Movie review - "Nevada Smith" (1966) ***

Steve McQueen is a little too old to play the title character, out for revenge against the trio who killed his maw and paw. The baddies are an imposing line-up of cut-throats: Martin Landau, Arthur Kennedy and Karl Malden. Revenge takes up an awful lot of time - surely there was an easier way to knock off Kennedy than to get himself put in prison? (What if they'd put him in a different prison?) There are some benefits, though, like hooking up in a tipi with cute Indian Janet Margolin. Because this was the 60s, action films had to have significance (remember all the chats in The Magnificent Seven?) so there is a bit of tut-tutting over McQueen's desire from revenge, such as from Raf Vallone and Suzanne Pleshette - but the thing is, the deaths were so horrible they should be punished. It's just that it should be according to the law - an option no one seems to mention. Wonderful locations and colour photography and Henry Hathaway was good with this sort of action. Some terrific scenes, like the knife fight with Landau, and where Malden realises that McQueen is among his gang - but doesn't know what McQueen looks like so suspects everyone. Brian Keith plays a character who is the father of the George Peppard character in The Carpetbaggers where the McQueen part was played by Alan Ladd.