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.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Following a series of flashbacks, boyhood friends wind up on opposite sides of the law in this by the book Western tale. Fans of Dean Martin and Rock Hudson will probably get some enjoyment out of this picture but the story has been done time and time again, so be forewarned if you haven't seen it yet. One thing that caught my interest was the names of both men's horses - Chuck Jarvis (Hudson) had one named Almanac, and Bill Massey's (Martin) mount was named Tops. Both kind of unusual, I'm thinking that those might have been their real names.A couple of other interesting elements popped up as well. After having watched a few hundred Westerns by now, I don't believe I've ever seen a rider mask his horse's footprints by covering them with rawhide the way Jarvis did. That was an unusual maneuver to prevent his being tracked. There was also that bizarre shotgun load being fixed up by attorney Wilson (John McLiam), consisting of busted glass and scrap iron. I was waiting for that tease to play out but it never happened. Probably a good thing.What was really cool though was that 1890's version of a Sears Roebuck washing machine Kate Jarvis (Susan Clark) was using to wash her clothes for the first time. It seemed to me that laundering by hand might have been easier considering the amount of muscle expenditure required. I guess modern appliances had to start someplace.So the showdown of the title didn't turn out the way one might have expected between the former childhood friends. Actually, I had a bad feeling about Massey when Jarvis headed out for the last time to track down his man. Not that I thought the two buddies would have it out between them, but that outlaw posse was pretty single minded about hunting Massey down. Too bad for Dino.

It's good to see this western out on DVD, although the transfer is just "okay".I'll admit to being a huge Dino fan, but I disagree with a few others who have posted here...this is a pretty average western flick of the old style...which isn't saying a lot since by the 1970s most western flicks were pretty average. The story is actually okay -- two friends split up, one becoming a sheriff (Rock Hudson), and the other becoming a train robber (Dean Martin). Some would say the age of the two stars (Dean was 56 at this time and Rock was 48) was a bit illogical. But I don't suppose all sheriffs or robbers were young. So that's fine, but where the age doesn't work is in the flashback scenes as the two friends ambled along in earlier years. This was the last major starring role for both actors. Hudson soon turned to television, and Dean's films weren't making the bucks anymore. Dean does some of his own horse riding here, though not as much as in his younger years. Dean loved making westerns, and in many of his westerns he did most of his own riding. During the making of this film his favorite movie horse died, and apparently he was quite broken up over it.The scenery is genuine and very nice -- northern New Mexico and probably a bit of southern Colorado (and you can still ride this very train). Kudos for the director in selecting the locales.The story is this -- Dean teams up with some robbers to rob a train, then has a falling out with them, shoots one of them, and skedaddles with the loot. So the 2 remaining are after him. As is the sheriff -- his old friend, Hudson. Dean eventually gets caught...sort of...or gives himself up...sort of. But the DA breaks a promise while Rock is out of town with his wife (Susan Clark), Dean escapes, and the chase is on again. The end is pretty predictable, but the filming in the forest fire is a different slant on things, and quite effective.If you like old-style westerns, you'll like this one. The first half could be a little less sentimental, but it builds nicely. It's a GOOD film, but not a great one. Very watchable, however, and the second half is much better than the early portions.

Director George Seaton's last film, an inert, tepid western about childhood pals and one-time cattle-ranch partners Dean Martin and Rock Hudson winding up on divergent paths: Martin joins a small gang of outlaws and robs a train near Bisbee while Hudson becomes sheriff of the neighboring community. Formula drama without any hint of suspense or even wayward humor. As soon as the crooked foursome robs the train, they split up over greed (with Dino taking control of the loot); Hudson hears about the robbery and immediately takes off on his horse, only to end up at his office sitting behind a desk. Nothing in Theodore Taylor's screenplay seems fresh or well thought out, and most of the dialogue is downright atrocious ("That hold-up was as slick as spit on a round doorknob!"). Hudson gives a little more energy than enervated Martin, but all in the cast seem to realize this is fatigued material. David Shire's score is a minor asset. *1/2 from ****

Though it breezes along at an amiable pace, there's really nothing special about this particular western. It has a lot of stuff that ends up being irrelevant, such as with the character of the sheriff's wife, and the multiple flashbacks. Though the technical side is professional, it resembles a made-for-TV movie of the time. Still, there is some interest here. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Hong Kong director John Woo saw this, because there are elements and themes here that can be found in his movies.