John Wayne plays John Chisum, a cattle king with a ranch near Lincoln, New Mexico. But another man has arrived in Lincoln seemingly intent on gobbling up as much of the town and the nearby land as possible. His name: Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker). And he already owns the law in town.
Bothered by Murphy’s business tactics, Chisum and fellow rancher Henry Tunstall decide to establish a rival bank and their own general story, hiring Alex McSween to run both. Bothered by Chisum’s willingness to share the water on his range with his neighbors, Murphy begins eying up that range.
Meanwhile, young guns are gathering. Tunstall has a reformed killer known as Billy the Kid in his employ. Chisum has taken on a former bounty hunter named Pat Garrett. And Murphy has hired a former associate of Billy’s named Jess Evans.
Evans’ primary job is to harass Chisum in hopes that he’ll be prodded into doing something unlawful. So he stampedes a cattle herd, costing Chisum a government contract. When a convoy of wagons are returning with supplies for the general store, it comes under attack.
Chisum wants to settle matters the old-fashioned way. Tunstall and McSween preach patience and a resolution via lawful means. Then Murphy’s men frame Tunstall for rustling. The elderly rancher is shot dead as he’s being arrested.
Chisum and Garrett set out to find the men responsible. Their intent: Bring them back to stand trial. Billy has other ideas – the type that just might spark a war in Lincoln.
Review:
John Chisum was a real-life rancher in New Mexico Territory who apparently knew both Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. But foisting the so-oft-told Lincoln County War story into a John Wayne film results in this being one of the least interesting of his 1970s Westerns.
Not that it isn’t entertaining in spots. Ben Johnson is splendid as the right-hand man constantly whispering under his breath about what’s happening around him. Geoffrey Deuel is charismatic as a young Billy the Kid, even if his romance with Chisum’s niece seems a bit far-fetched. And Christopher George is suitably snarly as a sheriff determined to get the young gunman who’s responsible for his permanent limp.
This film marked a rare screen appearance for TV actress Pamela McMyler, who plays the niece. Lynda Day George has a small role as Mrs. McSween; she would later become well-known for her role as Lisa Carey on the hit TV show “Mission Impossible.”
The film also features an excellent theme song, with narration by none other than actor William Conrad.
Directed by:
Andrew McLaglen
Cast:
John Wayne … John Chisum
Forrest Tucker … Lawrence Murphy
Glenn Corbett … Pat Garrett
Geoffrey Deuel … Billy The Kid Bonney
Pamela McMyler … Sallie Chisum
Ben Johnson … James Pepper
Patric Knowles … Henry Tunstall
Christopher George … Dan Nodeen
Andrew Prine … Alex McSween
Lynda Day George … Sue McSween
Bruce Cabot … Sheriff Brady
Richard Jaeckel … Jess Evans
John Agar … Amos Patton
Lloyd Battista … Neemo
Robert Donner … Bradley Morton
Runtime: 111 min.
Memorable lines:
Neemo: “There must be some mistake here.”
Chisum: “You made it.”
Neemo, as his men herd Chisum’s horses: “I tell you what: We have a long way to go, and the horses are a lot of trouble. So if you want these horses, I sell them to you. Did you bring some gold with you?”
Chisum: “Nope.”
Neemo: “Silver?”
Chisum: “Just lead.”
Chisum, to the sheriff: “Figure to find that escaped prisoner in that deck of cards?”
Sheriff: “Don’t worry. Me and the boys will round him up.”
Chisum: “Yeah, about the time you get your third set of false teeth.”
Murphy: “There’s a fundamental difference between Mr. Chisum and me.”
Sheriff Brady: “Yeah, what’s that?”
Murphy: “Mr. Chisum is a man who respects the law.” He chuckles. “I’m the man who owns it.”
Chisum to Lawrence Murphy: “Well, I don’t favor talking to vermin, but I’ll talk to you just this once. You’re not just getting started. The line’s been drawn. What Billy did balanced the books so far. But if one of your men cross my land or even touch one of my cows, or do anything to that (general) store, I’m not going to the sheriff, the governor or the president of the United States. I’m coming to see you.”
Murphy: “Mr. Chisum, that sounds like a threat.”
Chisum, after punching Murphy: “Wrong word. Fact.”
Pepper: “You know, there’s an old saying, Missy Sally. There’s no law west of Dodge and no God west of Pecos. Right, Mr. Chisum?”
Chisum: “Wrong, Mr. Pepper. Because no matter where people go, sooner or later, there’s law. And sooner or later, they find God’s already been there.”
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