By Lee Pfeiffer
MGM's burn-to-order DVD program has released Billy Two Hats, a rather obscure 1974 Western starring Gregory Peck and Desi Arnaz Jr. The movie was produced by Norman Jewison and directed by Ted Kotcheff. It's one of those horse operas that was dismissed as run-of-the-mill at the time of its release but now plays like a real gem. Peck gives a fine performance as Arch Deans, an aging Scottish bank robber who is wanted for accidentally killing a man during the commission of a crime. Speaking with a broad and convincing Scottish brogue, Peck is wonderfully charismatic and appealing. Arch's accomplice in the crime is Billy Two Hats, an half-breed Indian who has led a tormented life because of his mixed race. The sullen and quiet character is played with conviction by Desi Arnaz Jr, for whom this film represented a rare starring role in a major studio production. The two men are relentlessly pursued with Javert-like determination by Sheriff Henry Gifford (Jack Warden), who is determined to see them tried and hanged. When Arch is wounded in flight, he and Billy try to make for the Mexican border with Gifford and an eccentric saloon owner (David Huddleston) in hot pursuit. Along the way, Arch and Billy seek help from a farmer, John Spencer, well played by John Pearce - a man who shakes them down for money in return for helping them seek safety. In the process, Billy has an affair with Spencer's abused wife (a wonderful turn by Sian Barbara Allen).
The film is far from a classic, but it is the type of good, solid filmmaking we used to take for granted back in the day. Director Ted Kotcheff keeps the action flowing with nary a wasted frame and the characters are richly defined and very interesting. Although the film is a tour de force for Peck, he gets solid support from Warden and Huddleston, two of the most reliable character actors of the period. Arnaz acquits himself quite well among these heavyweights, which leads to the puzzling question of why his big screen career fizzled so quickly.
The film contains the original theatrical trailer.
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