This actually has a decent story - train robber George Peppard seeks revenge on the man who betrayed him (John Vernon) and married his girl, and in doing so winds up helping some Chinese. It's done in with a combination of Andrew McLaglen's flabby direction and that bland Universal treatment - bright colours, backlot sets, sting music.
Peppard loved the character he played - a rascally train robber. I get why but he's a little too low energy. peppard was at his best playing straight men surrounded by rascals.
Peppard doesn't bounce off anyone. John Vernon has an Irish accent that comes and goes. The Chinese angle is sort of French but no real characters - noble prostitute (Frances Nuyen, who is at least allowed to live instead of die tragically), noble son, noble old man.
This needed to be more fun. Peppard thought it was fun and it was fun for him, I'm sure, more than his usual characters. But it isn't fun. I'd dump the boring Chinese couple. Have all the Chinese women and they all want to sleep with Peppard. Have one Chinese turn traitor. Have more colourful other characters.
Larry Cohen once said Andrew Mclaglen and Burt Kennedy killed the Western in the 1970s with their dud movies and this is definitely an argument in favour of Cohen.
I think this was the last of his five picture Universal contract - Tobruk being outside that.
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