Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1974 | 99 mins. | PG
Courtesy of MGM’s “manufacturing on demand” program (“MOD”), 1974’s Billy Two Hats has made its way to DVD. The first American Western to be filmed in Israel, director Ted Kotcheff (Life at the Top, Fun With Dick and Jane, North Dallas Forty) delivers a fairly slow-paced affair, but with Gregory Peck and Jack Warden along for the ride, fans of the genre just might want to check this one out.
Prior to his late career resurgence with The Omen (1976), Gregory Peck tried his hand at a series of different roles, including I Walk the Line (1970), Shootout (1971) and this unusual western roles, including I Walk the Line (1970), Shootout (1971) and this unusual western. He plays aging, bible thumping outlaw Arch Deans with a Scottish burr. He and his partner, the much younger half-breed Billy Two Hats (Desi Arnaz, Jr.), are on the run after accidently killing a deputy during a bank robbery. No nonsense Sheriff Henry Gifford (Jack Warden) captures Billy at a remote trading post run by an ex-buffalo hunter named Copeland (David Huddleston) and his squaw (Dawn Little Sky), Deans returns to free Billy and wings the sheriff in the shoulder. While the criminals are fleeing, Copeland wings Deans in the leg with his buffalo hunting rifle and with Deans unable to ride a horse Billy builds an Indian cot to drag Deans behind his horse. With the sheriff in pursuit, the wanted men stop at a remote ranch, near the Mexican border, run by a mean-spirited man named Spencer (John Pearce) and his frightened bought wife from St. Louis named Esther (Sian Barbara Allen). When Deans goes in search of a doctor in the nearest town with Spencer, they’re attacked by four Indians. Meanwhile, Billy is left to take care of Esther and watch for the sheriff, but he’s seduced by her and then overtaken by the bigoted sheriff.
Few would argue that Peck is a fine actor, but he never quite gets the Scottish burr down. Despite that, he manages to make the character engaging and lively, in what is otherwise a pedestrian western. While Israel seems like a bit of an odd place to film a western, director Kotcheff uses the sun-scorched landscapes to his advantage. While Peck injects some vitality into the proceedings, Desi Arnaz Jr. (son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) struggles here. No offense, but I’m not sure why his name deserves above the title status. While he has a few credits—Marco (1973) and a small role as his father in the musical biopic Mambo Kings (1992)—this isn’t headlining stuff.
All of that aside, if you’re a Gregory Peck fan, Billy Two Hats is worth picking up for the collection. While it’s not one of his best roles by a long shot, it does show the great actor’s versatility.
The transfer is good. There is softness at times, but I suspect it was shot with filtration, and DVDs have problems with some kinds of filters. Audio is presented in Dolby, and the dialogue comes through clearly.
There are no special features.
