Big Jake

A rancher (John Wayne) long estranged from his family, sets out to rescue his kidnapped grandson.

Big Jake is an enjoyable John Wayne western. While the violence in the opening sequence is fairly graphic for a John Wayne picture, overall the movie has a pretty relaxed tone, allowing Wayne to carry the film with his easy charm.

The script wisely regulates the supporting cast to mere foils for Wayne to react to, and keeps the story moving a lot at a good click, perhaps too good a click at the ending, which is a bit abrupt.