I watched this movie because Brandon De Wilde,who disappeared too soon ,was in it ; he already had under his belt such works as "Shane" and "member of the wedding ",and later on he would play prominent parts in " Hud " and "all fall down" .
Unlike some very young actors,he never hammed it up : all he had to do was act naturally ; an orphan ,he wins a whole town over (after a chilly welcome :does he come from a reform school?).He becomes Magee's protégé ;Gary Merril is excellent as the man feeling time is passing him by and who tries to live again his youth dreams thanks to the teenager who looks like a lot like him ; Lee Marvin may seem an unsympathetic character but the boy learns from him an important thing in life : for any deal ,put it in writing;on the other hand,his love affair is insignificant.
Shades of "national velvet " (the race) and more a chronicle than a classic eventful western ;predictable and derivative, but pleasant to watch with a dose of humor : the statue of the general used as a hiching post for Marvin's horse.
Unlike some very young actors,he never hammed it up : all he had to do was act naturally ; an orphan ,he wins a whole town over (after a chilly welcome :does he come from a reform school?).He becomes Magee's protégé ;Gary Merril is excellent as the man feeling time is passing him by and who tries to live again his youth dreams thanks to the teenager who looks like a lot like him ; Lee Marvin may seem an unsympathetic character but the boy learns from him an important thing in life : for any deal ,put it in writing;on the other hand,his love affair is insignificant.
Shades of "national velvet " (the race) and more a chronicle than a classic eventful western ;predictable and derivative, but pleasant to watch with a dose of humor : the statue of the general used as a hiching post for Marvin's horse.