Big Jake [Blu-ray]

Big Jake is a wonderful movie with that true Wayne cowboy performance. It's one of my favorites.

I bought this DVD because I wanted to add it to movies I can watch anytime.

As John Wayne films go, Big Jake has always been a favorite of mine. From its quickly paced simplistic story to John Wayne's ability to command the silver screen this one has a lot to offer. Starring The Duke, his son Patrick and even a pivotal role for his youngest son Ethan; Big Jake is a fun ride from start to finish.I've read some Amazon reviews stating that the film has been edited or that it is the "TV version". Having owned the DVD and now the Blu Ray I can verify that this is simply NOT TRUE!. The film is intact on both the DVD and Blu Ray. Dog saves the boy and is shot in the process, but dog is only wounded and gets killed at the hand of "Fatty" with a machete in a later scene while saving the boy. The scene is there in its entirety. I am not sure if the reviewers stating otherwise have clouded memories of this film or fell asleep while watching this on the home video releases. I saw this three times in a theater (all the same day) and I remember this film vividly.As far as the blu ray, there is nothing to complain about, especially for a catalog title. Kind of a bummer there is absolutely no bonus material not even a trailer. The film is pretty much free of damage and looks very clean with the exception of a few frames of heavier grain here and there. These frames are hardly a millisecond long, so you may not even notice them. The sound is unobtrusive and clear, but with little to no enhancement. If this is a favorite film of yours, then the blu ray will not disappoint.

Good movie

Big Jake, an excellent John Wayne western movie - and produced by Wayne's own production company, Batjac - and has all the familiar elements we've come to expect from Wayne with a few wrinkles.The film begins during the turn of the 20th century at Jacob McCandles' ranch where a gang of kidnappers take the young grandson of "Big Jake" and demand the payment of one million dollars in return for the boy's life. The gang flees to Mexico with the young boy after ambushing the party of Texas Rangers that have gone after them. Jake, played by Wayne, is estranged from his family, living in the part of the west that is still wild when news comes of the kidnapping. His wife has summoned him for the purpose of taking the ransom to the kidnappers and bringing the boy back. As you can imagine, the kidnappers picked on the wrong man!The film brings together many of Wayne's costars from years past; Maureen O'Hara, Bruce Cabot, Harry Carey Jr. as well as Wayne's son Patrick and Christopher Mitchum, son of Robert Mitchum. The leader of the kidnappers is veteran actor Richard Boone. I thought the performances were excellent. There's still that on-screen chemistry between Wayne and O'Hara we see in the film's opening sequences.The film itself takes place during the period when the old "Wild West" is certainly dying, making way for progress and civilization. Yet, there is still enough wildness in the west to cause trouble. Mitchum, who plays a son of "Jake", employs modern weapons (an automatic pistol and scoped rifle) while Wayne and Cabot cling to the old ways. Automobiles are making inroads into the world still largely driven by horses.I thought the acting, score, cinematography, locations were all quite good. The script is solid, giving Wayne plenty of one-liners such as "That'll be the day." which Wayne growls each time someone tells him they thought he had already died. The direction by George Sherman is crisp and the film never seems to drag. The action sequences are very good for the time. Frankly, I prefer the staged violence of that era to the overly bloody special effects of today.This is a solid western that allows Wayne to be himself, the strong, tough man of action that always fights on the side of right. It's an excellent film and I recommend it with five stars.

I really loved watching this movie.. I think I only saw parts of it some 15 years ago on cable.. Of course actress Maureen O'Hara makes her return to share the screen with him.. in this 1971 release he is joined by both of his sons . Patrick who was born in his first marriage to a latin american woman ..and Ethan Wayne who's mother was Mr.Wayne's third wife.. this movie was shot on location in Mexico.. Richard Boone plays one of the bad guys/ring leader. Christopher Mitchum plays a son ..in real life he's one of the son's of actor Robert Mitchum .. Christopher had starred in two additional films of John Wayne's "Chisum" and "Rio Lobo".. Jim Davis also plays a bad guy ..we all remember him from the television show "Dallas" ....there are other faces in the movie .. The story was pretty good.. John Wayne has this dog.. that rides shot gun with him . You will also hear that he speaks Spanish really well in the shower scene... the movie has comedy, shooting,stunts and of course .. Lot's of laughs .. His son Ethan that played his grandson in the movie is 59 years old and he is the youngest of the 7 children. Micheal was the oldest son that became a producer , he died in 2003 at the age of 68 years . ... John Wayne does have many grand children as well.. One is a very popular actor ...

What can you say other than it is a John Wayne movie and it is fantastic!

This is a good one with even little Ethan wayne John's youngest son makes an appearance, as well as Patrick.. And the old man is just that or cracking heads.

I have no words to express how delighted I am to have my favorite film in the best possible quality. Big Jake is definetely one of Duke's finest and best films and one of his most popular ( see IMDB) to the point of becoming John Wayne last big hit in the 70's. At the time of it's original release, Big Jake topped the Box Office for 3 weeks and allowed Duke to be N°1 of the top 10 for the 4th and last time in 1971. For true Duke's fans, it's hardly surprising when you consider the crème de la crème worked on this film : William Clothier (Photography), Elmer Bernstein (Music), Harry Julian and Rita M.Fink (Screenplay), Albert Withlock (Visual effects), Cliff Lyons ( Second unit director - stunts), Howard Jensen (Special effects)... for the crew. And for the cast, John Wayne at his best and definetely in one of his best performances ( even better than inTrue Grit ) that could have brought him an Oscar if True Grit had not been so close to Big Jake, the great Richard Boone and Gregg Palmer's machete psycho both as Duke's best foes ever to face him, Maureen O'Hara in the short but powerful part of John Wayne's estranged wife, Bruce Cabot as his indian friend, Harry Carey Jr as an evil dirty old man, Patrick and Ethan Wayne as his son and grandson, Chris Mitchum as another son and a galore of familar faces like John Agar, Hank Worden, Chuck Robertson, Chuck Hayward, Jim Davis, Roy Jensen, Jerry Gatlin, etc... And of course, Dog, John Wayne's dog and best friend, always ready to attack on his master's command.The blu-ray is a pure treat with a wonderful PQ and cristal clear sound to the point that Big Jake never looked so good.After the VHS and the dvd, it's like watching a truly brand new movie in full HD. Details you missed before appear clearly in the light of this wonderful blu-ray. A must have for all Duke's fans.

A film harking back to 1909 where a man on horseback runs rings around the cars in this tale. John Wayne breezes through the action and dialogue with ease. Very good transfer to Blu Ray which shows off the landscapes in sharp, vivid widescreen. The most violent John Wayne western I have ever seen hence the 15 rating but this is offset by the running joke throughout the film and good supporting actors ( even the baddies ! )

I love this book and to see photos i have not seen before and what a wonderful warm human being he really was .i love john wayne .i know he has been gone many years .but .he was a star .a human that cared .and he suffered .this book is great for john wayne fans

Disappointing apart from the inimitable Richard Boone. The ridiculous modern 2-stroke motorcycle tricked out to resemble an early 20th century motorbike and the improbable stunts is just silly. The gun play is over the top and the scenes with the Bergman pistol are daft.

The colour is of very poor quality. Not at all sharp enough . Too dark. I have already got the dvd but it stopped working properly part way thru the film that is why l decided to replace it but the colour of this one is much better than the new one. Very disappointed with it . The same applied to Donavons Reef which l recently purchased from you.