Powderkeg
Their gun and guts for hire... and a blank check is their price
1971 | 93m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Douglas Hayes |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Douglas Hayes |
| Staring: |
| A Mexican bandit is about to be executed in the United States, so his brother takes over a train and holds the passengers as hostages unless his brother is released. Now both the Americans and Mexicans are baffled as to what to do. One of the passengers — who wrote the letter for their captor — has a suggestion: call mercenaries Hank Brackett and Johnny Reech. They do, and as expected they do come up with a plan, but the president of the railroad is not sure if it will work. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 16, 1971 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Douglas Hayes |
| Writer: | Douglas Hayes |
| Genres: | Adventure, Action, Western |
| Keywords | mercenary, revenge, train, railroad, mexican bandit, tv pilot |
| Production Companies | Filmways Television |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 25, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Rod Taylor | Hank Brackett |
| Dennis Cole | Johnny Reach |
| Fernando Lamas | Chucho Morales |
| John McIntire | Cyrus Davenport |
| Michael Ansara | Paco Morales |
| Tisha Sterling | Beth Parkinson |
| Melodie Johnson | Miss Baker |
| Reni Santoni | Ricardo Sandoval |
| Luciana Paluzzi | Juanita Sierra-Perez |
| Joe De Santis | Col. Delgado |
| Jay Novello | Pablo Sandoval |
| James Brown | Sheriff Lynch |
| Roy Jenson | Briggs |
| Todd Martin | |
| William Bryant | Major Bill Buckner |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Douglas Hayes | Writer, Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Douglas Hayes | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position
Unique train-oriented Western with Rod Taylor and several notables of the era RELEASED IN 1971 and written & directed by Douglas Heyes, "Powderkeg" chronicles events in 1914 when Mexican renegades led by Chucho Morales (Fernando Lamas) hijack a train for leverage to get his brother out of jail in ... New Mexico (Michael Ansara). Two adventurer-mercenaries (Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole) are enlisted to rescue the 73 passengers and take care of the banditos. While this was a TV movie, it’s pretty much as good as many theatrical Westerns of the late 60s/early 70s. The two stars, Taylor and Cole, have great chemistry and the tone is snappy with a distinctive story and a couple of unexpected twists. Luscious Luciana Paluzzi is on hand (playing a role in one of the surprises) along with Tisha Sterling and Melodie Johnson in the female department. Reviewers have overstated the action/thrills, but no worries because the drama is interesting. “Powderkeg” was the pilot for the short-lived Bearcats TV series in ‘71, which consisted of this film and 13 episodes. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 33 minutes and was shot at Old Tucson, Arizona, and surrounding areas. GRADE: B+/A-