A Última Diligência

While watching this film, I was really wanting to enjoy the experience. All my favorite country singers were assembled into a cast that would make any fan of music quiver with anticipation. But soon into the film it was obvious that the quiver turned into shivers as most of the acting was low-quality.

The idea for the story was actually a nice idea. But what was missing was someone that could write a teleplay that would bring the idea to life and make the story interesting. In this movie, nothing seemed to gel. The writing was weak and the words delivered by people that really were not actors.

Johnny Cash, who is one of my all time favorite singers, was stiff as a board and seemed to be reading the lines with little, if any, emotion. Willie Nelson was nearly shameful playing Doc Holliday and having him deliver a baby was absolutely embarrassing and painful to watch. Throw in Waylon Jennings that seemed mortified to be on camera and you have a cast that brings nothing to the table. With the weak script and the poor acting- this movie never had a chance.

I will credit Kris Kristofferson, John Schneider and Elizabeth Ashley with their acting ability as they are the bright spots in this dismal cast. Even Anthony Newley and Mary Crosby did a nice job with their character but it was not enough to help the unfortunate situation.

It was a movie I so wanted to enjoy but felt uncomfortable the entire time. Not sure anything could have helped this troubled project.

this is(a far as i can tell)the third version of the classic movie first directed in 1939 by John Ford and starring John Wayne.i haven't seen the second film(1966)so i can't comment on that one.this 1986 version though,i can comment on.in my mind,it doesn't come near to the original,which is a classic,and one of the best movies i have seen.this version has in many of the starring roles,Country and western singers of the era,including Willie Nelson,Waylon Jennings,Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.also in the cast are John Schneider(TV's Dukes of Hazard),June Carter Cash,Jessi Colter(wife of Waylon Jennings),and Mary Crosby(TV's Dallas)the movie was an entertaining diversion,but the acting was underwhelming.The only decent performance of the bunch came from Kristofferson.most of the dialogue wasn't that great,either,including a lot of one or two word conversations.and what was up with Mary Crosby and those lips,which looked like she'd had an allergic reaction to peanuts or shellfish,or something.either way,it looked stupid.the movie was also slow,with not much happening of any consequence,and almost zero character development.when it was over,i was indifferent to it.it's nothing memorable and will probably have faded from my mind in a day or so.still,if you have nothing better to do,it passes about 90 minutes or so.for me Stagecoach(1986)is a 6/10

Some movies just shouldn't be remade. Gone With the Wind, Casablanca . . . and Stagecoach. For some reason, though, Hollywood can't keep its hands off it. It was remade (badly) in 1966, and this one is even worse. It looks like a bunch of wannabe cowboys with some money decided they could make a western better than John Ford could (Willie Nelson was the executive producer of this), and they couldn't possibly have been more wrong. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING, about this movie is pathetic. Ted Post is normally a first-rate director, especially of westerns (he did most of the "Rawhide" series with Clint Eastwood), but he either had a really bad day, or (what seems to be more likely) everyone in the cast simply ignored what he told them; there doesn't appear to be any discipline at all in this film. Everybody keeps trying to out-ham everyone else, or they're either so laid-back they're practically comatose. The photography isn't particularly good, the editing is horrendous, the scenery around Old Tucson (where this was shot) is completely wasted . . . and on and on. A really sad waste of time and money. Skip it.

The iconic characters of Ernest Haycox's Stage To Lordsburg is given yet another remake with four country/western legends in the cast. Kris Kristofferson is the Ringo Kid, with Johnny Cash as the US Marshal, Willie Nelson is Doc Holiday, and Waylon Jennings as the gambler Hatfield. It's not the desert poetical version that John Ford made, but this can hold its own.

As you can see the doctor on the trip is the famous true life Doc Holiday instead of the inebriated former Union Army surgeon that Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar playing in the first version. There are other plot changes as well.

However without the showdown of Ringo Kid with Luke Plummer and the Apache attack on the moving coach this would not be Stagecoach and rest assured it is most definitely included. They are staged well if different from the 1939 and 1966 versions.

Others in the cast are John Schneider as the driver and he's not the comic figure that Andy Devine was. Anthony Newley is the whiskey salesman and Anthony Franciosa is the banker Gatewood who makes a very sudden decision to travel just as in the original.

The women are Elizabeth Ashley as Dallas the saloon girl and Mary Crosby plays the pregnant army captain's wife Mrs. Mallory. Her father Bing Crosby was Doc Boone in the 1966 remake.

The quartet of legends makes this one really work.

I think too many people are reviewing this as if it was a legitimate effort to remake the original. I believe this was an opportunity to get several greats On screen at the same time. When are you ever gonna see Willie ,Waylon, Johnny and Chris together? Their interaction and Believe it or not, some acting ability was very enjoyable to watch .