dukeakasmudge *** Spoilers Ahead Maybe*** I loved how Showdown started off with the way Dean Martin robbed the train by posing as a sheriff & getting the passengers to give up their guns & valuables.I think it was very interesting & inventive.It was the 1st time I've seen it done in a Western & if it's been done before, I know nothing about it.I also liked the flashbacks that were shown throughout the movie.It gave off that buddy vibe & made you feel more for the characters.I enjoyed Showdown up until Dean Martin's character turned back during the pursuit to return to the ranch.This is where the movie fell off for me & I expected it to be all downhill from there.I just could not get into the ranch scene.Surprisingly after that, the movie picked up for me again & I was back into it.The end scene was a bit of a surprise & shocking but I think it was well done.I didn't know this was a Made For TV movie until I read it on IMDb.For a Made For TV movie, Showdown was pretty good & worth watching.In my opinion, it's most definitely worth watching at least once

vincentlynch-moonoi It's good to see this western out on DVD, although the transfer is just "okay".I'll admit to being a huge Dino fan, but I disagree with a few others who have posted here...this is a pretty average western flick of the old style...which isn't saying a lot since by the 1970s most western flicks were pretty average. The story is actually okay -- two friends split up, one becoming a sheriff (Rock Hudson), and the other becoming a train robber (Dean Martin). Some would say the age of the two stars (Dean was 56 at this time and Rock was 48) was a bit illogical. But I don't suppose all sheriffs or robbers were young. So that's fine, but where the age doesn't work is in the flashback scenes as the two friends ambled along in earlier years. This was the last major starring role for both actors. Hudson soon turned to television, and Dean's films weren't making the bucks anymore. Dean does some of his own horse riding here, though not as much as in his younger years. Dean loved making westerns, and in many of his westerns he did most of his own riding. During the making of this film his favorite movie horse died, and apparently he was quite broken up over it.The scenery is genuine and very nice -- northern New Mexico and probably a bit of southern Colorado (and you can still ride this very train). Kudos for the director in selecting the locales.The story is this -- Dean teams up with some robbers to rob a train, then has a falling out with them, shoots one of them, and skedaddles with the loot. So the 2 remaining are after him. As is the sheriff -- his old friend, Hudson. Dean eventually gets caught...sort of...or gives himself up...sort of. But the DA breaks a promise while Rock is out of town with his wife (Susan Clark), Dean escapes, and the chase is on again. The end is pretty predictable, but the filming in the forest fire is a different slant on things, and quite effective.If you like old-style westerns, you'll like this one. The first half could be a little less sentimental, but it builds nicely. It's a GOOD film, but not a great one. Very watchable, however, and the second half is much better than the early portions.

moonspinner55 Director George Seaton's last film, an inert, tepid western about childhood pals and one-time cattle-ranch partners Dean Martin and Rock Hudson winding up on divergent paths: Martin joins a small gang of outlaws and robs a train near Bisbee while Hudson becomes sheriff of the neighboring community. Formula drama without any hint of suspense or even wayward humor. As soon as the crooked foursome robs the train, they split up over greed (with Dino taking control of the loot); Hudson hears about the robbery and immediately takes off on his horse, only to end up at his office sitting behind a desk. Nothing in Theodore Taylor's screenplay seems fresh or well thought out, and most of the dialogue is downright atrocious ("That hold-up was as slick as spit on a round doorknob!"). Hudson gives a little more energy than enervated Martin, but all in the cast seem to realize this is fatigued material. David Shire's score is a minor asset. *1/2 from ****

Wizard-8 Though it breezes along at an amiable pace, there's really nothing special about this particular western. It has a lot of stuff that ends up being irrelevant, such as with the character of the sheriff's wife, and the multiple flashbacks. Though the technical side is professional, it resembles a made-for-TV movie of the time. Still, there is some interest here. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Hong Kong director John Woo saw this, because there are elements and themes here that can be found in his movies.