The War Wagon

Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot) is a ruthless man bent on manipulating the cattle business towards his own wealth and prosperity. When Taw Jackson (John Wayne), an honest rancher, interferes with his plans, Pierce imprisons him and confiscates his gold-filled land. Escaping the prison, Taw plans a raid on Pierce's heavily guarded payroll carriage, but not if Pierce has anything to say about it. After assembling a group of misfits and hired guns, Taw runs into serious opposition when he encounters the madcap gunslinger Lomax (Kirk Douglas). Sent by Pierce to stop the raid, Lomax winds up taking a liking to Taw and they decide to join forces and stage a raid on Pierce's war wagon. Famous for its fighting scenes between John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, THE WAR WAGON is quintessential of its genre, featuring astonishing stunts and pyrotechnics. Advanced for its time, one would think durector Burt Kennedy produced it in the mid 1970s. The climactic end scene which pits Douglas and Wayne against a Gatling gun has spawned similar scenes in RED DAWN and YOUNG GUNS.