Customer Reviews

Rough Night in Jericho

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dino made a number of Westerns, everything from the comic Western Pardners with Jerry Lewis, to a whodunit Western, Five Card Stud with Robert Mitchum, to playing an alcoholic lawman in Rio Bravo. But Martin had a field day playing the villain in Rough Night In Jericho, a hard-bitten, violent movie.

Martin plays Jason Flood, an ex-lawman who has taken over the town of Jericho. George Peppard and John McIntire plays former lawmen as well, who have been contracted to provide a stage to Jean Simmons, who Flood is trying to force into going into business with him. Flood is also an ex of Simmons, which makes him even more determined not to let Peppard and McIntyre help her out.

Things get increasingly violent until the final showdown, where the blood flows freely. Everyone is good in this film, fro mthe three leads to McIntire, who was always superb, particularly in Westerns, as well as the great Slim Pickens as one of Flood's henchmen. Rough Night In Jericho is overlooked, but it's very entertaining.

This movie is not a high tension western like Rio Bravo or even Bandolero. Dean plays a chracter called Alex Flood, a bad guy. This movie provides a rare opportunity to see Dean Martin playing a bad man. And this is also a very rare opportunity to see an actor playing a bad guy can be charming. As long as your initials are D.M., it is not possible to be nasty, even when you are playing a bad guy ! So whether or not Dean Martin was the best choice for this role is arguable. Probably, the character that George Peppard played (good guy) would be much suitable for Dean Martin as people are always used to see him as a kind and happy-go-lucky persona.

As for the technical details of DVD, it is in wide screen format. Picture quality is good and sound quality is not too bad.

If you want to see what a BADMAN should be portrayed as, this is the movie and Dean Martin is the BADMAN! George Peppard co-stars and the fight-to-the-death at the end of the picture is a great ending to this excellent, but little known movie.

Dean Martin plays the bad guy in this one, and he does a good job being ruthless, cold and completely without conscience. George Peppard plays the anti-heroic hero, typical of westerns (and many other genres) in the mid 1960's. Jean Simmons is great as the female lead, stil very lovely at 40-ish, playing a tough but vulnerable woman with guts and determination. JOhn McIntyre is great as the aging former sherriff who can still teach the young guys a few lessons.

The plot is fairly simple, quite unrealistic and certainly nothing new for a western -- the bad guy came to town as a lawman, slowly bullying his way into 51% ownership of every business in town. One business owner (Simmons) is still holding out, refusing to be intimidated into selling out. She is trying to run a stage coach line - with only one stage coach - and has brought in McIntrye and his protege Peppard for help. They have become part owners in the business. After an initial reluctance to get involved, and a few cat and mouse games with Dino, Peppard finally throws his lot in with Simmons in a big way. They fall in love during the proceedings, of course. The final showdown between Dean and his henchmen and Peppard's crew is an old fashioned shoot-em-up, blow-em-up melee.

Pretty violent by 1967 standards, though mild compared to Peckinpah's contemporaneous work. The lynching scene at the beginning has the power to disturb, and Dean smacks Jean Simmons around in another scene.

Very little humor, except a few of McIntyre's saltier remarks, and one scene in which Simmons and Pppard try to drink one another under the table.

Peppard and Simmons make a good romantic pairing, considering the fact that she was several years older than him.

Good plot, and an excellent cast. Very good direction, flowed well.
I especially liked the comeback of George Peppard - which made the film.
Jean Simmons supporting role was superb. Dean Martin's unusual part of the
bad man was unique. I love westerns and this was a top rated action film.

This is a very enjoyable movie for western buffs of the mid-1960's before Hollywood forgot 'how' to make good westerns.

The cast is sensational comprised of many seasoned and well known actors with one of my all time favorites, George Peppard, turning in a strong performance. George has the role of a man forced to take a hand literally in a battle for a town, one with which he tried to avoid. But Dean Martin plays such an unscrupulous and moral bankrupt part that ole Dino eventually brings the roof down onto his head through Peppard, whereby Dino loses everything.

This is a good way to wile away a few hours while being entertained, there just are no bad actors in this unusual and fine western. Great fun.

Semper Fi.

can you believe it , dean is the BAD guy in this film and he's good at it. i always liked this film and was happy to find it on dvd and in widescreen.not for the whole family but a good adult western.check it out and you won't be sorry.

would have rated higher if this first universal vault series dvd had been better,good widescreen ratio,and top notch sound,but picture is not as good as some warner archive disc`s,ok in close up,long shots have some digital glitch`s,just not as crystal clear as they should be.That said 120% better than vhs,and movie is one of the only Dean Martin flick`s he is the bad guy which make`s a nice change,starts off in fast action then gets a bit talkie,but last 40 mins action backed,worth a good evenings entertainment,but this series of films will have to do better in the picture dept for future releases.

Dean Martin played his only villainous role in this utterly forgettable Western drama from Universal Studios. "Rough Night in Jericho" (1967) boasts a solid cast, but the Marvin H. Albert-Sidney Boehm script offers few surprises. Despite his best efforts, veteran cinematographer Russell Metty cannot elevate Arnold Laven's made-for-TV directorial style. Though he looked comfortable in the saddle, most of Dino's sagebrush sagas were undistinguished by any laid-back standard.

A routine but enjoyable western yarn that was pretty violent for its time (the fight between George Peppard and Slim Pickens in particular).Dean Martin goes against type as a villain out to destroy Jean Peter's stage line. It's up to hero George Peppard and crusty old John McIntyre to set things aright - which they do amid much gunfire and fisticuffs.