One of my all time favorites.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There didn't seem to be too much in the content of this Clint Eastwood vehicle to differentiate it from TV western dramas of the time, apart that is from Eastwood himself. He gives the eponymous title character some life, even if Joe Kidd is really just another taciturn, laconic anti-hero aptly suited to his minimalist acting style. The locations and cinematography are fine too while Robert Duvall is okay as the baddie, enlisting maverick Kidd to track down a Mexican bandit with whom he's at war, before he does that totally idiotic thing you don't do to Eastwood in one of his films, which is to double-cross him.The weaknesses of the film are firstly the narrative, as I struggled to believe that an amoral character as Kidd would get involved in a turf-war like this, secondly, the casting of the supporting parts, in particular John Saxon completely lacks menace, never mind the charisma to control his gang as the scurrilous but selfish rebel and thirdly, the score by Lalo Schifrin, which seems to belong better to some of the cops and robbers TV shows and films he was also scoring at the time.The plot is fairly predictable, enlivened by a "OK Corrall"-style shoot-out at the end, but for me the film never really takes off. I enjoyed the under-the-radar humorous references to Eastwood's recent success with "Dirty Harry" but there was little other humour to report which might have helpfully pepped up proceedings.Instead, Kidd's dour personality and Duvall's unrelenting thirst for revenge make for a stolid movie, directed adequately, no better, by John Sturges, who like Eastwood and Duvall, made better movies than this.It's no disaster mind you, just a bit predictable and run-of-the-mill. Fairly standard Clint- material for the time, fair-to-middling only, I'd say.

Much Talent Came Together for this Early Seventies Western Riding the Revival that Started in the Mid-Sixties with The Sergio Leone Trilogy and "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Clint Eastwood, Director John Sturges, and Writer Elmore Leonard are Not At There Best.The Result is a Tepid, Turgid, Tale of Land Rights and Oppressed Mexicans. A Good Supporting Cast Including John Saxon, Robert Duvall, and Don Stroud who Always Plays a "Good" Sleazebag. The Cinematography is by Bruce Surtees and the Score from Lalo Schifrin. So Why is the Thing So Dull? It's Anybody's Guess, but it is. It is Dumb from the Start and Never Gets Any Smarter, Culminating in One of the Silliest Train Rides Ever. The Dialog is Not Snappy, the Violence is Ho-Hum, and Eastwood, Never a Great Actor, is Awful. Once Again Relying on Squints and Macho Speak.The Movie Looks Good but the Movie isn't Good. It's Standard Stuff and Everyone Involved, from Top to Bottom has Done Much Better Elsewhere. A Dud.

Perhaps it's expectations regarding the talent assembled here that make one feel somewhat underwhelmed: the screenplay is by Elmore Leonard, the direction by John Sturges, and genre veteran Clint Eastwood is the star. Ultimately, the story never really catches fire, and there's not much in the film that's memorable - save for one amusing bit of business with a train. Overall, "Joe Kidd" lacks distinction, which is too bad. Eastwood is a typically low key and efficient hero, and he's backed up by a strong supporting cast. The film has the look of quality, with lovely scenery, sets & photography. Fans of the genre will find that this kills an hour and a half fairly easily.Clint plays the title role, a former bounty hunter who's sprung from jail by a ruthless land baron, Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall). Harlan wants a man eliminated: Mexican revolutionary Luis Chama (John Saxon), who wants to dispute land ownership. Joe reluctantly saddles up with Harlans' associates, only to have a change of heart when he sees how cold blooded they are. He and Chama reach an understanding and begin to do battle with Harlan and company.Duvall is a worthy antagonist, and he does a nice job of underplaying his role. Saxon has a commanding presence, and Stella Garcia is delightful as the feisty Helen Sanchez. Don Stroud, James Wainwright, and Paul Koslo are all great fun as Harlans' goons, especially Stroud as he gets increasingly flustered. It's also nice to see other familiar faces such as Gregory Walcott as the sheriff, Dick Van Patten as the hotel manager, Joaquin Martinez as Manolo, and Ron Soble as Ramon.Bruce Surtees's cinematography is noteworthy, and Lalo Schifrin contributes an excellent score.While this doesn't measure up to classic Clint Westerns, it's still reasonably engaging.Seven out of 10.

It's almost never good to be critical of Clint, but seriously, this must be one of his most unmemorable movies, except you will remember it precisely because it was so unmemorable.A movie with class actors like Eastwood and Duvall and a rating of 6+ normally promises at least an interesting or amusing plot, if not always a modicum of reality and a decent script - Clint is THE man of few words, after all, and his presence does the talking. But this movie lacks even the basics, because the storyline is just too weak.Gun enthusiasts will note the German magazine-fed pistol, and rifles with telescopic sights. Regrettably, these will probably be the highlights for you. There are no highlights for anyone else