Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Ed-Shullivan Throughout the film I kept asking myself what is so special (if anything) about Marlene Dietrich that two quick draw gunfighters would be interested in? Marlene Dietrich was 51 years old when she appeared in Rancho Notorious and to be playing a sexy saloon singer and the owner of a horse ranch hideout for a bunch of fugitives on the run from the law, why did the producers think she could pull it off? I'll tell you why this over the hill saloon singer with her strong German accent starred in this offbeat western, it was because the German born director Fritz Lang wanted her to star in it.There is a plot to this western which is a woman is murdered during the execution of a robbery by two gunmen and the husband of the murdered woman is a cowboy named Vern Haskell (Arthur Kennedy) so he rides out of town in hot pursuit of his wife's killer until he finds him at the hideout horse ranch Chuck-O-Luck run by aged and weathered actress Marlene Dietrich who plays Altar Keane.So there is double crossing, bandits, gunslingers, two gunmen vying for a woman's affection, and a man on a mission to revenge his wife's murder, but there is a also a really bad musical score chiming in throughout this offbeat western, and Marlene Dietrich's heavy German accent was too much of a distraction for me to take this western too seriously. Thus the mediocre 5 out of 10 rating.

moonspinner55 A honest rancher, palming himself off as an outlaw to gain acceptance into a fraternal haven of gangsters hiding out in the sticks, is only after the varmint who murdered his fiancée--but ends up feeling a strong sexual attraction to the woman who runs the Chuck-a-Luck, a former saloon hostess with a colorful reputation. Fritz Lang-directed western was plagued with problems (both during the production and after), although Marlene Dietrich--allegedly the cause of most of the on-set turmoil--gives a must-see performance as the notorious Altar Keane ("They even named a railroad car after her!"). Throaty, sensuous, and no-nonsense, Dietrich is willing to go all the way with this role, and one can practically feel the binds holding her back. Arthur Kennedy is better than usual as the newcomer to Dietrich's brood of happy killers and robbers (he and Marlene have palpable chemistry), but Mel Ferrer is stiff and unsure as suave outlaw Frenchy Fairmont (the cartoonish name doesn't match the actor playing the role). The deep, mellow colors are beautiful, and yet the Technicolor cinematography heightens the artificiality of the indoor sets. Not a great picture, and one that is prodded along by a laughably corny folk ballad, though Lang does manage to come up with a few fresh twists on the genre and the supporting players are solid. ** from ****

jc-osms I'll always go out of my way to catch any of Fritz Lang's Hollywood output, even the rare westerns like this and enjoyed this tightly plotted little tragedy of murder hate and revenge as Arthur Kennedy embarks on a vengeance mission against the villain who brutally raped and murdered his fiancée.Unlike say, John Ford or Anthony Mann, two of his western making contemporaries, Lang keeps our focus on the characters and their story so that we rarely get sprawling landscape shots of men (or women) seemingly dwarfed by nature. Instead we get to peer into a little microcosm world where more down to earth individuals grapple with their emotional urges, usually to the detriment of others around them.Thus, Kennedy's avenging angel holds our attention from first to last and while he gets his revenge by the end, with the help of outlaw gunslinger Frenchy Freemont, played by Mel Ferrer, from whom he improbably learns to become the quickest draw around, the tragedy is compounded by the incidental death of Deitrich's wonderfully-named Altar Keane.Within the confines of 90 short minutes, the characterisations go deeper then than most westerns you'll see helped by conviction acting, especially Kennedy in the lead as another of Lang's "little man" heroes dogged by tragedy who strike back hard against the offending world. However, quite what a middle-aged female Teutonic bar-room balladeer like Deitrich is doing offering safe-home protection for on-the-run outlaws is anyone's guess but the grand dame still scrubs up well even in her fifties and convinces you that her personality can rule this unruly mob. There are a few minor Expressionist Lang touches to look out for, for example the moment when Kennedy's girl realises the extent of the danger she's in is conveyed in two brief close-ups of her and her attacker, a brawl involving Kennedy briefly reflected in a mirror and a "meet the gang" succession of front-facing portrait shots culminating in the driven, staring features of Kennedy. There's even a little sub-Weimar decadence brought to life in Deitrich's introduction scene with her riding "horseback" a adoring male in a slightly bizarre barroom scene from her younger days. I could have done without the contemporary sub-Frankie Laine balladeering interspersed throughout and wasn't quite convinced by the Kennedy/Ferrer/Dietrich triangle with Ferrer not quite exuding the swagger or danger of being the fastest gun but this unusual western, shot in garish Technicolour (no doubt Deitrich had the lights on full-pelt!) belies the convolutions of its plot to deliver a watchable film, worth seeking out.

alanrhobson An excellent Western, tense, powerful and moving. There is an air of tragedy and regret pervading the atmosphere, which makes it all the more highly charged. It also contains a number of fine set-pieces.Of the cast, Mel Ferrer is very good indeed as the stylish, charming gentleman-gunman, and Arthur Kennedy gives his usual fine performance (full of fevered intensity) as the hero.The film is often underrated (one of the leading film books in the UK, Halliwell's Film Guide, gives it no stars at all) which is why I have left this comment. It is a first rate, highly enjoyable Western, and thoroughly recommended.