A Genre In Retrospect: The Western - Part 10

The 1970’s strikes again with a classic style western, in the tone of a gritty grindhouse film. A bug takeaway I got from this picture though is how different the creators view its “protagonists” and what it wants us to think about the story as a whole. Issue here is, there is a cast that is led by a much more mature Kirk Douglas, so it’s pretty hard to have any sort of complex feelings on his outside of loving the man. I digress, “Posse” (1975) is still a strong picture, and it really tells a lot about the western genre at the time. I had fun with the film, and by the end, I enjoyed seeing what needed to be said, and I think that’s worth a watch all on its own.  

Throughout this picture, ‘Posse’ (1975) paints an idea that our lead, Kirk Douglas, the leader of the group who is running for Senate is the high and mighty figure who will save all. By the end of the film, it’s apparent that is not exactly what this movie was going for. Kirk Douglas, who stars and directs the picture, is truly not played for sympathy. He is a traditional style hero from the classic films, but now the complexity of the 1970’s tries to take away that notion of good. On top of this, keeping up with the trends of the time, the ending of the film does not look too favorably on anyone, and leaves the audience feeling pretty absolute about the film. I enjoy seeing these new perspectives of the genre I love, and even if at times the ideas don’t land, I still get a good viewing experience.

Aside from the 1970’s tone of the picture, ‘Posse’ (1975) is still very much a classic style western. all of the tropes are still there to make a classic, and the visuals are there to match. The classic desert town in the west is the location. There are a few characters who really are their own and make a stance on what they believe. The classic marshal vs. train robber story as well. It all fits together to make a perfect western classic. The action off the train and the work with the horses and gun play are all there as well, so if you’re worried about a 1970’s western not having the same feel as a classic, don’t go to far, because this hits it on the head. 

Previously mentioned Kirk Douglas stars and directs this picture, and he isn’t afraid to take the bullet of the audiences view. This isn’t the most traditional character Douglas has played, and it certainly isn’t his best, but it still has a lot of fun things going for it, and it definitely is worth while. Bruce Dern plays opposite of Douglas in an even more complex character. We get to see the motivations of both sides, and it manages to disarm the viewer on how to perceive any of the story. Dern has always been fantastic at playing the heavy, and ‘Posse’ (1975) is no different. Adding on the extra layers just makes these performances that much more interesting to view. 

I had a lot of fun with this classic style 1970’s western. The craft is clearly there, and the production design showed it knew how to make a film like it was starring Randolph Scott. The two leads of the film manage to work off one another in great ways, but the interesting stuff is to see the motivations from behind the action. Understanding the complexity of each of these guys makes for a great viewing. I highly encourage anyone to go see this fun western, and enjoy the show.