4 for Texas

Two men (Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin) fight over a chunk of stolen money and a riverboat casino in 1870’s Galveston.

4 for Texas, despite it’s numerical title, isn’t really a Rat Pack film like Ocean’s Eleven, Sergeants 3 or Robin and the 7 Hoods, as only Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are present.

Though it often gets a bad rep, the film’s not the disaster many make it out to be. While it’s not a laugh riot, Sinatra, and especially Martin are strong enough to carry the two hour running time. Further, it’s the only western where Sinatra works, unlike the aforementioned Sergeants 3, or the train wreck that was Dirty Dingus Magee, mostly because this film isn’t a really a western at all, but more of a loose costume-comedy.

The film opens with Martin telling us in voiceover that Charles Bronson is the bad guy, while he and Sinatra are the good guys. While this may seem unnecessary at first, it becomes clear later that Sinatra and Martin are really “good bad-guys,” which only adds to the fun. Indeed, it’s this license for Sinatra and Martin to be less than squeaky clean that makes the film work, particularly for Sinatra.

That said, though he’s second billed, Dean Martin steals this movie. It’s reported that Sinatra’s distaste for rehearsals and multiple takes frustrated writer/director Robert Aldrich, which may explain why Martin gets more screen time, or maybe Aldrich just knew a good thing when he saw it. Either way, Martin’s easy charm and wry humor fit the part perfectly, and he’s a joy to watch.

Further, he’s helped by a great supporting cast. There’s Ursula Andress and Anita Ekberg as Martin and Sinatra’s respective love interests, the aforementioned Charles Bronson as the chief heavy, Mike Mazurki as Sinatra’s bodyguard, and Victor Buono as the smarmy villain. And to top it off there are cameos from Jack Elam and The Three Stooges.

Granted, the film is at least half an hour too long, but with a cast like this, it’s an easy half hour to bear.