The Sons of Katie Elder




They're famous -- but they're just a little bit dead.

I was mildly surprised to find that The Four Brothers is an urban remake of The Sons of Katie Elder, which I had watched before I learned this. So in a kooky kind of way it all worked out.

Katie Elder had four son. The eldest one, John (John Wayne), is a famous gunfighter and of course the star of the show. Tom Elder (Dean Martin), on the other hand, is more of a rogue. The next oldest son (Earl Holliman) isn't really important, and the youngest son (Michael Anderson Jr.) is the one that is supposed to go to college and become respectable. Well, the boys come to town for their mother's funeral, but they find things aren't as they left them. Their ranch has been taken away through questionable means and a powerful man now controls the town. So it's up to the boys to get revenge. And they do throw in a love story between Martha Hyer and John Wayne for good measure.

I'll keep this brief. I remembered this movie as being pretty good, but I was mildly disappointed to find that it had little to no appeal. There is so much potential in this movie, but it is sadly underused. The plot feels like it took the easy way in almost every instance. You want the brothers to go out and kick some butt, but instead they end up doing a cattle drive and then winding up in jail. There isn't much action at all. We want to see John Wayne do something, but he really doesn't get a chance. For instance, the way the bad gunfighter dies is pathetic.

The acting is okay. I mean, it's John Wayne. But otherwise, there isn't anything worth mentioning. The little brother is annoying, but he's supposed to be. I guess the love angle is all right, but it does feel like it was just thrown in.

This movie could have been so much better. Nothing really exciting or big ever happens. I really liked the music too. It is too bad they didn't really use it.



-The Gnome