On E List of Movie Reviews

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Emperor of the North (1973)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 5/22

5/22: In spite of featuring three Oscar winners, Emperor of the North doesn't have my strong recommendation.

In many ways, the film is similar to Runaway Train which presents the same theme. Instead of Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, it's Lee Marvin and Keith Carradine. In the place of John P. Ryan is Ernest Borgnine. Only this time, the action is dull, and the dialogue is sort of stagy. If that's how the hobos were during the Great Depression, well...it's odd.

Of course, Emperor of the North failed at the box office, and director Robert Aldrich expressed surprise about it. Why should he? It isn't a good movie, period. He talked a lot about symbols in play. Yeah, so did other films of that time. At least, the stunts on the train are well-done, and the actors actually did the work.

All in all, having Lee Marvin on board helps, but it isn't enough to save Emperor of the North.

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