''Posse'' is a 1975 American Revisionist Western film in Technicolor and Panavision. It was produced and directed by Kirk Douglas who also starred. The screenplay was written by

Christopher Knopf Christopher Knopf (December 20, 1927 – February 13, 2019) was an American screenwriter and union executive. He served as the president of the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds The Internat ...

and William Roberts. The plot centers on a U.S. marshal with political ambitions leading an elite posse in pursuit of a notorious train robber to further his political career. The film premiered in New York City on June 4, 1975, and in June the same year in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

at the

25th Berlin International Film Festival The 25th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 27 June – 8 July 1975. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Hungarian film ''Adoption'' directed by Márta Mészáros. The retrospective dedicated to Greta Garbo was shown at the ...

, where Douglas was nominated for the Golden Bear.

Plot

Howard Nightingale (Douglas), a U.S. marshal, leads an elite uniformed posse to track down and capture infamous train robber Jack Strawhorn (

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver ...

). He is doing so to further his political career, as he is running to become a U. S.

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. When Nightingale captures Strawhorn, his election seems inevitable, but Strawhorn disrupts everything when he escapes, kidnapping Nightingale in the process. He demands a ransom of $40,000 from the posse for Nightingale's safe return—the same amount of money the posse burned when it first tracked Strawhorn down and killed the members of his gang. To raise the money, Nightingale's posse has to rob the town, thus turning the public against Nightingale. The posse members, since they first captured Strawhorn, had been given reason to doubt that their loyalty to Nightingale is reciprocated. It sets up a final confrontation where they have to reassess on whose side they are.

Cast

* Kirk Douglas as Marshal Howard Nightingale *

as Jack Strawhorn * Bo Hopkins as Wesley *

James Stacy Maurice William Elias (December 23, 1936September 9, 2016), known professionally as James Stacy, was an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for starring in the late 1960s TV western ''Lancer''. In 1973, Stacy was hit by ...

as Hellman * Luke Askew as Krag * David Canary as Pensteman * Alfonso Arau as Peppe * Katherine Woodville as Mrs. Cooper * Mark Roberts as Mr. Cooper * Beth Brickell as Mrs. Ross *

Dick O'Neill Richard Francis O'Neill (August 29, 1928 – November 17, 1998) was an American stage, film and television character actor best known for playing Irish cops, fathers, judges and army generals. He began his acting career as an original company ...

as Wiley * Bill Burton as McCanless * Louie Elias as Rains * Gus Greymountain as Reynolds * Allan Warnick as The Telegrapher * Roger Behrstock as Buwalda * Jess Riggle as Hunsinger * Stephanie Steele as Amy *

Melody Thomas Melody Thomas Scott (born Melody Ann Thomas, April 18, 1956) is an American actress best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. Early life and acting career Scott was born Melody Ann Thomas in Los Ang ...

as Laurie * Dick Armstrong as Shanty Principal * Larry Finley as Shanty Principal * Pat Tobin as Shanty Principal

References

External links

* * * *
Sample frames of Posse from one of the cinematographers
{{Bryna Productions 1975 films 1975 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films directed by Kirk Douglas Paramount Pictures films Bryna Productions films United States Marshals Service in fiction Films with screenplays by William Roberts (screenwriter) 1970s English-language films 1970s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links