Shoot the Sun Down

I'm sorry to say but this film does not even come close to being fair! There's no plot, no action, nothing. I feel that A. Martinez's character was the real protagonist, NOT Christopher Walken's character. But because whites are glorified while it vilified the Natives like many Hollywood films do despite that they filmed this in New Mexico. I think the only old time western film that looks at the Natives as real and true heroes is 1950s 'Broken Arrow' with Jimmy Stewart, Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget. I also think that Sacheen Littlefeather's character should have been a lot more prominent rather than being just a minor role. That one scene where she got shot by that white scalp hunter, not one of the others came in to help her, not even Walken himself! All of her other films are way better than this one. This film does not even deserve a nomination for the most amateur of all films. Therefore, I only gave this one a 4 out of 10.

Christopher Walken is an enigmatic stranger wandering the west. Geoffrey Lewis is a scalp-hunter, turned prospector, with a serious case of gold fever, while Margot Kidder is the indentured servant of emotionally-stunted ship captain Bo Bundin. The four collide in and around Mexican-controlled Santa Fe as they dig for gold and search for the lost treasure of Montezuma. Though mostly character-driven and not for everyone's taste, this independent western looks great, with nice location photography and and the presences of Walken and Kidder, right on the cusp of their breakthrough performances in The Deer Hunter and Superman: The Movie respectively, though Walken is a bit out of place. Of the cast, the late Geoffrey Lewis is the most game (as usual), delivering some amusing lines, his eulogy for a treacherous henchman especially memorable. Familiar faces, A. Martinez and Sacheen Littlefeather (on the final seconds of her fifteen-minutes of fame) round out the cast. Action scenes are clumsy and the score is all over the place, with spaghetti western horns one minute, pulsing rock the next, traditional string instruments a few minutes later, with some prints featuring a title song by Kinky Friedman!

I'm sorry to say but this film does not even come close to being fair! There's no plot, no action, nothing. I feel that A. Martinez's character was the real protagonist, NOT Christopher Walken's character. But because whites are glorified while it vilified the Natives like many Hollywood films do despite that they filmed this in New Mexico. I think the only old time western film that looks at the Natives as real and true heroes is 1950s 'Broken Arrow' with Jimmy Stewart, Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget. I also think that Sacheen Littlefeather's character should have been a lot more prominent rather than being just a minor role. That one scene where she got shot by that white scalp hunter, not one of the others came in to help her, not even Walken himself! All of her other films are way better than this one. This film does not even deserve a nomination for the most amateur of all films. Therefore, I only gave this one a 4 out of 10.

Margo Kidder and Christopher Walken star in this slow and talky western. The overall structure is very haphazard, with characters neither explained or developed. To me, "Shoot the Sun Down" seems more like an art house film, than a second rate western. It is loaded with "compelling visions", but hardly any substance. While Walken does get staked to the desert ground and attacked by Vultures, there is really little here of interest. Long boring scenes, like Walken talking to his horse, permeate the film. Even though the theme of searching for Montezuma's gold should have been intriguing, the movie lacks excitement, and for the most part is just plain boring. Not recommended, even for Walken enthusiasts. - MERK