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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
A few years back, I was at the library and checked out Cat Ballou. I thought it was a funny Western film and then forgot about it because life came at me quick. As time went on and I decided to start my journey of watching many Academy Award-winning films, I saw Cat Ballou on the list and was excited to watch it again. First, this freakin film is tough to find. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find it. Yeah, I could’ve rented it on Amazon, but who wants to pay anymore. After giving up, the movie gods smiled down upon me, and YouTube dropped the movie for free. The excitement of seeing this funny and entertaining film filled my little heart.
What is Cat Ballou about? Thank you for asking, and let me be your guide to the Western film. Catherine “Cat” Ballou (Fonda) is a notorious outlaw. One of the nastiest outlaws in the West. She has been captured and set to be executed in the small town of Wolf City, Wyoming. Before her run against the law, Catherine Ballou was an innocent, prim, and proper woman who just returned home to Wolf City, Wyoming. Her adventure back home is filled with questionable decisions as she somewhat helps two criminals escape from the train she was on. The purpose of Catherine’s return is that she will be working as a schoolteacher. While back at home, she quickly learns that people are trying to for her father, Frankie Ballou (Marley), off his dear ole ranch. The corrupt people decided to hire Tim Strawn (Marvin), a fearsome killer with a tin-nosed and evil eye. Frankie and his deadpan Cherokee named Jackson Two-Bears (Nardini) cannot defend the ranch. Cat takes it upon herself to fortify the ranch. Cat meets Clay Boone and “Uncle” Jed, both the escapees, but soon realizes they never fired a gun. Cat decides to recruit Kid Shelleen (Marvin), a drunk but one of the most skilled gunfighters around. With her forces growing, Cat sets it upon herself to defend everything she loves.
Rather than being a serious Western film, Cat Ballou is one of the funniest Western films I have seen. This has to do with the acting and how the story of Cat Ballou turns out. For one, the story is one of significant misunderstanding. Cat is an innocent person, but when her father is killed and shot down like a dog, she takes it upon herself to get revenge. She hires Kid Shelleen to take out Tim Strawn, but when she tries to get a confession out of the head man, he is accidentally killed, and Cat is to blame for it.
The film works exceptionally well because Cat is only trying to save her father’s ranch and has a great heart. Even when she meets Clay Boone, she is attracted to him but knows he is a criminal. You see that Cat deals with incident after incident but shows that she is also a strong ass woman who doesn’t put up with shit. When she goes to a dance, she is in the middle of things, even with her father telling her to stand down. She goes out and hires people to save her father’s farm. She comes up with the idea to get a confession because she cares and isn’t an outlaw. Maybe in the end, she becomes one, but once again, it’s a significant misunderstanding.
Throughout the whole journey, one person takes center stage, and that is Kid Shelleen. Yeah, the story is named after Cat Ballou, but Shelleen steals the show. The reason is that he is a drunk, and you don’t know if he is good enough to do anything. Even when he shows off his incredible skills, someone says something, and he falls way off the wagon. The best part of the film revolved around him. My favorite part was when Shelleen decided to get sober for Cat. You see him turning down alcohol, having a shave, and putting on a belly corset. Dude looks good and seems to take on the world. When he completes his mission against Tim Strawn, dude falls way off the wagon again and becomes a drunk once again.
The acting was terrific, with a few people showing their worth. Jane Fonda as Catherine “Cat” Ballou was great to watch. Fonda is freakin BEAUTIFUL in this film. No wonder people were smitten with her. She is beautiful but doesn’t let her beauty take center stage. Fonda showed Cat as a strong woman back in the Western world.
Major props and accolades must be given to Lee Marvin as Kid Shelleen/Tim Strawn. Playing a dual role, Marvin did an outstanding job showing the differences in both characters. As Tim Strawn, he was a fearsome man who didn’t smile and would kill anyone. When Cat offended him, you could see the rage in his eyes. As Kid Shelleen, Marvin switched it up and showed more of a comedic side with Shelleen. This was the performance that won him the award.
I also want to take a second to talk about Tom Nardini as Jackson Two-Bears. Nardini was funny as Jackson Two-Bears. He had this dry delivery about himself that made you laugh, but also felt confused because you didn’t know if he was serious or not. He also showed how the townspeople didn’t trust him because he was Native American.
I want to give a shout-out to Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye. It took me a second to realize it was Nat King Cole on the screen. Cole and Kaye were excellent as the two who moved the story along. They were like traveling singers who told you what was happening or gave quick background information.
Cat Ballou is one of those Western films that will make you laugh and be entertained. It is carried by the acting, especially Lee Marvin, in his dual role as Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn. Jane Fonda is beautiful and tough as the main character. During one of your Western film-watching weeks, watch this film because you will enjoy it.
