Today’s quick review: Sam Whiskey. Sam Whiskey (Burt Reynolds), a former Union spy, lets Laura Breckenridge (Angie Dickinson) talk him into a dangerous job: recovering $250,000 in gold that her late brother stole from the government and returning it to the United States Mint in Denver. Sam enlists the help of blacksmith Jed Hooker (Ossie Davis) and engineer O.W. Bandy (Clint Walker) lift the gold from the bottom of a river and sneak it into the mint.
Sam Whiskey is a Western crime comedy about a plan to return a fortune in stolen gold bars to the U.S. Mint. The movie is one part Western adventure and one part heist, following Sam and his friends as they brave bandits, treacherous waters, and armed guards to accomplish the impossible. Sam Whiskey has an inventive plot and a tone that mixes light humor with darker peril. However, lukewarm characters and a mediocre script hold the movie back.
The key failure of Sam Whiskey is its main character. Sam is painted as a jack of all trades, a canny man who always runs into trouble as he moves from venture to venture. Unfortunately, Sam is not as dynamic as his reputation makes him out to be. Burt Reynolds’ take on the character is adequate but not enough to carry the movie, and he tends to go with the flow instead of leaving a clear mark on the direction of the story or the audience.
Sam Whiskey fares somewhat better with its supporting cast and its plot. Ossie Davis and Clint Walker fit in nicely as Sam’s compatriots, each bringing his own talents to the enterprise. The story has a novel premise, interesting challenges, and a satisfying heist. But the scaffolding of the movie is unremarkable. Many of the jokes miss the mark, and none of the dialogue is inspired. Finally, characters like Laura are poorly used.
The end result is a Western-tinged heist movie that is enjoyable enough but has plenty of missed potential. Sam Whiskey is worth a watch when you are in the mood for a light watch with no real commitment, but it is outclassed by comedies with sharper scripts and more memorable main characters. For a more lively Western comedy, try Support Your Local Gunfighter or My Name Is Nobody. For a modern heist in a similar vein, try Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
[5.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064923/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent story without the characters to back it up.