Joe Kidd

Synopsis: Joe Kidd is a former bounty hunter and all-around tough-guy in the American Southwest. When a band of Mexicans find their U. S. land claims denied and all relevant records destroyed in a courthouse fire, they turn to force of arms. Luis Chama is their charismatic leader, spouting revolutionary rhetoric and demanding land reform. A wealthy landowner with interests in the disputed area, Frank Harlan, decides to settle things his own way. He hires a band of killers and wants Joe Kidd to help them track Chama. Initially, Kidd wants to avoid any involvement, until Chama makes the mistake of stealing Kidd's horses and terrorizing his friends.
Genre: Western
Director(s): John Sturges
Production: Universal Studios
 
IMDB:
6.5
Metacritic:
52
Rotten Tomatoes:
86%
PG
Year:
1972
88 min
816 Views


Got some nice breakfast

for you boys.

Hey, Joe!

Wake up and eat something.

You're gonna appear

before the judge.

He's stinking drunk.

Why you put him in here?

We don't want him.

Gero son of a b*tch...

woke us up.

He don't give a damn.

Joe, you hear me?

You're gonna appear

before the judge.

- Bob Mitchell hit me?

- Yup.

- Who else?

- And some others.

It took three of 'em

to get you in here last night.

I'll be back for you.

Smells good, huh?

Gero,

you would like some?

You say,

"Please, Seor Naco."

Say it!

I want to remind you,

we're not suing

anybody yet.

We're here to see if any

of you have a legal claim.

If you do, then a suit will be filed

that you can take to court.

I want you to think

before you act.

I don't know whether or not

the land grants you claim to have...

signed by the King of Spain

or the Emperor of Mexico...

are gonna stand up

against the deeds and titles...

on file in

this courthouse.

I do have other

court matters to attend to,

so I'm gonna postpone

these hearings until tomorrow.

Give careful consideration

to what you're doing.

I advise you

to be prudent...

before you take

a legal action...

that's gonna set some

people's teeth on edge.

- Calvin?

- Yo.

Give me Joe Kidd

right now.

Come on, Joe.

They're waitin' on ya.

Hey, gero, want some?

Go ahead, take it.

! Hijole chingado!

You want some?

Calvin, what in the hell's

going on in there?

Nothin'. Boy just

spilled his breakfast.

Shouldn't have

hit me, Bob.

Next time, I'll knock

your damn head off.

Let's go see the judge.

Your Honor, I've got

three warrants on Joe Kidd:

poaching, disorderly,

and resisting arrest.

- You said "poaching"?

- Yes, sir.

A witness saw him carrying a buck

off the Jicarilla reservation.

You arrested a man

for shooting a deer?

I warned him before.

He admits killing it.

- What did you do with this deer?

- I ate him.

You know it's against the law

to hunt on reservation land?

The deer didn't know

where he was,

and I wasn't sure, either.

You plead guilty?

I'm sayin' I shot a mule deer

south of Monero.

That's on the reservation.

I told him he had to pay

a fine and he got nasty.

- That's the disorderly charge?

- No, sir.

On the disorderly, I had to

arrest him for something else.

What?

He was standing out there

and he claimed he was gonna...

urinate over the courthouse.

You do just about whatever

you feel like, is that it?

Anything else?

Yes, there is.

Whether you want

to pay a $10 fine...

or spend 10 days in jail.

I'll take the 10 days.

Your Honor?

This court's adjourned

until 2:
00.

You think you're

gonna sit in that jail...

while Calvin waits on you?

You're gonna paint,

scrub floors. I'm gonna...

I want to warn you people you're in

a United States territorial court.

We have listened to you enough.

Now...

Now it is our turn.

When the Anglo first wished

to build a house in Sinola,

he asked permission.

Yes, yes.

The old people, our grandfathers,

say "It is all right.

There is enough land.

Let the Anglo have a home."

Then you build more houses.

You bring in the railroad.

You make the courthouse.

That is when we begin to

hear you say strange things.

Two years ago, we start to

see about our land claims.

We go to the record office

in Santa Fe...

and ask the man for the copies

of our deeds and the titles.

You know what he say?

"We don't have records

like that anymore.

"There was a fire.

All the records

got burned up."

If you feel you have a

legal claim and can prove it...

We've heard all that!

Ricardo.

We let you use our land,

but you wish to steal it all!

Look, mister,

whatever your name is...

I am Luis Chama.

So you're Chama?

I feel you're a lot more

trouble than you're worth.

But I'm still

gonna inform you,

you're committing a criminal offense

before a witness in a court of justice.

That is the word.

Justice!

Later we will have much

time to talk about it.

What are you staring at?

I just want to make sure I remember

your face when you come to trial.

I want to show you something.

Anglos claim

they own all the land now.

Big cattle

and timber companies.

One day,

one day there was a fire.

! Que viva!

Pon el juez en la carreta.

Vamonos.

Stay where you are!

He's going with us.

Talk to him about the law

and the land rights.

What do you want him for?

Take Mitchell.

Mitchell's an expert

on rights.

- Think they'll shoot us?

- Maybe, maybe not.

Luis, he's got the judge!

- Who's with him?

- Joe Kidd. He was in the jail.

I don't care about him.

Get the judge!

I suggest you go right

on out back, Your Honor.

Hello, Joe.

How'd you make out?

I'm not sure yet, Harry.

Ah, gerito,

you're thirsty, huh?

Where is he?

He went home.

Naco! Naco!

Your friends

are calling you.

Vamonos, pronto, Naco.

I guess I better go.

I guess so.

- Naco!

- Maybe...

we'll see each other

in jail again, huh?

That's possible.

- Adios.

- Adios.

Naco, vamonos.

Calvin!

Where in the hell

have you been?

They broke those

two fellas out of jail!

- I said, where the hell have you been?

- Locked up.

- Where?

- In jail.

Form a posse!

Get mounted! Get your guns!

Goddamn!

Cheese.

I'll take the posse out.

You stay here.

Try to keep law and order

while I'm gone.

- How are we gonna find him?

- He just left fresh tracks.

They scattered tracks

all over!

How're we gonna know which

ones are Luis Chama's?

He gets up in them mountains,

he'll be home!

Now just a damn minute!

I'm not begging you

to go with me.

You want to sit on

your fat asses while...

that wild son of a b*tch

is loose, that's up to you.

If you don't mind him

cutting your fences, running your stock,

that's all right with me,

but get outta the way,

'cause I'm gonna bring back

him or his hair.

Joe, what are you doin'

standing there?

Hmm.

Serving 10 days.

Bob, you know Joe's

the one we need.

You wanna go?

I haven't got anything

against Luis Chama.

Posse couldn't get him.

You think that's gonna work?

Joe, you take your broom,

that shovel, that rake,

and that bucket.

Get over to courthouse square

and pick up everything...

that's not nailed down

or painted.

- Howdy, Mr. Harlan.

- Howdy.

- Go to the Grand Hotel.

- You betcha.

Whoa.

Good morning, Mr. Harlan.

These telegraph messages come in

last night and this morning,

one all the way from Chicago.

Mr. Harlan,

I want you to know...

what a pleasure it is to

have you and your friends.

It's been two, three months.

Seems like yesterday. Oh, my, no.

I'm glad you weren't

here yesterday.

I guess you heard about

the excitement we had.

I've reserved the

governor's suite for you...

and two other rooms.

Will that be it?

Mr. Harlan?

I want the whole second floor.

Oh, I've got guests

in the other rooms.

I mean, I don't have

extra space anywhere.

What am I supposed to do?

I can't very well tell them

to get out, can I?

Gimme $10 a head and

I'll throw them out the window.

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Elmore Leonard

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures. Among his best-known works are Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Swag, Hombre, Mr. Majestyk, and Rum Punch (adapted as the movie Jackie Brown). Leonard's writings include short stories that became the films 3:10 to Yuma and The Tall T, as well as the FX television series Justified. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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