Very well executed

The Worst Film Ever

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Quincy Jones' opening score and the theme song Old Turkey Buzzard are so emotionally powerful (especially combined with the magnificent photography) that sometimes I will just play the beginning of the film for my enjoyment. This grand, sprawling western is an entertaining picture with mega cast names that results in an enjoyable adventure. Don't  look on it as a typical western. It just happens to be set in a western setting. This movie is centered around GREED. Its directed by J. Lee Thompson (The guns of navarone, cape fear). The direction is generally good, there is some striking photography of the desert landscapes, and sequences such as the fight scene between Mackenna and Colorado and the final earthquake are well handled. We also have quality thespians like Omar Sharif (Hidalgo, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago). Eli Wallach ( The good, the bad n the ugly). Edward G. Robinson ( The Cincinnati Kid, The Ten Commandments). Raymond Massey ( How the West Was Won). Telly Savalas (dirty dozen, cape fear, on her majestys secret service). Burgess Meredith (Rocky, clash of the titans). Lee J. Cobb ( The Exorcist, Our Man Flint, 12 angry men, On the waterfront). Keenan Wynn (The Mechanic, Point Blank, The Night of the Grizzly), Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia, The guns of navarone) n Ted Cassidy ( The Addams Family, Poor Pretty Eddie). Screenplay by Carl Foreman ( The Bridge over the River Kwai, High Noon, Guns of navarone). Cinematography by Joseph MacDonald ( The Sand Pebbles, Taras Bulba). Edited by Bill Lenny.

I remember catching "MacKenna's Gold" on TV with my dad a couple times, but both times I only made it about an hour into the movie (with commercials) before having to go to bed; I made it to the campfire scene where old Adams describes the legendary secret canyon containing incredible natural gold treasure. I was upset that I couldn't finish the film because the film builds up a great amount of anticipation concerning the secret gold canyon.Well, in the early 90's I spied a VHS copy of "MacKenna's Gold" and immediately purchased it. I finally got to see the ending and wasn't disappointed.Brilliant author and Western expert Brian Garfield ("Death Wish") comments on "MacKenna's Gold" in his outstanding book "Western Films" thusly: "it hasn't a single redeeming quality. It has got to be the most expensive star-studded two-hour "B" movie ever made; a gargantuan dud of absolutely stunning dreadfulness." It hasn't a SINGLE redeeming quality? Okay, let me list a smattering: Outstanding cast, including Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Ted Cassidy, Julie Newmar, Telly Savalas, Carmilla Sparv and many more, albeit mostly cameos; one of the greatest Western scores of all time, which ranks up there with "How the West Was Won," "Rio Lobo," "Duel at Diablo," "Bandelero!" "Bonanza," "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (to name a handful); an incredible theme song, "Old Turkey Buzzard," sung by Jose Feliciano and written by Quincy Jones; and magnificent locations (Utah, Arizona, Rogue River Oregon) & cinematography.Plus, although the story has an undeniable comic booky vibe to it (which explains why Mr. Garfield refers to it as a "B" movie), it is played out in a completely serious manner and successfully holds your attention while, once again, creating much anticipation regarding the legendary canyon.Gregory Peck, who plays Marshal MacKenna, and Carmilla Sparv are definitely the "good guys" in this picture. The film was made at a time (1969) when characters in Westerns tended to be unlikable and amoral (e.g. "The Wild Bunch," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Macho Calahan"), so it's just nice to have some quality people to root for, if you know what I mean.Omar Sharif plays the head Mexican bandit "Colorado" excellently. It's sort of an atypical role for him, but he performs so fabulously that it seems he was born to play the part. Ted Cassidy, well-known as "Lurch" on TV's "The Addam's Family," plays the intimidating, laconic Indian warrior Hachita. He superbly fits the character (regardless of whether or not he has Indian blood running through his veins). Julie Newmar, although obviously not of Native American heritage, is great as a crazy -- and I mean CRAZY -- squaw. Red-blooded males will be interested to know that she has a nude swimming scene, while fans of "Brokeback Mountain" will likely appreciate Omar Sharif during the same sequence (lol).Quincy Jones' opening score and the theme song "Old Turkey Buzzard" are so emotionally powerful (especially combined with the magnificent Southwest photography) that sometimes I'll just play the beginning of the film for my enjoyment, which runs a full 6-8 minutes or so (!). I've heard some complain that "Old Turkey Buzzard" is corny, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'll be perfectly honest with you, although open-minded, I've never been much into County/Western music, but "Old Turkey Buzzard" is just simply a POWERFUL composition, regardless of the musical genre. It potently comments on man's temporal nature and the insane & contagious condition of gold fever, i.e. greed, which is what the film is about.While "MacKenna's Gold" certainly lacks the gritty realism of, say, the contemporaneous "The Wild Bunch," it is indeed a SERIOUS film despite some undeniable cartooney aspects. One could also probably nitpick about the not-quite-successful F/X miniature sequences, but that's not important; what IS important is the film's entertainment value. At the end of the day "MacKenna's Gold" successfully entertains.GRADE: B

This oater is not your typical western. There are so many well known and famous actors and actresses in this movie that I am surprised they got all of them to appear in it. Gregory Peck gets top billing as the no name, judge appointed marshal, of some nameless town. Omar Sharif is very campy as a bad ass outlaw who I guess is suppose to be Mexican. He portrays a totally venal, amoral, character His accent makes it hard to tell at times. The white's playing the Apache's in this movie are a little outre to say the least. It is refreshing now days to see actual indians playing indians. Julie Newmar as an Apache woman who has a history with Peck is decent since she doesn't speak. There is some humor in this movie from time to time, but overall it is a fairly serious movie.

This guy who got famous for standing around watching crazy people and occasionally commenting on humanity plays the lead, a man who stands around watching crazy people and occasionally commenting on humanity.So in the movie, this guy is ambushed by an Italian guy who was a leader of an Indian tribe. In the end the Italian guy dies and the other Italian Indians get mad.Then the guy who gets famous is captured by this Greek guy who heads the local Mexican gang which is made up of white guys playing Mexicans and/or Indians.Lurch just stands there, but Catwoman does her sexy killer routine.So far, after 40 years, that's as far as I've gotten. Peck is the slowest moving action hero known to man. Van Cleef, by the way, still gets that award in the villain and overall categories. Lurch is as good as needed. Catwoman is truly strange. The godawful music must have been written in 5 minutes (by one of the best in the business) and also recorded in 5 minutes (again, by one of the best.)...... Parts I didn't see because they happened after Minute 5 which is the point where my aneurysm always starts throbbing:The producers felt that having just one Greek in a Mexican gang was not enough so they import another guy later on. But two Greek guys is not enough to make an authentic Mexican gang.They bring in stars such as Edward G., but they had to poke his eyes out.From what I hear, this is sort of a messy road movie. You could remove the Mexican bandits or the townspeople or Telly and the army, and the movie would be the same. It is one of my lifelong goals to sit through this pile of manure. I failed again today. I plead unpreparedness. All my towels are white and with this aneurysm throbbing, I felt that I was looking at a potentially devastating laundry bill.This movie gets one star because I like Lurch