Der Scharfschütze (1976)
46KDer Scharfschütze: Directed by Don Siegel. With John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart. A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.
“It would be hard NOT to recommend this film simply based on the top of the line actors here. Seeing Viola Davis and Liam Neeson as passionate lovers might be worth the whole film. Michelle Rodriguez for once doesnu0026#39;t play the Michelle Rodriguez character (someone else does); you might almost mistake her for America Ferrara initially. Duval plays in a familiar register but he does it well; Farrell is workmanlike but in an unfamiliar role. Etc.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the story, it is wound tight for most of the film, including scenes of violence worthy of (and not always far from) Tarantino. There is also a theme – almost overdone these days – of women discovering themselves through transgression. And there are some very sexy scenes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStrangely though, the film goes seriously off-track at the end, almost as if the screenwriters ended up in a hurry or just didnu0026#39;t care anymore. Except for one applause-worthy moment, the ending feels cursory and leaves some pretty obvious questions unanswered. Which is downright strange for such an otherwise tightly written film. To put it another way, for much of the film itu0026#39;s 8 or 9 star, then in the close itu0026#39;s 3 or 4.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;m surprised honestly some of the high-powered talent here didnu0026#39;t demand some rewrites. As it is, youu0026#39;ll probably enjoy much of it (unless you canu0026#39;t stomach violence) and certainly if youu0026#39;re the kind of viewer who just lives for a few good moments between real pros, youu0026#39;ve got them here. But itu0026#39;s an incomplete experience in the end.”
