The TV Western formula is so pronounced that it sticks out like the ribs on a starving cow.
The problem is that despite all this country, the Travens just happen to find Asbury and his men so quickly and casually you'd think they were all super-trackers. They catch up to the caravan as they're camped on a beach waiting to make a deal with a big fat profiteer. And here's where the logic floats out to sea and the TV clichés wash in like flotsam and jetsam.
Sissy and Heather Traven (Dominique Dunne, Natalie May) are among the captives, as is neighbor Kate Connery (Katharine Ross), to whom both Major Ashbury and Col. Hammond (Gene Evans) take a liking. Then there's Uncle "Black Jack" Traven (Ben Johnson), whose character seems thrown across the saddlepack like an afterthought just to be able to get another grizzled old Western face in the picture. It's as if somebody was thinking "the more Travens, the merrier." But the conflict and resistance are so singularly scripted that it all seems simplistic and unlikely. In other words, the TV Western formula is so pronounced that it sticks out like the ribs on a starving cow.
And yet, I've seen worse Westerns. If you can swallow the plot and the coincidences and ignore the clichéd dialogue, the characters themselves are likeable and the scenery (Santa Cruz, Sonora, and Columbia, Calif.) gives you that feeling of spaciousness and isolation that's so much a part of Westerns.
Video:
If you like this film and are looking to upgrade, though I haven't seen the original this re-mastered version looks pretty good. It's still presented in full screen (1.33:1 aspect ratio), but the amount of grain is really really slight and the colors look bright and saturated without seeming unnatural.
Audio:
The audio appears to be the same, though-a two-channel Dolby Digital Surround that's close to Mono because dialogue dominates and all of the sound seems centered. At least it's not scratchy.
Extras:
There are no bonus features.
Bottom Line:
As John J. Puccio pointed out in his review of the film, "The Shadow Riders" is "innocuous family entertainment." But if you want more complexity and character development from your Westerns--or even more action--there are better movies out there.
Sissy and Heather Traven (Dominique Dunne, Natalie May) are among the captives, as is neighbor Kate Connery (Katharine Ross), to whom both Major Ashbury and Col. Hammond (Gene Evans) take a liking. Then there's Uncle "Black Jack" Traven (Ben Johnson), whose character seems thrown across the saddlepack like an afterthought just to be able to get another grizzled old Western face in the picture. It's as if somebody was thinking "the more Travens, the merrier." But the conflict and resistance are so singularly scripted that it all seems simplistic and unlikely. In other words, the TV Western formula is so pronounced that it sticks out like the ribs on a starving cow.
And yet, I've seen worse Westerns. If you can swallow the plot and the coincidences and ignore the clichéd dialogue, the characters themselves are likeable and the scenery (Santa Cruz, Sonora, and Columbia, Calif.) gives you that feeling of spaciousness and isolation that's so much a part of Westerns.
Video:
If you like this film and are looking to upgrade, though I haven't seen the original this re-mastered version looks pretty good. It's still presented in full screen (1.33:1 aspect ratio), but the amount of grain is really really slight and the colors look bright and saturated without seeming unnatural.
Audio:
The audio appears to be the same, though-a two-channel Dolby Digital Surround that's close to Mono because dialogue dominates and all of the sound seems centered. At least it's not scratchy.
Extras:
There are no bonus features.
Bottom Line:
As John J. Puccio pointed out in his review of the film, "The Shadow Riders" is "innocuous family entertainment." But if you want more complexity and character development from your Westerns--or even more action--there are better movies out there.
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[release]23828[/release]