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In this 1966 Howard Hawks production, John Wayne is the notorious gunman Cole Thornton. He is generally known as one of the fastest men with a gun alive. He has been hired by Bart Jason (Ed Asner), as a regulator. When Thornton arrives in El Dorado, he meets up with his old friend, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), who is the sheriff. J.P. puts Cole straight on what the facts really are, that Jason is a crook trying to run off the McDonalds, who have the water rights, and were there twenty years before Jason. Cole also reunites with Maudie (Charlene Holt), the saloon owner and his former girlfriend forever. Cole agrees to not but heads with J.P. and goes to tell Jason "Thanks, but no thanks". On the way back, one of the McDonald boys, Kevin, the youngest, is sent to watch for Cole and to fire a shot if he sees him coming. He fell asleep and when Cole approached, he was startled and jumped up firing. Thornton didn't know who it was and fired back. The boy, in great pain, killed himself. Cole brought his body home to his father and explained what happened. McDonald believed him and thanked him for bringing the boy home. Josey McDonald, Kevin's sister, ambushed Cole and shot him in the back. She thought that he was dead, and when he found out who she was, he let her go. Unable to remove the bullet, the Doctor tells Cole to get the bullet removed when he finds a proper surgeon. Six months later, Cole meets Nelson McLeod (Christopher George), and a young greenhorn, Mississippi (James Caan), who has hunted down one of McLeod men who killed his friend two years ago. McLeod and his men are headed for El Dorado, having been hired by Jason to take Thornton's place. Finding out from McLeod that J.P. had become a drunk over a lost love affair, Thornton decides to head back to help J.P. With Mississippi tagging along, they head back. Unable to use a gun, Cole takes Mississippi to see the Swede, a gun dealer, who sells him a double-barreled shotgun with a ten inch barrel. This is a hand cannon! Cole and Mississippi arrive at night in El Dorado. Not knowing if McLeod and his crew have arrived yet, he visits Maudie who fills him in on what has been going on for the last six months. Thornton has been having back spasms from that bullet. When they hit, he loses control of his arm and leg for a while, but every time, it lasts longer. He goes to see Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt), deputy sheriff, they get Harrah sober and cleaned up. Bart Jason hires men to harass the McDonalds. So when the men shoot one of the McDonalds, Thornton and his friends chase them in to a church and then into Bart Jason's Saloon. They arrest Bart Jason and take him to the jail. Later that night, Thornton and Mississippi decide to walk the city, keeping the peace. Maude (Charlene Holt), a friend of Thornton's sends a message that McLeod's men are scaring her and her patrons. When they go there, they are ambushed and Thornton has an attack that leaves him partially paralyzed. McLeod trades Thornton for Bart Jason. Then they kidnap one of the McDonalds and force them to sign over their water rights to Jason. Thornton, Harrah, Mississippi and others come up with a plan to rescue the McDonald son, and neutralize Jason and McLeod. Thorton, still paralyzed, Mississippi, Harrah and Bull travel back into town on wagons. They attack the saloon, kill Jason and McLeod, rescue the kidnapped McDonald, and restore order to El Dorado.Read full review
I first saw this movie in a drive-in. John Wayne, Robert Mitchium, James Caan, Paul Fix, charlene Holt, Jim Davis, Johnny Crawford and Ed Asner are the most notibles in this movie. El Dorado is about the story of a gunman named Thornton (John Wayne) for hire in post Civil War Texas. Wayne`s charecter was contacted to drive away a family who owed a ranch that had a vast water reserve that Asner`s charecter wanted. Thornton decides he did not want the job. Months later, the sheriff of El Dorado (Robert Mitchium) is a drunk and an esy mark. Thornton gets the sheriff sober and cleaned up and eventually brings law and order to El Dorado. There`s a scene where Wayne`s charecter goes into a town and meets the town sheriff and his deputy. The actor who played the sheriff was in real life Barbara Hale`s spouse.Read full review
This a great movie to watch with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum done the very best in one of their movies. Well done with quite a lot of action.I enjoyed the entire movie.
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As a Western movie drama's biggest fan, I feel that this particular movie is simply a cheap imitation of the John Ford classic, Rio Bravo. Robert Mitchum none of the depth of Dean Martin's character in Rio Bravo, John wayne was in both and as always, he was "the Duke". The great actor James Caan was in this movie but did not have the "chops" he showed in portraying Santino "Sonny" Corleone in the Godfather several years later. This show is just so slowly paced and so predictable, you almost end up waiting and hoping for the end to finally come. It is, however mildly entertaining in small parts but they are so few and far between, you will undoubtedly have to get up or maybe watch something else here and there. That is NOT what one wants from a good old fashioned western. Rent or buy Silverado, Rio Bravo (looks like the same jail set used) or if you want something realllllly different, watch The Unforgiven sometime. You'll see Clint Eastwood talk about how bad it is to be a gunfighter. Now THAT'S entertainment. Northstar576Read full review
done. They made a remake of True Grit with Jeff Bridges it's bad nobody can't a remake of the Duke.
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