Dallas: War of the Ewings

Dallas: War of the Ewings was the second of the two Dallas reunion movies. It aired on CBS on April 24, 1998, a little less than a year and a half after the first movie, Dallas: J.R. Returns, was broadcast.^[1]

Plot summary

The movie begins with a scene reminiscent of the shower scene with Bobby and Pam Ewing from the original series, but with Sue Ellen Ewing coming in and kissing Bobby. Once again, this is a dream ... of J.R. Ewing's. With Bobby and Sue Ellen in control of Ewing Oil, J.R., who had taken control of Weststar Oil from Carter McKay in J.R. Returns, looks to regain the company that was once his, and in doing so would be in control of the top 2 independent oil companies in the state (Weststar ahead of Ewing).

J.R. first goes to apply for a loan to use in a hostile takeover attempt of the oil company, but is told that he does not have enough money to cover such a loan.

At the same time, Ray Krebbs' ranch has been discovered to have oil on it, and J.R. seeks to use it as collateral for the loan. What J.R. does not know (and what Ray does not tell him upon his surprise entrance during a bar room brawl set up by J.R.) is that the Krebbs ranch is in serious trouble, and Ray has mortgaged it several times and is in crippling debt (Ray has been living in Switzerland for several years with his wife Jenna). Once he finds out, Bobby repeatedly tried to offer assistance but Ray stubbornly refuses, preferring to "clean up his own mess".

Being unsuccessful at getting the loan, J.R. decides to try a "divide and conquer" style tactic, trying to split up the Bobby-Sue Ellen partnership. His tactics backfire when Sue Ellen tells him that there is another man trying to get involved in Ewing Oil...Carter McKay, who lost Weststar Oil to J.R. in the previous movie. McKay, along with his fanatically business-like associate Peter Ellington, pitches that they have a tip about a vast quantity of untapped oil, but decline to divulge their information about its location until they make a deal. Given their prior history, Bobby finds McKay untrustworthy and is reluctant in doing business with him, while Sue Ellen sees it as a way to overtake Weststar and is eager to make the deal.

Meanwhile, back at Southfork, J.R. sets up a cattle rustling, which fails when Bobby and his ranch hands force the rustlers to surrender to the police.

J.R. then enlists the help of the female CEO of another oil company (Jennifer Jansen of Jansen Oil) to con a good deal for Ewing Oil out of his brother. The plan, which involves the keeping of the conspiracy under wraps, backfires when she lets slip that she knows about Carter McKay, after which Bobby returns to Southfork (where J.R. and Ray are arguing about his plans to buy the ranch from him) and lets J.R. know that he knew what was going on.

J.R. meanwhile is keeping one eye over his shoulder, he narrowly escapes death when a limo assigned for him explodes. Luckily J.R. was using Sue Ellen's limo but Sue Ellen later dismisses this feeling that J.R. set this up much like the car crash he was supposedly killed in the previous film (J.R. Returns). This time however the threat is legitimate and J.R. once more escapes death when a mystery assailant attempts to shoot him but misses. He employs a private detective to find out who is behind this whilst plotting his Ewing Oil takeover.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Jansen has a crisis of conscience and decides that she wants to start over with Bobby, which they do. The business and personal relationship between Sue Ellen and Bobby begins to crumble as Sue Ellen's aggressive, ambitious ownership style clashes with Bobby's cautious and pragmatic style. This isn't helped by Bobby's half hearted enthusiasm and effort at Ewing Oil as he is much happier running Southfork.

Then, Carter McKay reveals to Sue Ellen that the oil reserves are indeed under Ray's ranch (no one knew before), and that as of that business day, he and J.R. were in the running to bid on them. Sue Ellen refuses to sanction McKay's entrance to Ewing Oil as she does not want to take advantage of Ray's misfortune and believes he only wants in to get back at J.R.

The day of the auction comes, with Ellington taking Sue Ellen hostage at gunpoint, with the condition for her release being that McKay must win the bidding for the ranch. After the bidding reaches $50 million, J.R. backs off, but not before revealing the hostage situation to Ray and Bobby, who save Sue Ellen. Ellington revealed that the kidnapping was not McKay's doing but his own. Ellington was therefore responsible for several attempts on J.R.'s life (the Limo bomb and the shooting). When J.R. confronts Ellington after Sue Ellen is held hostage Ellington shoots him much to the horror of Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen rips off J.R.'s shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest which J.R. said he wore since he was first shot at.

However, McKay's victory is an incomplete one. While he now owns the ranch, J.R. reminds him that Jock Ewing made sure that the Ewing family would have exclusive drilling rights on it. Therefore, McKay cannot profit off the oil drilled on the land, and just owns the property, and he is not happy about it as he has spent $50 million on land worth only $10 million.

Bobby leaves with Jennifer for a break in Europe but punches J.R. for setting up a cattle rustle at Southfork. J.R. did not tell the rustlers to use guns but they did and Bobby is angry as someone could have been killed. Ray had found out from a rustler in a bar that J.R. had set it up.

Ray happily heads back to Europe $50 million better off and thanks J.R. for unwittingly helping him out but is aware that the bidding by J.R. was more to set up McKay than to help Ray and facetiously calls J.R. his second favorite brother. Sue Ellen also punches J.R. for trying to talk his way out of his dirty deeds but he ends the film grinning away as usual.

The movie was released on DVD on April 12, 2011 in the Dallas: The Movie Collection.

DVD Release

Warner Home Video is releasing Dallas: War of the Ewings on DVD April 12, 2011 on Dallas: The Movie Collection 2-disc set.^[2]

References

1. ^ Gates, Anita (April 24, 1998). "TV WEEKEND; To Recap, J. R. Is Older; Pam's Still Dead". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/24/movies/tv-weekend-to-recap-j-r-is-older-pam-s-still-dead.html?scp=5&sq=bobby%20ewing&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-08-31. 
2. ^ [1]