Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

LeonLouisRicci The Anti-Western had been Around for a while so Producer, Director, Star Kirk Douglas was Bandwagoning a bit and Chronologically it was Not as Unexpected as Moderns might Think.The Difference here is the Political Story-Line not often Used in the Genre. Western Fans are more Comfortable with the Traditional. Kirk Douglas was never known for His Restraint as an Actor relying on Bombasticity most of the Time to Literally Jump off the Screen. That Less than subtle Approach was Transferred to the Director's Chair. It's Clear from the Opening Who the Villain is here. But still, it is Fascinating to Watch "White Hat vs Black Hat" Characters Exchange Roles in this Solid Telling of an Ambitious and Selfish Marshall with Senatorial Ambitions.Bruce Dern is Perfectly Cast as the Smart and somewhat Charming Outlaw. Basically His Ability to be Insightful and Pragmatic in His chosen Profession and is much More Likable than the Duplicitous Douglas.Overall, Above Average Watergate Western with enough Good Character Actors in Support and Good Professionals behind the Script and Cinematography that make this one a Must See for Fans of the Genre and Might even Impress Viewers Not Usually Drawn to Tales of the Old West.

moonspinner55 Kirk Douglas' second stab at film directing garnered him some favorable reviews, however this western with political flourishes is full of hot air rather than excitement. A US Marshal, beloved by the residents of a small dirt town, plans the ambush of a gang of bank robbers; their leader (Bruce Dern), who gets away, would be the feather in his cap for the Marshal, who is also running for State Senator. Though this is probably the only time in movie history a crook escaped from prison using a broomstick (!), this screenplay from Christopher Knopf and William Roberts is loaded down with the usual western clichés (mostly visual, though we are not spared the muttering old coot who works the printing press). With an extremely weak cast and unattractive locales, Douglas has only himself as an actor and the picture's marginal technical merits to fall back on. Some saw this as a political allegory; if so, it isn't a very incisive one, nor an entertaining or important one. *1/2 from ****

bkoganbing One thing about Kirk Douglas is that he's never been afraid to let the public see him as a bad guy. It's a great tribute to his ability as an actor to develop such a wide range of characters from the heroic Spartacus to the villainous George Brougham in The List of Adrian Messenger.Posse falls somewhere in the middle of those two films in terms of the good versus evil scale for Kirk Douglas. Politicians running on "law and order" platforms were just coming into vogue at the time and this western is spot on about those kind of politicians and the motivations behind them.Kirk Douglas is a U.S. Marshal with political ambitions to be a United States Senator. He's got his photographer with him to record his exploits and travels on a private railroad car provided by the railroad. He's on the trail of outlaw Jack Strawhorn, played by Bruce Dern. Before capturing Strawhorn, Douglas and his posse burn alive Dern's gang in a barn fire and then butcher another group of misfits he's put together even as they want to surrender.What I like most about Posse is that it doesn't try to make Dern out any kind of a hero. He's an outlaw the way some people are grocers, bakers, shoemakers, etc. This may very well have been Bruce Dern's best screen role.It turns out that Dern is a far better judge of human nature than the fatuous Douglas is. The town of Tesota, Texas where most of the action takes place is very much sadder and wiser when the film concludes.A lot of the same themes are covered in the more acclaimed The Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood who also starred and directed himself. But I think Kirk Douglas got there first.

helpless_dancer Not a bad western, but not a real winner either. Most of the acting was good, but some of the performers need to go back to drama class and bone up a bit. Douglas and Dern kept the show going with their give and take, although I don't think the real lawmen and desperados actually carried on in this fashion. I think Strawhorn was more of a realist than a truly bad person; he saw the reality of life and became practical because of his vision. Dealing with 2 faced con men like Nightingale merely solidified his outlook on life.