John Chard

War is a bit strong a word, more like scuffle of the wildcats. John Wayne & Albert Dekker compete for oil rights on Indian territory, and for the attention of Martha Scott in this Republic Pictures film shot out of Utah, USA. An interesting Western of sorts due to its characters and its more modern setting, with Wayne & Dekker playing the old and new factions of the West. It's based on a story by Thomson Burtis who co-writes the script along with Eleanore Griffin and Ethel Hill. Albert Rogell directs in the workmanlike way that befits his career. A pretty mundane story is in truth saved by its final third, where thankfully the action picks up and we are treated to something resembling a pulse. The light hearted approach to the romantic strand doesn't sit quite right, and a glorious fist fight between the two protagonists is ruined by Rogell being unable to disguise the stunt men doing the work. But hey, stunt men deserve their moment of glory always. Solid support comes from George 'Gabby' Hayes and Wayne as usual has much screen charisma, particularly when rattling off his pistol. But in spite of its better than usual Republic budget, it remains a film of interest only to 1940s Wayne enthusiasts. 4/10

r96sk

An entertaining western from 1943. <em>'War of the Wildcats'</em> held my interest from start-to-finish, I really enjoyed seeing the oil-themed premise unfold. There are good performances from John Wayne (Daniel), Martha Scott (Catherine) and Albert Dekker (Jim). The action sequences are nicely done, also. Some elements of the story are, obviously, outdated, especially to do with Scott's Catherine who isn't written incredibly; except for at the beginning, I guess. Although, in those terms, it does feature a mostly pleasant story regarding Native Americans, which is something you don't always see from these old films. By the end, I had an enjoyable 102 minutes watching this. Well paced and well acted.