DODGE CITY

CAPSULE REVIEW –– Another sleepless night, another classic film. Not being a fan of the western, you can assume I was pretty desperate for quality entertainment if I chose to sit through this film. I like both Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, who made one of the most fun cinema flicks in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, so I figured it couldn't be all bad. I was right. It's not the most original film, but everyone puts forth a solid effort to bring this tale of the burgeoning West onto the big screen. Flynn plays a Texas cattleman prevailed upon by the upstanding citizens of Dodge City to rid their fare town of the criminal element. He gets the job mainly because he seems to be the only person willing to confront Surrett, the local heavy, and live to tell the tale. De Havilland gives him another reason to stick around, but only because the script says so. They have an innate chemistry together, however, she isn't really given much to do except resist him. Not the best use of her talent. It ends the way it should with the couple in love and the bad guys out of the picture. What keeps it entertaining is the relationship between Flynn and Alan Hale, who plays his wacky sidekick. Their scenes give the film a little extra life and raucous humor the rest of the film lacks. If you like Flynn, this is entertaining enough, though not one of his best.