I enjoy a good western. I enjoy a good western that's entertaining as well as it's well done. Nevada Smith is a generally well-done western, and generally entertaining.
The film's story is familiar and simple, though still not predictable as you may think. Steve McQueen stars as Max Sand, a 'half-breed' born to a white father and a Native American mother. Three old buddies of his father come to their house asking for gold; when their father refuses to give in, both parents are shot down and and the house is burned down. Seeking revenge, teenage Max sets out on a journey to find and kill the three men, a personal journey of revenge that takes years to complete. Along the way, he meets a gunslinger who teaches him how to use a gun properly, giving Sand an equal advantage to his adverseries. He also takes on the name of 'Nevada Smith', which is obviously where the title came from.
I enjoyed Nevada Smith because it had some more story to it then a few other westerns of the '60s. I didn't exactly see any outstanding or noteworthy acting performances, but I still liked it for what it was.
It's directed by Henry Hathaway, a veteran of directing westerns, like the 1969 True Grit for example.
For what it was worth, I still enjoyed Nevada Smith because of the fact that I thought it was a better crafted westerns then most westerns of that era. This is not an amazing movie by any means, and not one that I was particularly easier to see, but I was glad I did watch it because it was a lot better then I expected.
Perhaps the biggest mistake is casting the at the time mid 30's year old Steve McQueen as the main character. Other then that, I found Nevada Smith honestly not that bad of a movie, and surprisingly, I also think it's one you might want to take a look at.
****/5
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