John Wayne is the man when it comes to westerns, no matter what year, production company, director, or premise; when Duke’s in it, the western viewer is game. Much of Duke’s charm had to do with his aging like a fine wine; it shows in Burt Kennedy’s The Train Robbers from 1973.
The movie takes the fairly familiar (if not overdone) storyline of a group of good old-fashioned cowboys led by Lane (Wanye) hired by a young and attractive widow, Mrs. Lowe (Ann-Margret), for retrieving gold worth half a million dollars that was stolen by her late husband. The journey is hard and perilous since the remaining gang of robbers is also looking for the treasure.
The story arc of The Train Robbers is fairly flat and the primary attraction for the viewer lies in the camaraderie of Lane’s group of guys – played by Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Bobby Vinton, and Jerry Gatlin – who would disagree, even throw a punch in frustration, but still respect and protect each other. There is a special twist at the very end of the movie and it makes the title meaningful. As they say, wait for it!
Burt Kennedy also doesn’t miss on making great use of the outdoor for the cinematic charm of the picture. The landscape fits the textbook standards of a western’s setting with the horses and cowboys making many visually stunning shots. Not to be misled by the title, the movie doesn’t feature a train robbery scene except when the twist hits the screen at the end. However, the protagonists have some memorable shots at the site of the wrecked train carrying the gold.
The Train Robbers has some elements of spaghetti westerns but leans more traditional and classic in the genre in characterization, that is until you reach the twist. So wait for it!
