Die Schattenreiter

If I were to describe the Louis L'Amour novel-based television film "The Shadow Riders" in two words that might seem to contradict each other, they would be: dimwitted and fun. No, this is not a great Western or a great movie by any stretch of the imagination. Intellectually and screenplay-wise, it's mediocre at best. But in terms of the entertainment that one receives from viewing it, especially fans of the old-fashioned Westerns like myself, it both promises and delivers. There is not a single smart line or moment in "The Shadow Riders", but it's thoroughly entertaining and I was not bored with a single moment of it. I was not mightily impressed either, but I had the time of my life.

I have not read the original novel by Louis L'Amour, but judging from my research, the basic plot remains the same. The film stars Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott as brothers who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War and return to their home in Texas only to find that their sisters, brother, and Elliott's girlfriend (played by Elliott's real-life spouse Katharine Ross) have been taken by renegade Confederate soldiers led by a bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking colonel (Geoffrey Lewis), who plans to sell them as slaves in Mexico in return for guns and ammunition to continue a war he feels has not ended.

If somebody had come up to me after viewing "The Shadow Riders" and told me that it was made in the 1950s or 60s, I would have believed it. That could very well be the magic that works in this otherwise dimwitted Western. It has the same spirit, the same style, the same manner and rhythm of dialogue and story that the old, action-packed classics had. Yes, it's an old-fashioned Western, but that's not a bad thing at all.

Yes, the film also has many moments where disbelief must be suspended. Just like in the old Westerns, when there's a shootout, the good guys score a direct hit every time and the bad guys, no matter how many shots they fire, always seem to miss. There's a scene where Selleck and Elliott are charging into an enemy camp trying to stampede their stolen cattle and are firing three to five shots from their six-guns into the air instead of wisely saving ammunition for fighting the enemy that's rousing in front of them. And I also thought it was silly how Geoffrey Lewis and the always competent Gene Evans—as well as everybody else it seems—was drawn relentlessly and vulnerably to a middle-aged Katharine Ross. Not to mention that the attitudes of several characters seem written for actors of an adolescent age even though the film was meant for adult actors.

You get my point. "The Shadow Riders" is not an intelligent film. And like I said earlier, it's not a very well-made one either. But it's most certainly entertaining in the guilty pleasure range and it's eye candy with its all-star cast, many of whom are veterans from the old Western period like Harry Carey Jr., R.G. Armstrong, and Ben Johnson, who steals every scene he's in as the brothers' renegade uncle. If you're not a Western fan, there's really no big reason to see "The Shadow Riders". But if you are, or if you want to see Dominique Dunne in her last film role, then by all means, see it. You will have the time of your life.

Good, old-fashioned western with two golden age actors, Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr., from the John Ford and John Wayne movies. Of course, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross also know how to act and provide some entertaining characters.

Next, Dominique Dunne provides some interesting vignettes. Her homicide/murder soon after the movie was tragic and deprived us of a promising career. The movie is based on a Louis L'Amour western with the same name. The movie is good, but the book is much better. The character Colonel Hammond (Gene Evans) is a sailor and gun runner in both, but he is also Kate Connery's relative in the book. This is a major area where the movie deviates from the book.

The "bad guys" were presumably hired because of their ability to shoot straight and protect their nasty leader. But when it comes to a gun fight, these guys can't hit anything. It's pathetic. And of course the "good guys" can't miss. Still targets, moving targets, riders on speedy running horses at a great distance. Doesn't matter. They hit them all. And do it with old black power pistols at that. And I know the big name movie stars can't take risks on the set, but sometimes the doubles just don't look much like the heroes. And wearing the same clothes doesn't really help. This is an entertaining movie and that's what its all about. I just wish Hollywood would try a little harder to add some realism.

The Shadow Riders is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and adapted to screenplay by Jim Byrnes from the novel written by Louis L'Amour. It stars Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Dominique Dunne, Ben Johnson and Geoffrey Lewis. Music is by Jerrold Immel and cinematography by Jack Whitman.

A CBS TV production, The Shadow Riders has Selleck (Mac Traven) and Elliott (Dal Traven) as brothers, who even though they fought on different sides in the Civil War, there fondness for each other still exists. With the war now officially ended, the brothers meet up and head for the family home, here they find their parents telling of how their sisters and Dal's girlfriend Kate (Ross) have been abducted by Renegade Rebels. The men promptly set off in search of their loved ones...

It's all very much standard stuff, both in plot telling and production values. Exuding very much a family feel, it's a disappointingly bloodless and sexless picture, with some cliché'd dialogue, poor musical accompaniments to certain scenes (tonally way off) and filler sequences thrown in for good measure. That said, it's very much a harmless piece, with the two male leads good company to share some time with, while Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. offer up a welcoming presence. Location scenery is also well photographed, keeping things airy, and ultimately it's a decent enough time waster for Western fans not expecting an under seen gem. 6/10

This should've been a better movie. Good actors, good production, but the music and overall tone are so whimsical and undercuts the drama. Ex: the music is 100% wrong for this. There are numerous fights and dramatic scenes in the whimsical fun music comes up and completely destroys the trauma of the scene. This would be a great candidate to be remade in the same seriousness of the book. Also, the camera work is so tight obviously a TV movie. They should've at least show the landscapes, and the grandeur of the west. That in itself is an important part of any great western, showing how small the combatants are against the landscape. Overall it's just an average TV movie.