McLintock! (1963)   Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne and Yvonne De Carlo Distributor: Spirit Entertainment RRP: £15.99 SPAL011 Certificate: U Release Date: 03 June 2013

George Washington McLintock is the richest ranch owner in the state, liked and respected by many, except possibly his wife, who walked out on him two years previous, with no real explanation. Now his daughter is returning home after being away at school, but more troubling is the return of his wife...

McLintock (Colour - 1963 - 2 hr, 01 min, 36 sec) is a comedy, western film, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, who at this time was mostly directing television.

This is a film from a more innocent time and the last hurrah of the old style of film making, before the great shake up in the sixties, when a group of new young guns would change the face of cinema.

John Wayne stars as GW, with Maureen O'Hara as Katherine Gilhooley McLintock, his missing wife. These two actors had previously worked together and some of the best scenes are between Wayne and O’Hara. They really spark off each other. The film is a slice of action orientated slapstick, full of gags and chases, which end with the whole town engaging in a mass fight in a mud pit.

Katherine views her husband as crude and vulgar, he views his wife as all show, with their daughter returning the two have come together to fight over whether the girl will live in the city with her mother or on the ranch. There is a spark between the couple and this tension between being together, whilst being very different people provides much of the film's impetus.

The film has many of the tropes of comedy westerns: Indians, cattle, lots of joyful fighting, the sort where a punch in the face is something to celebrate. As well as the main actors the film also sports an excellent supporting cast, including Patrick Wayne – Wayne’s son - Stefanie Powers, Jack Kruschen, Chill Wills and Yvonne De Carlo.

The picture is a little soft, but relatively free of any defects, there is the odd spot, but nothing which distracts you from the story. The film is presented with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a 2.0 mono audio track, there are no extras.

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Charles Packer