Joe Kidd (1972)

Director:

John Sturges

Writer:

Elmore Leonard (written by)

Release Date:

14 July 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

If you're looking for trouble - - - he's JOE KIDD

Plot:

An ex-bounty hunter reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader.

Plot Keywords:

Landowner | Mexican | Land | Bounty Hunter | Shotgun

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 23

6:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Joe Kidd
Robert Duvall	...	Frank Harlan
John Saxon	...	Luis Chama
Don Stroud	...	Lamarr Simms
Stella Garcia	...	Helen Sanchez
James Wainwright	...	Olin Mingo
Paul Koslo	...	Roy Gannon
Gregory Walcott	...	Sinola County Sheriff Bob Mitchell
Dick Van Patten	...	Hotel manager
Lynne Marta	...	Elma
John Carter	...	Judge
Pepe Hern	...	Priest
Joaquín Martínez	...	Manolo (as Joaquin Martinez)
Ron Soble	...	Ramon
Pepe Callahan	...	Naco
Clint Ritchie	...	Deputy Sheriff Calvin
Gil Barreto	...	Emilio
Ed Deemer	...	Harry (bartender)
Maria Val	...	Vita
Chuck Hayward	...	Eljay
Michael R. Horst	...	Deputy

Directed by
John Sturges

Writing credits
Elmore Leonard		(written by)

Produced by
Sidney Beckerman	....	producer
Robert Daley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
Charles S. Thompson

Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	unit production manager (as Ernest Wehmeyer)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Fargo	....	assistant director (as Jim Fargo)

Sound Department
James R. Alexander	....	sound
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound

Stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Running Deer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kim Kahana	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Autry Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack N. Young	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Malpaso Company, The

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• CIC (1972) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Cinematique  cosmetics
• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

Also Known As:

Sinola (USA) (working title)
Sinola (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Belâ arayan adam (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Joe Kidd (France) [fr]
Joe Kidd (Brazil) [pt]
Joe Kidd (Denmark) [da]
Joe Kidd (Spain) [es]
Joe Kidd (Greece) [el]
Joe Kidd (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 (1987) | UK:AA (1972) | Iceland:16 | Spain:13 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Writer Elmore Leonard certainly did know something about classic firearms. From Frank Harlan's Custom Savage 99 (1899), Olin Mingo's Remington-Keene sporter (1880) in .45-70, Lamarr Simms Mauser C-96 (1896) broomhandle and Joe's Cased Ross Rifle sporter model M-10 (1910) in .280 Ross. Leonard took special care to ensure all weapons (even the optics) were period accurate for that movie, being set in pre-statehood New Mexico territory (1912).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where Joe Kidd is approaching town after having joined up with Luis Chama, he sends one of Chama's men to ride into town first to test if the area is covered by gunmen. As he's riding into town you can see a vehicle driving across the frame in the distance.

Quotes:

[Joe is putting the moves on Elma]
Elma: How long have they had you locked up?
Joe Kidd: Two days.
Elma: What would you be like after two months?
Joe Kidd: We wouldn't even be talking now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Major Movie Star (2008)

Fighting for what you believe in doesn't always come easy.

Joe Kidd is discreditable ex-bounty hunter who's facing a couple days in jail, but a well-known big flier landowner Frank Harlan pays his fine hoping that he would join his group of hunters in tracking down the revolution leader Louis Chama. Who's upset about the treatment his people have received in the land reform policies and he goes into town to show he and his group mean business. But Kidd has nothing against him so he declines, but that all changes when he finds out Chama and his outlaws stole his horses and touched up his carers. So after that, Kidd decides to join in the hunt, only to discover that maybe he's on the wrong side.

How many times have we seen it, don't mess with Clint! After the highly significant cop thriller "Dirty Harry", he returned to the western foray with not-so forcible results. "Joe Kidd" is what you can call, one of Eastwood's lesser westerns, but I actually enjoyed it. Maybe that's because I knew very little about it and I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary, but I found this little slam-bang western to be an earnest vehicle for Eastwood, which has a capable supporting cast in Robert Duvall, Don Stroud and John Saxon and in the director's chair is John Sturges. With those names involved it could have been much more, but it's not all a waste.

I thought that it started of rather unusually and far from your typical Eastwood western. It's quite unpredictable and it's laced with a lot quick-witted humour, but when it gets into its groove with the journey part of the story, it falls into a systematic pattern. There's nothing overly dynamic about it, but since it's quite a short flick it goes by quick enough without any meandering sequences. We get an even amount of humorous wisecracks, sturdy action set pieces and a steam-rolling climax for the undemanding. The performances are extremely good as the main characters are very egotistical. Eastwood provides his causal persona in the lead role, although this character seems to have a little more spruce and morality in his actions than that cynical edge we come to love. Duvall is influentially striking as the snaky villain Frank Harlan. Saxon is a superb character actor and that translates into his minor performance of Louis Chama. Don Stroud, Paul Koslo and Stella Garcia were more than decent too.

The consciousness story by Elmore Leonard is rather weakly drawn-up with very little in the way development and little to pushy in it's unjustifiable moral high ground. Although I loved the ironic judge, jury and executioner symbolism that fate has in-stored for the main villain. Sturges' direction won't blow you away, but it was a competent display and he manages to incorporate the sublime backdrop of the High Sierras with on spot and open location photography. There are many well-placed angle shots and leeway in its execution. Another facet that was surprising was Lalo Schifrin's distinctively, pulsating score that's never over-powering, but it was always there.

You might forget all about this western after a day or two, but with these class people involved in this production, just expect some captivating, light entertainment. I found it satisfying enough, but Eastwood would go onto better things a year later with the spell-bindingly, cruel "High Plains Drifter".