't too surprising that he did the movie. The 5 rating is for the average viewer. If you are a Wayne fan, a score of 6 or 7 would probably suffice, as it is still enjoyable because it's still pure John Wayne.