The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Patience is part of the point.”
Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.
Back to trending 
Big Jake
Western · 1971
An aging Texas cattle man who has outlived his time swings into action when outlaws kidnap his grandson.
Movie details
Big Jake
“They wanted gold. They gave them lead instead!”
1971 Western 1h 50m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.8 / 10
Community rating
An aging Texas cattle man who has outlived his time swings into action when outlaws kidnap his grandson.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Big Jake?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
7 Men from Now
Western · 1956
A former sheriff relentlessly pursuing the 7 men who murdered his wife in Arizona crosses paths with a couple heading to California.
The Wild Bunch
Western · 1969
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.
Hannie Caulder
Drama · 1971
After she's raped by the outlaw trio who murdered her husband, a frontierswoman hires a bounty hunter to instruct her in the ways of a gun in order to exact her revenge.
Appaloosa
Drama · 2008
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
Valdez Is Coming
Western · 1971
Old Mexican-American sheriff Bob Valdez has always been a haven of sanity in a land of madmen when it came to defending law and order. But the weapon smuggler Frank Tanner is greedy and impulsive. When Tanner provokes a shooting that causes the death of an innocent man and Valdez asks him to financially compensate the widow, Tanner refuses to do so and severely humiliates Valdez, who will do justice and avenge his honor, no matter what it takes.
Hell or High Water
Western · 2016
A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.
The Ballad of Lefty Brown
Western · 2017
Aging sidekick Lefty Brown has ridden with Eddie Johnson his entire life. But when a rustler kills Eddie, Lefty is forced from his partner’s shadow and must confront the ugly realities of frontier justice.
Jubal
Western · 1956
Jubal Troop is a cowboy who is found in a weakened condition, without a horse. He is given shelter at Shep Horgan's large ranch, where he quickly makes an enemy in foreman Pinky, a cattleman who accuses Jubal of carrying the smell of sheep.
The Missouri Breaks
Western · 1976
When vigilante land baron David Braxton hangs one of the best friends of cattle rustler Tom Logan, Logan's gang decides to get even by purchasing a small farm next to Braxton's ranch. From there the rustlers begin stealing horses, using the farm as a front for their operation. Determined to stop the thefts at any cost, Braxton retains the services of eccentric sharpshooter Robert E. Lee Clayton, who begins ruthlessly taking down Logan's gang.
The Hunting Party
Western · 1971
A ruthless rancher, and his gang, use extremely long range rifles to kill the men who kidnapped his wife.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
George Sherman
Written by
Harry Julian Fink · Rita M. Fink
John Wayne
Jacob McCandles
Richard Boone
John Fain
Maureen O'Hara
Martha McCandles
Patrick Wayne
James McCandles
Christopher Mitchum
Michael McCandles
Bobby Vinton
Jeff McCandles
Bruce Cabot
Sam Sharpnose
Court is in session
Put Big Jake on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“A test of endurance, your honour.”
Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.