As usual it is a typical great John Wayne movie. (I'm partial to any of his movies.) A good portrayal of a time when horseless carriages were joining horse and wagon. The supporting roles are well played. His son, Patrick Wayne along with Christopher Mitchum do a very good job of portraying two dissimilar sons that have not seen their dad in a long while. Richard Boone adds to the character of the film and of course Maureen O'Hara is as natural as ever as an actress. Bruce Cabot is a long standing support actor for John Wayne and is just as good!

I can't give it 5 stars because of the violence. I don't watch it as much as all of his others because of it. The opening scenses and two other particular scenes, that are not boldly shown but the viewer knows exactly what is happening, some children and sensitive viewers might not be able to handle. I recommend viewing at 13+.

Good enough to add to a John Wayne movie collection.

Kicking butt that is,one of the Duke's better roles with an all star cast,Maureen McGovern,Richard Boone,Bruce Cabot,Patrick Wayne and Chris Mitchum,the Duke is Big Jake,undiserable,mean and taking no flack from anyone including his own sons who escort Jake on a mission to rescue his grandson from Richard Boone and his ruthless gang,plenty of action,gunplay and some comedy having all the elements of a John Wayne western,this Paramount dvd is remastered with superior picture quality,5.1 surround and 16x9 widescreen,no special features.

This is a great and rather curious John Wayne movie, made during the later phase of his long career. This Western is set in 1909 as the west was changing into modern times. The movie was made in the late 1960s as the family Western movie was also giving way more serious, violent and sexy themes.

In the movie, the long lost Jake McCandles (John Wayne)is summoned by his estranged wife to rescue thier gradnson after her cattle ranch was ransacked by a group of viscious bandits who have demanded ransome money.

Richard Boone makes for one of the most memorable villians of a John Wayne movie. As the leader of his gang of thugs he is ruthless, as he instructs the Duke that if anything goes wrong with the delivery of the money, antything at all-"your fault, my fault, nobody's fault-you're going to get the boy's head back in a basket".

What's most interesting, however, is the tension between Duke and Patrick Wayne who is the Duke's son and also plays the Duke's son in the movie. Knowing something of the Duke's unstable family relationships, I can't help but wonder if any real-life tension transfered to the screen.

The hero, Jake McCandles (Duke) is also a flawed character. As is his character in "True Grit", he is a failure as a father and husband. But one can't help but speculate at the end of the movie, that he might just get another chance at forming a quality relationship with his grandson who he rescues (interestingly played by Duke's youngest real-life son).

This exciting family Western touches quite a bit on the father-son relationship and redemption. There is some fine acting here. John Wayne and Patrick Wayne really give of themselves in this movie. Indeeed all the charcters from the perfectly villianous Richard Boone to Duke's silent Native American sidekick to his more easy-going, understanding but reckless second son; are carried over with much verve.

I enjoy watching "Big Jake" over and over again.

John Wayne is the last of the Great American Cowboys. In Big Jake you will get lots of adventure, action, laughter, and Americanism. The whole family gets into the act. The Duke has always stood tall, and Big Jake is no exception. I love seeing one Man make a difference. And The Duke does. In all of his movies. I say John Wayne for President. Any one who likes westerns will like John Wayne in Big Jake.

My husband is a die-hard John Wayne fan and this is his favorite. It contains alot of his usual supporting cast, and a good story line. Big Jakes grandson is kidnapped so with the aid of his two boys, they must try to rescue him.