Shalako

SHALAKO (2 outta 5 stars) Sean Connery plays Shalako, a stereotypical western hero who comes across a bunch of upper class British twits who go on a little hunting expedition in the US of A and find themselves stuck in the middle of hostile Indian territory. Well, when it comes to the American Indian versus the British aristocracy I know who *I* would be rooting for... unfortunately Shalako takes a hankering to pretty (but vacant) blonde beauty Bridget Bardot and so feels obligated to lead everyone to safety while killing lots of heathen natives (well, a lot of Hollywood actors *pretending* to be natives anyway). Not much of a role for Connery... but I guess at this point he was pretty much happy to be in *anything* that wasn't James Bond. You'd think that a climactic spear fight between Sean and Woody Strode would be a highlight... but it's a far from memorable screen confrontation. It's not really an awful movie... it just sounds like it would be a lot better than it is.

At the risk of offending the purists, the animal lovers and the rest of the supercilious self-righteous know-alls, I thoroughly enjoy this film every time I watch it (yes, I come back to it, now and then). It's right up there with my other favorite westerns, "The Magnificent Seven," "Duck, You Sucker," and "MacKenna's Gold." Nothing serious. Just entertaining, off-the-beaten-track plots, and good-looking people. I don't know about you, but I DETEST being preached at. Never could take it, either from my parents, or my teachers. Not even from my church, truth be told. So I'm certainly NOT going to take it from the hypocrites in the film industry. And that's why I like Shalako. No preaching. No whining about big bad America. No oh-dear-weren't-we-awful-to-the-natives chest-beating, so prevalent in the 60s and 70s. Just a bit of fun. Which is all the entertainment industry should stick to.

I love westerns, though even I found this somewhat disappointing. While not a complete waste, it's odd that a movie named after a certain character would then have this character offscreen or inactive a lot of the time. And though it's based on a Louis L'Amour book, I found the story to be quite predictable, with scenes that have been in countless other westerns. Only if you want to see if Connery and Bardot on the range is as strange as it sounds.

The caste alone is worth the admission: Connery, Bardot, Hawkins,Steven Boyd, Eric Sykes, Honor Blackman, Woody Strode, others ... Mostly European (actors) - strange for a Western - but not unrealistic to the times. Hawkins and Boyd - both recently out of starring in Ben Hur. A coterie of fine acting talent and charismatic screen artists. Proves my theory as to why Western Film will never die: Every Actor and every Director want to make a Western at some point. Connery and Bardot have some nice interplay in sharing the bulk of the screen time. Meanwhile here's some decent action here in what is a pretty well a straight up Western adventure tale. Possibly a Western that will enjoy greater appreciation with time.

While I will concede that Shalako is not a groundbreaking film, I must take issue with the low average score it has received. The story is fairly engaging, Sean Connery is in great form, and Brigitte Bardot is as comely as ever! She reminds me of Claudia Schiffer! I also love her accent! She and Sean Connery share a very nice restrained romance. Some people might interpret this film as a celebration of the New World over the Old World but really that is too much of an analytical assertion. To me, it's a great star vehicle and a nice rousing adventure celebrating ingenuity, honor, and perseverance. 7/10.