The Villain

Handsome Stranger agrees to escort Charming Jones to claim her inheritance from her late father, a trip that should be straightforward if not for the money hungry Avery Simpson. Simpson hires the infamous outlaw Cactus Jack to ambush Charming and grab the fortune. Yet Cactus Jack proves a terrible robber, bungling every step of the caper and turning a simple kidnapping into a slapstick fiasco. As misadventures pile up on the dusty trail, charming style clashes with frontier caution, and the two ends of the spectrum outwit the schemer through a string of comic errors. The result is a lighthearted Western satire built on physical gags and character humor, not blood and thunder.

Directed by Hal Needham, this 1979 Western comedy is based on a concept by Robert G Kane. The film features Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a budget around five million dollars.

The film doesn't ignite a lasting pop culture spark, but it shows up in chats about late seventies comic westerns. Viewers recall the unusual pairing of Kirk Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger as a deliberate mismatch that undercuts genre bravado with light humor.

Reception was mixed, with the crowd rating hovering around the mid five range. Critics noted the film leans into light satire rather than gritty western myth making, using a strong cast to land jokes through banter and situational humor.

Box office data for this title aren't provided in the available information, so no official worldwide gross is cited here.