Sam Elliott Western Collection – DVD Review

By Patrick Luce Mar 2, 2009, 15:09 GMT

The "Sam Elliot Westerns Collection" includes "Rough Riders", "You Know My Name" and "The Desperate Trail". "Rough Riders": In 1898, the US government, led by Theodore Roosevelt (Tom Berenger) back when he was still a young, ambitious Naval Secretary, intervenes on the side of the Cuban rebels in their struggle against Spanish rule. Always ready for action, Roosevelt leaves the confines of the sidelines and forms a volunteer cavalry regiment ...more

The Sam Elliot Western Collection features three very different films from the actor who has become a western icon. The collection includes The Desperate Trail, Rough Riders, and You Know My Name.

Elliot may not be a household name for everyone, but fans of the western genre know him thanks to roles in films like Tombstone, The Sacketts, Gettysburg, Conagher, and The Quick and the Dead. The actor also appeared on television’s hit western series Gunsmoke.

Elliot is perfect in the western role and reminds of the genre’s glory past. This collection shows Elliot in different roles – a marshal who is a bit of a villain, a legendary lawman, and a soldier. Out of the set, Rough Riders is probably the best thanks to its large cast and historical plot.

Written by P.J. Pesce (who also directed) and Tom Abrams, The Desperate Trail sees Elliot in the role of obsessed marshal Bill Speakes – who is transporting Sarah O'Rourke (Linda Fiorentino) to be hanged for murder. Plans change when the stage they are riding is held up and Fiorentino escapes with the help of Jack Cooper (Craig Sheffer).

Although the two don’t trust each other, Sarah and Jack team up and start to make money while Speakes gets a posse together to hunt down the two robbers. We also learn that Speakes is not just chasing Sarah for justice, but to avenge the death of his son – who she was married to and killed.

Like all classic westerns, the plot slowly builds to a huge gunfight where the three main characters throw down and not everyone walks way.

Desperate Trail is fairly predictable and a bit slow at times. It is worth watching thanks to Elliot’s performance as Speakes. The character is not the noble lawman that Elliot has played in past westerns and seems worse than the outlaws he is hunting. He is blinded by vengeance and isn’t above hurting innocent people to get to Sarah.

Based on true story, You Know My Name sees Elliot taking on the role of a famous lawman Bill Tilghman - an old gunfighter forced to deal with a changing modern world. He was partners with Wyatt Earp, and helped clean up all the Wild West towns. Now he is old, with stories of the glory days, and one last job in front of him.

He signs on to clean up the town of Cromwell, Oklahoma, before it becomes overrun with crime thanks to the big oil boom in the area. This puts Tilghman in conflict with a new criminal that carries a tommygun rather than a six shooter, and a crooked federal agent.

The film is a bit slow at times, but it is interesting to see the changing world that Tilghman inhabits. Elliot is perfect for the role and plays the old cowboy with style and grace. The film reminded me of Tom Selleck’s 2003 western Monte Walsh - which showed a cowboy having to adapt to the new modern world.

At times, it seems like the film is a commentary on the western genre itself coming up against the modern gangster flicks. Unlike The Desperate Trail, this film is anything, but predictable and you don’t see the ending coming (or at least I didn’t).

Some of the performances (such as Arliss Howard's cocaine abusing Wiley) in the film are a bit grating, but Elliot makes it worth watching with his slow and deliberate delivery. 

The DVD includes a featurette about the famous law makers of the old west.

The best and longest movie of the set, Rough Riders, finds Elliot actually in a small role and part of a huge cast that includes Tom Berenger as Teddy Roosevelt, and Gary Busey as Gen. Joseph 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler.

Elliot handles the role of Capt. Bucky O'Neil – who helps train a new group of army men known as the Rough Riders for the Spanish-American War. The first half of the movie finds Elliot and company training for the fight and the second half covers the Rough Riders time in Cuba.

If you are a history fan, the Rough Riders is well worth watching. The film shows the sacrifices the soldiers made to serve as Rough Riders during the fighting in Cuba, and how hard they fought to win.

Although it is included in the Sam Elliot Western Collection, it is Tom Berenger’s show, and his performance as Teddy is extremely entertaining. His bombastic acting makes the character hilarious, but his dedication to his men and bravery during the war show him as a true American hero.

The DVD comes with commentary from director John Milius.

The Sam Elliot Western Collection is a fine addition to any western fan’s DVD library and shows why the actor is a perfect fit for the old west. All of the films are entertaining, and filled with the elements that has made the western such a classic genre.

The Sam Elliot Western Collection is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.