Pierce has taken over Jackson’s land, which happens to contain a massive deposit of gold dust. To reclaim what is rightfully his, Jackson plans a heist to disrupt Pierce’s regular shipments before they reach the railroad.
Jackson recruits Lomax (Douglas), a charming and skilled gunslinger to help him win back his life. The biggest obstacle is the transport itself: a heavily armored, iron-clad stagecoach equipped with a turret-mounted Gatling gun, known across the territory as the War Wagon.
The 1976 film has an impressive 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and is praised as a quiet but brilliant Western. Giving the film five stars, one viewer said: “This movie has always been a fun favorite. Just the right mix of drama, humor and light-hearted Western adventure.
“Many of these same actors will co-star with Wayne in The Hellfighters – another action-packed flick based on the life of Red Adair.”
One IMDb user said: “As far as westerns go I really can’t think of many that John Wayne has failed at. The only way to rate a John Wayne movie is to compare it with other John Wayne movies. In do so I would give The War Wagon a firm 5 stars.
“In The War Wagon you will find some humor, drama, deceit, love and adventure. You will see John Wayne (Taw Jackson) put together a rag tag group of hold up men that you will think couldn’t complete a game of checkers without killing each other. In a period of only 4 days this group plans to pull a robbery of $500,000.00. The target – a modified stagecoach built of iron, 47 feet long counting the horses, called “The War Wagon”. A great John Wayne movie suitable for the whole family.”
Another wrote: “Pitted against the machinations of a greedy business man, Jackson and his gang of misfit wage war against the might of Pierce and his hired guns – not to mention a horse drawn tank that infuses the action packed adventure with a slight the steampunk element.
“While this film is not ground-breaking, it is without doubt one of my favourite Westerns and – I firm believe – is one of the Duke’s most fun and entertaining films.”
The War Wagon is on Film4 at 4.50pm.
