Amazon.com: Clint Eastwood's stardom was supernova, thanks to Dirty Harry; John Sturges, the man behind The Magnificent Seven and a dozen other memorably leathery Westerns, was directing; and Elmore Leonard was the screenwriter. It just goes to show. Joe Kidd is a muddle and a drag, the shoddiest Eastwood vehicle since Rowdy Yates trod in his last cow flop. Kidd, first seen as a duded-up drunk sleeping one off in jail, is supposed to be a horse rancher and an expert tracker--just the fellow a rapacious land-grabber (Robert Duvall committing lazy villainy) needs to chase down the uppity Latino (John Saxon) who's trying to reclaim the grabbed land for its rightful owners. Neither the characters nor the overland pursuit makes any sense, thanks to chasms in the continuity and no direction to speak of. An absurdly arbitrary assault-by-locomotive provides the climax; as Eastwood observed, "Jesus, anything at this point--let's end it." --Richard T. Jameson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Joe Kidd
A great Eastwood western. Humorous and the long range rifle shots are great! Great cast!
Rating: - The Screenplay to "Joe Kidd"is similar to Leonard's Novel " The Moonshine War"
Was Elmore Leonard's screenplay for "Joe Kidd" an adaptation of his
1969 novel,"The Moonshine War"? I had believed this to be the case because the plots in both of Leonard's works are very similar,the ... Read More
Rating: - Can't recommend this version
The other reviews that mention the missing scenes in the movie are right on the money. Key scenes are missing, and until they release a version that has the whole movie, I recommend staying away from this on ... Read More
Rating: - Missing too much
I, too, am disappointed they excluded the most important parts to this movie/storyline, Joe Kidd's growing suspicion he's signed on with the devil, as in the missing supper shots in the mountain cabin, and again ... Read More
Rating: - The Essential Clint Eastwood...
1972's "Joe Kidd" pairs Clint Eastwood, then a young acting phenomenon, with veteran director of Western movies John Sturgis. The result is a serviceable action movie that never quite lives up to its potential. ... Read More
- Joe Kidd
- Can't recommend this version
- Missing too much