The Spikes Gang is a 1974 Mirisch Company motion picture adaptation of the Giles Tippette novel The Bank Robber.
Overview
Starring Lee Marvin as an aging bank robber of the American Old West, the film follows his encounters with three coming of age farm boys played by Gary Grimes, Charles Martin Smith, and Ron Howard. Veteran character actors Arthur Hunnicutt and Noah Beery, Jr. both appear in separate "scene stealing" performances.[1]
It was filmed in Tabernas, Almeria, and Andalucia, in Spain.
The production style of director Richard Fleischer received generally favorable reviews.[2] "It was only the second matchup for the director and Marvin and the actor gives a seething, unpredictable performance as the untrustworthy Harry Spikes. You can see why a trio of farmhands, well-played by his co-stars, would want to emulate him; you can also see why they come to resist the lethal charm of his coercion.", wrote one critic.[1]
Ron Howard later praised producer Walter Mirisch saying, "When I...acted in one of his productions, The Spikes Gang, I learned that a prolific and brilliant producer could also be a terrific guy and a wonderful teacher."[3]
Synopsis
Harry Spikes (Lee Marvin) is an aging bank robber of the fading "Old West." Injured and near death, he is found and mended back to health by three impressionable youths who are lifelong friends -- Wil (Gary Grimes), Tod (Charles Martin Smith), and Les (Ron Howard). Later, encouraged by Spikes's reminiscences, they run away from home seeking excitement and easy living.
Reunited with Spikes on several occasions, the boys follow his tutoring, ultimately resulting in the gravest of consequences.
Cast
Home media
The film is available in Region 1 DVD-R format, MGM on Demand; also available in Region 2. The VHS version is long out of print.
References
External links
- Internet Movie Database
- AllRovi
- TCM Movie Database
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