I realize some people have found this above average but I thought it was strictly pedestrian in all respects except its interesting cast: Robert Ryan, Claire Trevor, Walter Brennan, Robert Preston, Lawrence Tierney, Barton MacLane and the rest.
Ryan is an admirable actor. He has considerable range, from sympathetic to evil, maybe better at "evil." As a bad guy he seems almost able to make his eyes gleam with intent, his muscles bunched, ready to spring. See him in "Crossfire" for a good example. For "sympathetic," try "The Wild Bunch." The villain in this Western is Preston, first as a rabid bounty hunter who gets Ryan cashiered from the post-war US Army, then as a zealous businessman who is out to get Ryan and the outlaw gang with which Ryan has a brittle relationship. The gang includes the James brothers and the Daltons.
But nothing much develops that engages the viewer. Bands of horsemen gallop along dusty roads in pursuit of a lone rider. A stagecoach rattles and bumps along. A bullet must be painfully removed from a shoulder with a knife heated over an oil lamp. Walter Brennan, showing little in the way of his usual humor, holds two guns on an angry gang. Aside from the familiar shots, the story is full of implausibilities. Why would Trevor in full Western female panoply, complete with tall, flowered hat, stay so close to the gang during a hold up that she catches one of the bullets being exchanged.
The climactic shoot out, a necessary catharsis, was over in the blink of an eye with little suspense or drama.
And then there's the real history of the James gang. It kept nudging into my consciousness. They were really mean SOBs in life. The James family was of modest means, not poor, and owned several slaves. During the war, under the guise of guerrilla action, they committed all sorts of crimes and continued to do so after the war ended. They weren't motivated by pro-Confederate sentiments or revenge. They just wanted the money -- which they didn't give to the poor. They were thoroughly hateful, and Ryan's throwing in with them for personal reasons tainted his supposed virtue.
It's the kind of movie you can watch without being challenged in any way, while your mind drifts and you worry about not having paid the gas bill yet.
Ryan is an admirable actor. He has considerable range, from sympathetic to evil, maybe better at "evil." As a bad guy he seems almost able to make his eyes gleam with intent, his muscles bunched, ready to spring. See him in "Crossfire" for a good example. For "sympathetic," try "The Wild Bunch." The villain in this Western is Preston, first as a rabid bounty hunter who gets Ryan cashiered from the post-war US Army, then as a zealous businessman who is out to get Ryan and the outlaw gang with which Ryan has a brittle relationship. The gang includes the James brothers and the Daltons.
But nothing much develops that engages the viewer. Bands of horsemen gallop along dusty roads in pursuit of a lone rider. A stagecoach rattles and bumps along. A bullet must be painfully removed from a shoulder with a knife heated over an oil lamp. Walter Brennan, showing little in the way of his usual humor, holds two guns on an angry gang. Aside from the familiar shots, the story is full of implausibilities. Why would Trevor in full Western female panoply, complete with tall, flowered hat, stay so close to the gang during a hold up that she catches one of the bullets being exchanged.
The climactic shoot out, a necessary catharsis, was over in the blink of an eye with little suspense or drama.
And then there's the real history of the James gang. It kept nudging into my consciousness. They were really mean SOBs in life. The James family was of modest means, not poor, and owned several slaves. During the war, under the guise of guerrilla action, they committed all sorts of crimes and continued to do so after the war ended. They weren't motivated by pro-Confederate sentiments or revenge. They just wanted the money -- which they didn't give to the poor. They were thoroughly hateful, and Ryan's throwing in with them for personal reasons tainted his supposed virtue.
It's the kind of movie you can watch without being challenged in any way, while your mind drifts and you worry about not having paid the gas bill yet.