Waco

To me a complete unknown, Lewis Collins directs this undistinguished B Western featuring "Wild" Bill Elliott, who does not look exactly comfortable, but is still a sight more interesting to watch than the rest of the cast, . The acting is consistently wooden, especially Pamela Blake as the daughter of a man smoked by Matthew Boone (Elliott). She plans to kill Boone to avenge Dad but ends up falling in love instead.

Even harder to believe: Elliott starts off as a well behaved town resident who gets unwillingly involved in a robbery and stays on with the thieves, whose leader is the jolly good fellow Stanford Jolley, who is quite understanding when Elliott decides to become a lawman.

Unfortunately, henchman Fierro wants the new sheriff to continue grafting and grifting for the gang, and is oredictably far from pleased to see Elliott depart and a shootout between trigger-happy psychopath Fierro and Elliott becomes inevitable.

WACO is thankfully 68' long... but ought to have its title changed to WACKO!

Wild Bill Elliott plays Matt Boone, who at the beginning of this film movie has just earned a position as a stagecoach driver. Unfortunately he is forced to draw a gun in self-defense when he catches someone cheating at cards; when Matt kills the man, a couple of people in Waco are willing to stick up for him, but others threaten a lynching.

Matt flees Waco and falls in with an outlaw gang headed by Curly Ivers (I. Stanford Jolley ) and Matt is robbing banks with the Ivers gang. Eventually Matt has the chance to hang up his outlaw guns and serve as sheriff of Waco.

Elliott's taciturn personality is utilised well in this good western. With whatever survival options he has his character is grimly moving forward. The best character has to be the one played by I. Standford Jolly, an outlaw leader who is sympathetic and encourages Elliott to become a sheriff. An unusual turn as usually in this type of westerns the leader disagrees with their member becoming the law. You could tell that he regrets the outlaw path and would be happy to see someone to come out of it. It's sort like a redemption for himself. Paul Fierro plays Lou Garcia, who inevitably faces a showdown with Elliott.

I couldn't help giving this an 8/10 - it's much better than it should be - just like a bunch of Wild Bill Elliott's westerns. Folks talk about 50's "adult" westerns w/ Jimmy Stewart, Randolph Scott, Fred MacMurray, etc - Waco has some interesting characterizations and plot turns. In addition, the relationship Matt (Elliott) and Curly is somewhat moving. And...the dialogue follows suit.

It's a fast moving film. Nothing is wasted and the viewer is engaged throughout.

Elliott's acting is...well...Elliott's acting. Sanford Jolley as Curly is good, the townspeople are adequate. Pamela Blake as Kathy is fairly dismal. It was her last film - after 63 appearances on the big and small screens. Honestly, not sure how she got that many roles....