Guns of Diablo (1964) User Reviews (18)

Repackaged TV series

[wm_ash · 7/10 · 21 May 2006]

During the Sixties MGM packaged episodes of TV series as feature movies for distribution in Europe. "Guns Of Diablo" represents two episodes of the series "The Travels Of Jamie McPheeters". Some comments note the daring love scene (for TV at the time). Actually sometimes MGM would add footage not in the original episode to make the feature more adult for European audiences. This was the case for "Guns Of Diablo".

This feature has been released on both video and DVD on budget labels. The print quality is fairly good under these circumstances.

When you consider its origins, "Guns" comes off as a reasonably entertaining western. It certainly showcases Bronson's talent and on screen charisma. For an example of how not to turn TV episodes into a feature check out "The Meanest Men In The West" also starring Bronson. It consists of two episodes of "The Virginian" with Bronson and Lee Marvin as brothers who do not share any scenes together but with editing appear to.

Very Solid, Entertaining Western

[spiderbran · 7/10 · 28 April 2008]

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I knew beforehand it was a snippet of the series released as a full-length feature, but it plays as a movie very well. The acting was great, some of the best I've seen of Bronson, and Kurt was just as good as the young Jamie. My only complaint is the very low video quality, but it was not enough to stop me from wanting to finish it. I was completely intrigued within the first five or ten minutes. Deserves way more than the 4.9 rating on here.

Strong acting and story, realistic dialog, and neat to see Kurt as a young boy.

Think this is a two-part TV episode

[midnight_raider2001 · 6/10 · 22 May 2005]

Charles Bronson is not listed for "The Adventures of Jaime McPheeters," a September 1963-March 1964 series, but he played Linc Murdock in that show (with Kurt Russell in the title role and Dan O'Herlihy as his father) for the last 18 or 20 episodes after another actor left. I've seen snippets from this film and may have it on home video, but my cataloging leaves much to be desired.

Although the movie is in color at a time when color TV shows were relatively rare, I think it's either a two-part series episode given theatrical release or a movie feature quickly spun off from the series. Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide doesn't list it. Perhaps someone can hunt down the show (perhaps I could do it myself from a source book I know) and put it into IMDb.

Made-for-TV surgery

[Wizard-8 · 23 July 2000]

This is actually a couple of episodes of the short-lived TV series "The Travels Of Jaimie McPheeters" edited together. Though the production values are decent, it never quite shakes the TV feel it has.

It's not terrible at all - just rather ordinary, with not much excitement and a lot of chat. However, there is definite interest in seeing a young Kurt Russell, especially seeing him with Bronson. Bronson fans might get more enjoyment out of this, because he plays a different character than the usual hard-ass he played. He even has a love scene, which is surprisingly revealing for the period - hard to believe they got away with it on American TV in the early '60s!

Charles Bronson And Kurt Russell Team Up

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 29 October 2009]

With his wagon train resting, trail guide Charles Bronson rides to the nearest town for provisions with ten-year-old Kurt Russell tagging along.

Once there, Bronson finds his long lost love whom he thought dead, married to his villainous one-armed enemy, who along with his nasty brothers holds the town virtually hostage.

Edited together from from episodes of the early sixties TV series The Travels Of Jamie McPheeters, Guns Of Diablo is a decently entertaining and well acted movie, despite the fact that the direction and editing still have that episodic television feel.

At the end of the day, what really makes this worth watching is the irresistible chance to see tough guy Bronson acting alongside future tough guy Kurt Russell.

Russell should have pulled some strings and got Bronson cast in Tombstone!

Passable and acceptable television western with good roles for Charles Bronson and a very young Kurt Russell

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 2 August 2020]

It starts with a wagon train heading for westward and leading a master called Murdock : Charles Bronson, as while guiding a wagon train he saves a colonist from a wild river. Shortly after, he along with his young helper , 14-year-old little boy named Jaimie : Kurt Russell, teaching him the riveting tricks of the trade while going to a small town. There Murdock runs in problems when he meets his old flame, Maria : Susan Oliver, at an abandoned little town, she is now married to Rance Macklin : Jan Merlin. Then the jealous Rance imprison Murdock at a livery stable, but Maria frees him, permiting Murdock to carry out a vendetta . At the end embarking on new adventures involving a lost gold mine from an old man : Douglas Fowley .

This is an agreeable Western with thrills, action , shootouts and a romantic love drama. A simple drama western about a wagon train scout who runs in difficulties when he meets old enemies, being developed by means of a long flashback in which during a troublesome time our starring reminiscences the old feud when worked at the Macklin ranch . It results to be a blending of two episodes of the TV series The Travels of Jamie McPheeters. Stars Charles Bronson in his usual tough style as a brave scout . Bronson subsequently to play a lot of notorious roles in Western genre as in "From noon till three", "Chato", "Red Sun" , "Villa rides" , "Valdez" , "Nevada Express" , "White Buffalo" and especially : "Magnificent Seven" and "Once upon the time in the West" . Co-star pretty Susan Oliver as the old beautiful flame and the very young beardless Kurt Russell in one of his first roles. And other decent secondaries as Jan Merlin as revengeful husband, John Fiedler as the saloon barman, Morris Ankrum as the ranch owner and Douglas Fowley as an old sick man.

It contains atmospheric and colorful cinematography by John Nickolaus. As well as thrilling musical score by Walter Scharf, Leigh Harline and Harry Jackman. The motion picture produced by Boris Ingster was professionally directed by Boris Sagal. He used to work for television, making Telefilms and TV series such as : Rich man poor man, Columbo, Diary of Ana Frank, Dial M for murder, Masada, Sherlock Holmes in New York and WWIII. And occassionaly for cinema directing the classic Sc-iFi : Omega Man. Rating 6/10. Enjoyable western. The flick will appeal to Charles Bronson fans.

GUNS OF DIABLO {Feature-Length Version Of TV Series THE TRAVELS OF JAMIE McPHEETERS} (Boris Sagal, 1964) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 27 September 2007]

Watchable Western programmer of the most elementary kind, this was actually culled from episodes of an obscure TV series THE TRAVELS OF JAMIE McPHEETERS. Charles Bronson is O.K. as the taciturn hero (though obviously far away from the mythic quality of his "Harmonica" character in Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST [1968], the masterpiece which belatedly shot him to stardom), Kurt Russell is the likable boy in his charge and Douglas Fowley plays an eccentric old prospector whom the latter befriends (eventually becoming his beneficiary).

The narrative presents a HIGH NOON (1952)-type situation where Bronson meets an old flame he believed dead and is then confronted by her husband (Bronson's nemesis back in the day) and his two brothers. While the quality of the transfer on the budget DVD I watched left a lot to be desired (including several unnatural transitions betraying its modest TV origins), the film itself manages a couple of good action climaxes.

ANGELS WITH PEACEMAKERS is the rough English translation for . . .

[cricket30 · 7/10 · 25 March 2021]

. . . GUNS OF DIABLO. The lead angel here is played by Mr. DEATHWISH himself, backed by soon-to-be-angel Mr. K. This story illustrates why every honest trustworthy law-abiding American citizen MUST have equal access to military fashion rapid-fire rifles. DIABLO's Macklin Mob--a dad, three sons and two henchmen--could be wiped out in 10 seconds or less by a well-trained shooter spraying a stream of rounds from a banana clip. This film pictures all the things that can go wrong, and all the luck required for Right to prevail, when the Good Guys are relying on low-capacity shooting irons. If GUNS OF DIABLO doesn't convince you to support your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps), probably nothing will.

Three Nasty Brothers Named Macklin

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 19 May 2007]

Guns of Diablo was originally a two part episode from the short lived series The Travels of Jamie McPheeters in which Charles Bronson was a regular.

The series was a juvenile that served to introduce audiences to young Kurt Russell who got his first real notice in the show though it only lasted a season. The Pulitzer Prize winning novel from where the series was adapted concerned a journey west on a wagon train seen through the eyes of young Jamie. Bronson was the wagon-master for the train.

Bronson and Russell goes into town for supplies and meets a part of his past he'd like to both remember and forget at the same time. The part to remember is a lost love in the person of Susan Oliver. The part to forget is three hard case brothers named Macklin, one of whom has lost a right arm, courtesy of Bronson and who is now married to Oliver.

I have to confess I was somewhat surprised at a flashback, scene where both Oliver and Bronson are in a state of semi undress by a creek. It's rather obvious even to juvenile viewers what's been going on and I can hardly believe it was allowed in a program aimed for kids.

The episodes were edited together and released as a feature film to take advantage of the growing popularity of both Russell and Bronson. Still it betrays it's television origin, although from this film you wouldn't know that Russell and not Bronson who was the star of the show.

Somewhat satisfying movie starring Charles Brosnon

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 12 May 2023]

(1964) Guns OF Diablo WESTERN

A very satisfying made-for-TV western cobbled together from two episodes of the TV series "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters" of the Robert Lewis Taylor Western novel of the same name, starring Charles Bronson as Linc Murdock and a 14 year old Kurt Russell as Jamie McPheeters visiting a small town to pick up a few provisions for their 'wagon train' on their way to California. And while there, Linc then recognizes a woman who was supposed to be dead. Viewers know that they have some history together but don't quite know what it is for it involves a love triangle. While Linc is trying to make sense of this, 14 year old Jamie is befriending an old man who was supposed to be a millionaire. What I liked about this movie is the fact that throughout the experience it kept me fascinated since it showcased a never-before-seen plausible scenario with a fictional setup and the performances are great with the small cast they have. The only downside is that it does consist to have a made-for-TV movie which the budget had been compromised despite the superficial ending.

Not one of Bronson's best.

[Peach-2 · 5/10 · 15 December 1998]

This is a fair movie to say the least. Not one of Charles Bronson's better movies. Only the die-hard Bronson fan might want to check it out. Look for a very young Kurt Russell in the film also.

Highly underrated!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 31 March 2021]

"Guns of Diablo" currently has a rating of 5.7...which is rather on the low side. I was surprised, as I loved this film and nearly gave it a 9! It's original, well acted and directed as well as quite enjoyable.

The film begins with Linc (Charles Bronson) leading a wagon train across the country during the old west period. When a member of the expedition is badly injured, they decide to stay put for a few days to enable him to recover as well as allowing Linc to go into town to get provisions. He takes a precocious young man (Kurt Russell...who is excellent here) with him and although the trip should have been uneventful, they walk into a hornet's nest of sorts. This is because some sociopathic brothers have moved there and they run the place...and they would love to kill Linc. Can he and the boy survive this hellish town and the trio of bullies waiting to exact revenge?

The film really delivers in many ways. It's tense, exciting and really interesting. Bronson is simply terrific in one of his earlier starring roles and as I mentioned before, young Kurt Russell is shockingly good. Overall, a real sleeper which deserves to be seen.

rance means rancid

[sandcrab277 · 5/10 · 8 July 2018]

The actor that plays rance maclin, jan merlin plays that same role in every western he's been in .... arrogant, onery, hateful and will kill anything in his way ... thats a very limited range for a character actor ... but this film was about linc and maria ... you can't go wrong with charles bronson and susan oliver

Nice for Fans of Bronson and Russell

[Michael_Elliott · 4 June 2010]

Guns of Diablo (1964)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

By the numbers Western will work a lot better if you're fans of Charles Bronson and Kurt Russell. In the film, wagon trail leader Linc Murdock (Bronson) and his young pal (Russell) head into town for some supplies but once there Linc sees the woman (Susan Oliver) who he fell in love with years earlier but also the three brothers who kept them apart and now want him dead. This feature was taken from episodes of "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" and you can see in various scenes that it has a TV look. While there's nothing overly special here I think fans of Bronson and Russell with enjoy their performances enough to make this film worth viewing. What we've got here are two TV episodes built around some new footage, which includes a pretty risqué love scene between Bronson and Oliver, which was clearly added for the European market where this film mostly played. This and the rather violent shoot-out at the end are two of the better sequences but we also get a pretty good open with the wagons trying to cross a violent river when Bronson must jump in to save a man. Another good sequence is a 20-minute flashback where we see how Bronson came to be so hated. This here was taken from the TV episode but it actually features some pretty good cinematography and nice drama. Bronson actually turns in a pretty good performance here as he gets to throw in some romance as well as tender drama, which is something he wouldn't get to do decades later when he was appearing in various Canon films. He works well with Oliver and the two have great chemistry together and really sell the love story side of the film. Russell is also very energetic here and makes for a good sidekick to Bronson. Seeing the two (now) legends together was a lot of fun and I think fans of both will enjoy seeing them here. The supporting villains aren't written too well and John Fiedler (12 ANGRY MEN) doesn't come off too well either. Douglas Fowley gets some good scenes with Russell as the elderly man who claims to be a millionaire. If one comes to this film expecting a John Ford production then they're going to be disappointed. If you have 79-minutes to kill and are a fan of the cast then I'm sure you'll at least stay entertained from start to finish.

Good plot bad execution

[sauravjoshi85 · 5/10 · 26 October 2019]

Guns of Diablo is a western movie directed by Boris Sagal and stars Charles Bronson, Susan Oliver and Kurt Russell.

The plot of the movie is good though predictable after some time. The work by the director and editor is not that impressive and it hurts the movie the most. It also looses its plot many times.

The acting is good by all the characters.

An average movie.

Another classic Charlie Bronson shoot-em-up!

[kilgore-trout0 · 10/10 · 15 May 2004]

Nay-sayers there are many... but I feel this is one of Charlie Bronson's best western flicks (much better than that long, tired, over-rated "Once Upon a Time in the West"). Bronson plays a mentor to a young Kurt Russell. Taking the boy into town one day, Bronson comes face to face with a woman... and some dangerous men... from his past. Very sexy flashback sequence (how did that one ever get past the censors in 1964???)... as well as copious amounts of gunplay and fisticuffs! The final showdown scene is a classic... much more exciting than anything that hack Sergio Leone could ever come up with. This film was ripe for a sequel... because the wagon train that Bronson was a part of never did get to its final destination. I'd like to know if they ever made it!

Bronson...his star was just starting to glow brighter and brighter

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 11 June 2020]

Charles Bronson is a much more versatile actor than people ever gave him his deserved credit for. Guns Of Diablo is just another faze of this stars career that soon catapulted him into the best of the best with his action hero status in the quintet Death Wish series starting in 1974 and ending in 1994. The 1988 film, Messenger of Death could be considered the sixth entry in his Death Wish series.

As for Guns Of Diablo, Bronson is supported by the (then) young performer Kurt Russell who was only thirteen (13) years of age at the time. Interesting is that the movie was made after the previous years 1963 television series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters was released with many of the TV stars playing similar roles in the 1964 film release Guns Of Diablo.

Never the less, Guns Of Diablo is a very good showcase of film star Charles Bronson's somber and "call to action" acting ability who plays a lone traveler named Linc Murdock. Bronson brings out that side of him that always tells his adversaries "don't wake up the sleeping bear". Kurt Russell tags along playing Jamie McPheeters with Bronson into this rough desert town to pick up supplies for their wagon train that is headed towards California to find gold.

Instead Bronson discovers that his old love interest Marla Macklin (the lovely Susan Oliver who also starred in the 1963 TV series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters) is not dead as he previously thought, but very much alive and now regretfully married to the man named Rance Macklin (Jan Merlin) who despised Linc Murdock some five (5) years earlier when they worked on the same ranch. The ranch was owned by Rance Macklin's father Ray Macklin (Morris Ankrum) who respected Linc and wanted him to stay on his farm as he trusted Linc more than he did his own three (3) sons. When the father Ray Macklin subsequently died and left his farm to his three (3) delinquent and lazy sons they quickly spent any money they had drinking and causing trouble in town and had to move on after criminal charges were laid against them.

So when Linc and little Jamie ride into town innocently enough just to pick up some wagon train supplies Linc is re-introduced to not only the love of his life in Maria Macklin, but also to the three (3) Macklin brothers who want Linc dead for good. It is in my humble opinion the catalyst for Charles Bronson's future stardom and should be included in the Criterion Collection for its historical value for starring a young Charles Bronson and the future action star the thirteen (13) year old Kurt Russell..

If you like the western genre then this is a must see film even though it is a less known and less publicized western film. I give it an 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Young Bronson

[fembot1000 · 10/10 · 5 September 2018]

This isn't one of the greatest westerns of all time but this is an old fifties Bronson western when he was much younger and very early in his career. If you like the classic era cowboys-and-Indians westerns you'll be sure to like this one. Bronson is great and the story's a good one.