Intro
This was the last of the notable Rat Pack films. No more Sinatra and Martin after this, only dire stuff with Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford.
Synopsis
We’re in pretty familiar territory here. Call it Rat Maverick. Sinatra and Martin are cowboys engaged in jocular warfare over big money and the riverboat scene. They don’t really want to kill each other. Victor Buono and Charles Bronson, on the other hand, DO want to put paid to our heroes. Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress provide…the ostentatiously va-va-voom love interest.
What can I say? A western that has the gall to cast the above actors, already an eclectic mix, and then mix in The Three Stooges, certainly has got SOMETHING going for it. The story is not unappealing either, but scenes do tend to drag on well past their welcome.
Audio
The sound is in the original mono. Not much to report therefore, but it is a very serviceable mono, with no noticeable hiss or distortion. A note for Frank & Dino fans: this is not one of the musical Rat Pack offerings.
Video
The picture gets off to a rocky start, with considerable flicker and grain. Once we’re well into the opening, however, things do improve. The colours are good throughout, and the picture is in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio. The grain, while diminishing, does not entirely vanish either.
Features
Not too much on offer here. The menu is strictly no-frills, and the “Behind the Scenes Documentary” is a period bit of promotion – the same thing as most of today’s featurettes, only now a historical piece in its own right. There are also filmographies for Sinatra, Martin, Ekberg, Andress, Bronson and Victor Buono.
Closing Thoughts
This film is a real oddity, and is therefore for those who like the odd, as well as for the Sinatra-Martin crowd.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailer
- Featurette
- Cast Filmographies
