Something Big
Something Big

Something Big

1971Movie108 minEnglish

Joe Baker has a dream. He wants to do 'something big.' When he needs a Gatling gun to accomplish this, he seeks out a black marketeer. The price he wants for the gun? A woman! So Baker kidnaps a woman off of the stagecoach, only to find that she is the wife of the commandant of the local Cavalry detachment. Things get further complicated when a girl named Dover McBride shows up. She has come to force Baker to marry her and return east, as he promised to do four years earlier

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Insights

IMDb5.5/10
Director: Andrew V. McLaglenGenres: Western, Comedy

Plot Summary

In 1900s Arizona, a notorious outlaw named Joe Boggs plans a daring heist of a payroll shipment. To achieve his goal, he enlists the help of his estranged son, a seemingly reformed bank robber, and a group of aging, but still capable, companions. Their elaborate plan involves a series of distractions and double-crosses, testing their loyalties and their ability to outwit the determined Sheriff.

Critical Reception

Something Big received mixed reviews from critics and was not a commercial success. While some praised its comedic elements and the performances of its cast, particularly Dean Martin, others found the plot convoluted and the humor to be hit-or-miss. It is often considered a lesser-known entry in the Western-comedy genre.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its lighthearted approach to a Western setting.
  • Dean Martin's charismatic performance was a highlight for some.
  • Criticized for a predictable and somewhat thin plot.

Google audience: Audience reception data for 'Something Big (1971)' on Google is not readily available, making it difficult to summarize specific user likes or dislikes.

Fun Fact

The film's title, 'Something Big,' is a reference to the ambitious nature of the heist the characters are planning, as well as a subtle nod to the grandiose aspirations often found in classic Westerns.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

This is quite a fun outing for Dean Martin as ("Baker") - the leader of a gang of robbers who agrees to swap the wife of local army colonel "Morgan" (Brian Keith) for a Gatling gun. Messrs. Bacharach & David wrote the rather jaunty ditty th...
Wuchak

Wuchak

Something mediocre RELEASED IN 1971 and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, "Something Big" is a tongue-in-cheek Western starring Dean Martin as aging outlaw, Joe Baker, who unknowingly kidnaps the wife (Honor Blackman) of a cavalry commande...