While John Wayne found Western classic The Wild Bunch “distasteful,” that didn’t stop him ripping it off for 1971’s Big Jake. Western icon John Wayne won his only Oscar for 1969’s True Grit, which is seen as one of his most iconic turns. That same year also saw the arrival of Sam Peckinpah’s shocking The Wild Bunch.
This saw a gang of aging outlaws pulling one final score in the year 1913, as the Old West was being wiped away. The Wild Bunch is a bleak look at a group of violent men knowing their time is up but going out with a bang. Peckinpah’s use of bloody squibs and slow motion action was also revolutionary.
It influenced future Westerns and filmmakers like John Woo, but the film was incredibly controversial upon release. In a 1971 interview with Playboy (via The Wrap), Wayne was asked his thoughts on gory films like The Wild Bunch, and needless to say, the Hollywood vet wasn’t a fan of them.
To me, The Wild Bunch was distasteful. It would have been a good picture without the gore. Pictures go too far when they use that kind of realism when they have sH๏τs of blood spurting out and teeth flying, and when they throw liver out to make it look like people’s insides.
Wayne much preferred movies that the whole family could see, even if they dealt with violent themes. Most of John Wayne’s Westerns are fit for family viewing; The Searchers might be one of the darkest films he made, but it still features no blood or swearing. That all changed with 1971’s Big Jake, however, which painted the screen blood red.
Big Jake Is Basically “John Wayne Vs The Wild Bunch”
Big Jake also deals with the end of the Old West
While Wayne acknowledged the good qualities of The Wild Bunch, the bloodshed truly turned him off. That’s why it’s surprising he agreed to Big Jake, which opens with outlaws mᴀssacring a farm, including killing a child, complete with Wild Bunch-style squibs. The violence doesn’t let up either, and not even Big Jake’s dog is safe.
The gang Jake and his family are up against aren’t far off the aging outlaws of Peckinpah’s film either, so maybe the tagline should have been “It’s John Wayne vs The Wild Bunch!” That said, at least the gang in that 1969 Western had a code, while Big Jake’s Fain gang – led by Richard Boone’s John – are just violent thugs.
Being set in 1909, the encroachment of civilians is around the edges of the story, too. This includes cars, motorbikes and automatic pistols entering the frame, though Wayne’s “Big” Jake naturally eschews technology. Needless to say, Jake and his sons kill the gang and save the day, while the Fain gang is wiped out.
Big Jake Is John Wayne’s Most Bloody Western
Wayne tried to balance the scales with more humor
Wayne came from an old-school way of making movies, so the arrival of spicier themes or gore was very much not his taste. Even his later Westerns like Rio Lobo or his final Western The Shootist were lacking in overt bloodshed, which really makes the harshness of Big Jake’s violence stand out among his filmography.
The opening mᴀssacre is still shocking, especially because it’s a John Wayne movie. Innocent, unarmed people are sH๏τ down, and while it lacks Peckinpah’s slo-mo flair, it remains a startling opener. The finale also features a machete being put to gory use on several occasions, and it genuinely feels like Jake’s grandson (played by Wayne’s son Ethan) could be killed.
While George Sherman is credited as Big Jake’s director, John Wayne took over the filming of certain scenes when Sherman fell ill; he refused to take credit for his work, however.
Big Jake definitely borrows stylistically from The Wild Bunch, including the use of blood. Still, Wayne was a little uncomfortable with the intensity of the violence and insisted the film was balanced out with humor. This was a borderline disastrous move, as the goofiness of certain comedy scenes jars badly with Big Jake’s darker tone.
Big Jake Is One Of Wayne’s Best Final Westerns
It was a Wayne family affair on Big Jake’s set
Wayne’s 1970s output is a mixed bag, from the lows of True Grit sequel Rooster Cogburn to the highs of The Cowboys. Of the star’s final batch of Westerns, Big Jake might be the most purely enjoyable. The movie has a solid screenplay with great one-liners, including a fantastic introduction for Wayne’s Big Jake himself.
Big Jake also marked Wayne’s final time acting with his Quiet Man co-star Maureen O’Hara.
It’s easy to tell that Wayne is having a good time too, since a lot of his children are working on it with him. Ethan plays Jake’s grandson, Patrick Wayne plays his estranged son, James, while John Wayne’s eldest Michael produced the movie too. Big Jake also marked Wayne’s final time acting with Maureen O’Hara (The Quiet Man).
For those looking for an introduction to Wayne’s Westerns, Big Jake is a good place to start. It’s a tad more modern than his earlier movies, it moves fast and it gives Wayne a role that plays to his strengths. Bloody as it can be, it’s reasonably tame compared to the more modern-day likes of American Primeval.
Source: Playboy (via The Wrap)
