thought it was a great idea. It was one of several movies where Saxon played a Mexican. Reception Joe Kidd was released in the United States in July 1972, and it ultimately returned $5.8 million in domestic rentals, making it one of the highest-grossing Westerns of the year. The film received a mixed reception from critics. Roger Greenspun of The New York Times wrote, "For perhaps its first half-hour, John Sturges's new Western, 'Joe Kidd,' looks surprisingly good ... Nothing remarkable, but modestly decent—a feeling that persists, with continually diminishing assurance, almost until the climax, when everything is thrown away in a flash of false theatrics, foolish symbolism and what I suspect is sloppy editing." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four and wrote, "All I can tell you about Clint Eastwood in 'Joe Kidd' is that he plays a ruthless gunman of few words. This isn't exactly a surprise; Eastwood almost always plays a ruthless gunman, etc. The funny thing about 'Joe Kidd,' though, is that we can't keep straight whose side he's on, or why." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune awarded the same two-star grade and said, "Filled with all manner of inconsistencies, the Joe Kidd character is really a prop for a series of violent incidents, most of which are either lifted from other pictures or totally unbelievable. If these violent actions were in some way thrilling I suppose their source or believability wouldn't be much of an issue, but they are not, and Director John Sturges' listless pacing of them only intensifies their blandness." Variety wrote, "Not enough identity is given Eastwood in a New Mexico land struggle in which no reason is apparent for his involvement, but John Sturges' direction of the Elmore Leonard screenplay is sufficiently compelling to keep guns popping and bodies falling." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a concise, solidly crafted western that attests to the continuing flexibility of its durable genre." The New York Post praised the actors' performances while criticizing the film, calling the actors "diamonds set in dung". On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 80% based on reviews from 10 critics. See also List of American films of 1972 References Bibliography External links 1972 films 1972 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films directed by John Sturges Films with screenplays by Elmore