Kirk Douglas is Howard Nightingale, a marshal with his sights on two things: the capture of outlaw Jack Strawhorn (Bruce Dern) and his election to a U.S. Senate seat.
Accomplish the first, and he’s almost certain the second will follow.
With a hand-picked and skillful posse and a bribe to one of Strawhorn’s men, he tracks down the outlaw and wipes out his gang.
Strawhorn escapes, but kills two men in Tesota and is subsequently tracked down by Nightingale and his posse.
They enjoy a night of celebration and debauchery in Tesota, then set out by train to take their prized prisoner to Austin, Texas.
But the celebration was premature.
The ever-clever Strawhorn escapes. And that’s just the beginning of a new set of problems for Nightingale.
Kirk Douglas as Howard Nightingale, holding the wanted poster of the man he wants to capture most in Posse (1975)
Bruce Stern as Jack Strawhorn, jailed by Nightingale and looking for a way out in Posse (1975)
Review:
Dern turns in a sparkling performance in a Western that’s different enough from the norm to keep things interesting.
And this marked one of just two films directed by Douglas. The other was 1973’s “Scalawag,” a family adventure film in which he also starred.
Here, Luke Askew and Bo Hopkins are among the members of Nightingale’s elite posse. They’re willing to kill and put their lives on the line for their leader, but they’re also beginning to wonder what will happen to them when Nightingale heads off to the U.S. Senate.
Lots of small roles help too, including Dick O’Neil as Wiley, the publicity agent sure to document Nightingale’s exploits with his camera, and James Stacy as Harold Hellman, a newspaper editor who isn’t among Nightingale’s supporters because of the marshal’s ties to the railroad.
This marked Stacy’s first film after losing his left arm and leg in a 1972 motorcyle accident caused by a drunk driver.
Luke Askew as Krag, the most loyal of Howard Nightingale’s posse members in Posse (1975)
Bo Hopkins as John Wesley, a member of Howard Nightingale’s posse in Posse (1975)
Directed by:
Kirk Douglas
Cast:
Kirk Douglas … Howard Nightingale
Bruce Stern … Jack Strawhorn
Bo Hopkins … John Wesley
James Stacy … Harold Hellman
Luke Askew … Krag
David Canary … Pensteman
Alfonso Arau … Pepe
Katherine Woodville … Catherine Cooper
Mark Roberts … Mr. Cooper
Beth Brickell … Carla Ross
Dick O’Neill … Wiley
William H. Burton … McCanless
Louie Elisa … Rains
Guy Greymountain … Reyno
Allan Warnick … Telegrapher
Roger Behrstock … Buwalda
Jess Riggle … Hunsinger
Stephanie Steele … Amy
Melody Thomas Scott … Laurie
Runtime: 92 min.
James Stacy as Harold Hellman, the newspaper editor who isn’t a supporter of Nightingale in Posse (1975)
Dick O’Neil as Wiley, the publicity manager who documents Nightingale’s exploits in Posse (1975)
Memorable lines:
Pepe: “If money can make a miracle, we can have a good day.”
Jack Strawhorn: “Every day above ground is a good day.”
Harold Hellman, newspaperman: “You’re too ambitious, marshal.”
Howard Nightingale: “You make it sound like a dirty word. Where would this country be without ambition?”
Jack Strawhorn, when Krag threatens to shoot him: “Boss isn’t gonna like that. I think he likes me alive.”
Krag: “One more move, and he’s goin’ to be miserable.”
Jack Strawhorn: “You know what I regret most? Killing that sheriff out in the street. Cause, mister, that should have been you.”
Howard Nightingale: “I don’t normally attend hangings. They make me sick to my stomach. But, in your case, I might make an exception.”
Jack Strawhorn, about to jump out of the train: “Wish me luck, Wesley.”
Wesley: “Kiss my ass.”
Strawhorn: “Haven’t got the time.”
Howard Nightingale: “You can’t buy honest men.”
Jack Strawhorn: “Honest men stay honest only as long as it pays. That’s why I’m a thief and you’re a liar.”
Jack Strawhorn: “Climbing on my dead body to get to the United States Senate. That’s ain’t honesty. That’s horse shit. And, mister, they got enough of that in Washington without needin’ any more.”
Kirk Douglas as Howard Nightingale, the aspiring politician watching his men descend on Strawhorn’s gang in Posse (1975)
Bruce Stern as Jack Strawhorn, doling out orders to his new gang members in Posse (1975)
Beth Brickell as Carla Ross, the hotel owner who plays host to Nightingale in Posse (1975)
Katherine Woodville as Catherine Cooper, the shop keeper’s wife seduced by a posse member in Posse (1975)
Mark Roberts as Cooper, the shopkeeper wondering about the whereabouts of his straying wife in Posse (1975)
A townsman with the two young girls infatuated with members of Nightingale’s posse in Posse (1975)
Alfonso Arau as Pepe, the friend of Jack Strawhorn who recruits a new gang for him in Posse (1975)
Bruce Stern as Jack Strawhorn with Howard Nightingale (Kirk Douglas) under his gun in Posse (1975)
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