Showdown (1973)

*** Spoilers Ahead Maybe*** I loved how Showdown started off with the way Dean Martin robbed the train by posing as a sheriff & getting the passengers to give up their guns & valuables.I think it was very interesting & inventive.It was the 1st time I've seen it done in a Western & if it's been done before, I know nothing about it.I also liked the flashbacks that were shown throughout the movie.It gave off that buddy vibe & made you feel more for the characters.I enjoyed Showdown up until Dean Martin's character turned back during the pursuit to return to the ranch.This is where the movie fell off for me & I expected it to be all downhill from there.I just could not get into the ranch scene.Surprisingly after that, the movie picked up for me again & I was back into it.The end scene was a bit of a surprise & shocking but I think it was well done.I didn't know this was a Made For TV movie until I read it on IMDb.For a Made For TV movie, Showdown was pretty good & worth watching.In my opinion, it's most definitely worth watching at least once

Director George Seaton's last film, an inert, tepid western about childhood pals and one-time cattle-ranch partners Dean Martin and Rock Hudson winding up on divergent paths: Martin joins a small gang of outlaws and robs a train near Bisbee while Hudson becomes sheriff of the neighboring community. Formula drama without any hint of suspense or even wayward humor. As soon as the crooked foursome robs the train, they split up over greed (with Dino taking control of the loot); Hudson hears about the robbery and immediately takes off on his horse, only to end up at his office sitting behind a desk. Nothing in Theodore Taylor's screenplay seems fresh or well thought out, and most of the dialogue is downright atrocious ("That hold-up was as slick as spit on a round doorknob!"). Hudson gives a little more energy than enervated Martin, but all in the cast seem to realize this is fatigued material. David Shire's score is a minor asset. *1/2 from ****

this is the last.western the dean martin and i believed what is very underrated. Dean martin now in duel acting with Rock Hudson, in other film of brothers in conflict. where dean is the star in this film. Rock Hudson is fine as opposite a dean. Respect to movie is very nice shots of scenario context to history. wonderful ambientation . very much suspense with elements what i don't view in others westerns in resume an western distinct in the style of Dean Martin what deserve more popularity with the public. this is a film lost in time and very difficult to watch for this reason. very little know in 1973 when its realized.

The plot for Showdown is so ordinary that you might just find yourself asking why you picked this up in the video rental place. But there's enough star power on the first through third tiers that this 1973 oater can't be a complete waste of time.I remember seeing the movie on NBC some thirty years or more ago. I'd never heard of it, it had interesting people, and how badly could it be butchered for television? It was only PG back then.Showdown is one of those movies you should see just so you can say something like, "Hey, I saw this old western with Rock Hudson and Dean Martin, and it wasn't too bad." Of course, if your time is just too valuable, then skip it.But it's a decent excuse to eat some popcorn.