Summary
- Sean Connery left the James Bond franchise to star in Shalako, his only Western, due to his desire to avoid being typecast.
- Despite the decline of Westerns during its release, Shalako attempted to capitalize on the popularity of the Bond films but ultimately failed to impress critics and audiences.
- Connery enjoyed his experience making Shalako but did not pursue any more Western roles, as the genre was waning in popularity and his previous Western had been a box office bomb.
Sean Connery exited the James Bond franchise to make his one and only Western. The success of Dr. No would kick off one of cinema's most iconic franchises, and there had never been a movie phenomenon quite on the same scale before. However, Connery began to tired of both the role and the producers behind the series. He feared being permanently typecast and that he wasn't being fairly compensated, given the overwhelming success of the franchise. He first departed 007 following 1967's You Only Live Twice, his fifth outing as Bond.
Connery struggled somewhat to escape the shadow of Bond, but in the decades that followed, he would prove with films like The Untouchables that he was a movie star independent of his most famous role. He dipped his toes into just about every genre along the way, from fantasy (Highlander), romantic drama (Robin and Marian), disaster movies (Meteor), and more. Despite being a self-professed fan of Westerns, he only jumped in the saddle once, which was also his first movie after leaving the Bond series.
Connery (Briefly) Quit The Bond Series To Make Shalako
After Connery left the James Bond franchise, he was swiftly replaced by George Lazenby for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Connery himself jumped straight onto Shalako, a Western adventure based on the novel by Louis L'Amour (Hondo). Connery plays the title character, a former U.S. Army scout who helps guide a bunch of snobby European aristocrats whose hunting party wanders into Apache territory. Connery's co-star was Brigitte Bardot, who turned down On Her Majesty's Secret Service to work on the Western.
Despite having little in common with the 007 saga in tone or style, Shalako still made sure to cash in on the popularity of the films. Connery was hired precisely because he was fresh off the series and was paid $1 million for starring, alongside a percentage of its grosses (via The New York Times). The film also nabbed his Goldfinger co-star Honor Blackman for a ing role, alongside longtime cinematographer Ted Moore and Bond stuntman Bob Simmons, who "played" 007 in the gun barrel scene that opened the first three movies.
Why Shalako Bombed Upon Release
Shalako was released when Westerns were in something of a decline in Hollywood, and the Italian Spaghetti Westerns exemplified by Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy were bringing a darker, meaner edge to the genre. Despite having a major cast and a big budget. Shalako bombed upon release, having been greeted with lukewarm reviews by critics such as Roger Ebert, with the film feeling too old-fashioned compared to the Westerns being fronted by the likes of Clint Eastwood.
Shalako is a disappointingly drab effort too, with little in the way of exciting setpieces. The film's backers no doubt expected some serious sexual chemistry between Connery and Bardot, but their onscreen connection is a non-starter. While Connery is perfectly fine in the lead, he feels somewhat miscast too, and his Scottish accent has rarely felt more out of place than when playing a cowboy. Overall, Shalako isn't without its plus points, but there's a reason it's one of the genre's more forgotten outings from the '60s.
Why Didn't Connery Return To Westerns?
Following Shalako's failure, Connery was later lured back to Bond by EON for Diamonds Are Forever. While it took a while for him to fully break out of being viewed as 007, he still went on to a rich career filled with varied roles. That said, he never saddled up for another Western, despite giving interviews stating how much he enjoyed making Shalako. That's likely because the genre itself was waning by the time the '70s began and even John Wayne outings like Rio Lobo were underperforming.
Major studios began to focus on more contemporary projects and given that Shalako had bombed hard, it's doubtful studios put Connery high on their casting lists for the few Westerns that were being produced. The closest he came to returning to the genre came with 1981's Outland, a sci-fi thriller that riffed on High Noon. This cast Connery as a Marshal who uncovers corruption at a mining facility on Jupiter's third moon and is targeted for assassination. There's even a High Noon-esque showdown in the finale, where Connery's Marshal has to outsmart gunmen who arrive at the facility to kill him.
While ultimately a much better film than Shalako, it can't be considered a Western in the traditional sense, and visually owes much more to Alien. Shalako remains a real curio on Sean Connery's filmography, and while it doesn't quite work, it showed his willingness to take risks with his image and try new genres.
Source: The New York Times
