Big Jake

UPC: 097363711544

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: When his grandson (played by real-life son Ethan Wayne) is kidnapped by scurrilous baddie Richard Boone, Big Jake (John Wayne) sets out to deliver the $1 million ransom. On the off-chance that there'll be gunplay, Jake brings along his sons Patrick Wayne and Chris Mitchum. Maureen O'Hara plays Jake's estranged wife and Bruce Cabot provides comedy relief as a scraggly Indian Scout. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Western

Features: ccWidescreen version enhanced for 16:9 tvs
English subtitles
Dolby Digital
English 5.1 Surround
English Stereo Surround
French Mono

Big Jake

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/29/2003

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround, DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 109 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Abduction
2. Message for McCandles
3. The Plan
4. Ambushed
5. Our Own Reinforcements
6. On the Trail
7. Next Rendezvous
8. Mexican Village
9. "Smoke'em Out"
10. Ready to Go
11. Exchange

Donald Guarisco

The style and content of Hollywood films changed considerably during the early 1970's and this had a trickle-down effect to the veteran stars of previous eras. Even John Wayne, who mostly stuck to his classic style during these times, had to bend his formula to fit the times. Big Jake is an interesting example of how Wayne rolled with the changes of 1970's Hollywood. It mirrors the influence that Sam Peckinpah and other revisionist filmmakers were having on the Western genre by including a theme of old ways (and heroes) being left behind by a changing generation. It's also much more violent than old school westerns, with an opening assault on a ranch and a dramatic standoff finale getting surprisingly bloody for a John Wayne vehicle. However, Big Jake retains a Hollywood feel via its classic ransom/rescue plot and a familiar macho mindset (a theme of sons learning to obey their father - and thus learning how to be men - is key to the story). George Sherman directs with an appropriately stately style and Elmer Bernstein supplies a rousing score that harkens back to his classic work on The Magnificent Seven. Wayne delivers a typically convincing performance, using his formidable persona to sell the script's reverence for tradition. There is also solid support work from Patrick Wayne as a resentful but brave son and a creepy turn from Richard Boone as the quietly psychopathic villain. In short, Big Jake offers a unique mix of the old and the new that makes it worth viewing for all kinds of Western fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jim Davis  Actor 
Dean Smith  Actor 
Jerry Gatlin  Actor 
Harry Carey, Jr.  Actor 
Hank Worden  Actor 
Bernard Fox  Actor 
William Walker  Actor 
Don Epperson  Actor 
John McLiam  Actor 
Ethan Wayne  Actor 
Chuck Robertson  Actor 
John Agar  Actor 
John Doucette  Actor 
Bobby Vinton  Actor 
Glenn Corbett  Actor 
Gregg Palmer  Actor 
Everett Creach  Actor 
Jim Burk  Actor 
Roy Jenson  Actor 
Robert Warner  Actor 
Tom Hennessy  Actor 
Virginia Capers  Actor 
Elmer Bernstein  Composer (Music Score) 
Harry Julian Fink  Screenwriter 
R.M. Fink  Screenwriter 
Rita M. Fink  Screenwriter 
George Sherman  Director 
Michael Wayne  Producer 
John Wayne  Actor 
Richard Boone  Actor 
Maureen O'Hara  Actor 
Patrick Wayne  Actor 
Christopher Mitchum  Actor 
Bruce Cabot  Actor 

Country: USA