Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Martin Bradley A so-so western from director John Sturges but then even a so-so western if often a lot more entertaining than many a better director's more 'serious' pictures and this one has the added bonus of Richard Widmark at his nasty best. It also features that great character actor Henry Silva as one of Widmark's gang. The star, however, is that plank of wood, Robert Taylor while the leading lady is the nondescript Patricia Owens. It has a reasonably decent plot, some great scenery and a fair amount of action which, in the end, is as much as you might want from any horse opera so while this is no classic by any stretch of the imagination, it is never less than watchable.

jhkp The almost too pretty Robert Taylor of the mid-1930's was, by the late 1950's, angular, sharp-eyed; his dark widow's peak bisecting his forehead like a knife. He's perfect for his role and stands out against the scenery that might engulf a lesser presence. His snarling mouth spitting out bitter words is unforgettable.By contrast, Richard Widmark, always intelligent and interesting, but rarely stoic, is a theatrically interesting bad guy. Just as Taylor looks great in his dark colors and shadows, Widmark looks correct, with his blond hair, in his lighter clothes, and his performance is somewhat lighter than the average villain performance, just as Taylor's hero is darker than usual. These differences make for an enjoyable contrast.At this time, with censorship becoming somewhat more relaxed, some screen westerns were becoming more dark and violent. This darkness and violence was presented in a matter-of-fact, almost dry way. Not a big, exciting western, but a nice, serious, violent little story, filmed against some enthralling backdrops, well acted and directed.In 1958, when this film was produced/released, there was a musician's strike in Hollywood. Several prominent films were released without original scores, or a composer credit, including this one, and the meandering, canned score doesn't do much for the dramatics.

school_account Let's face it, Robert Taylor is an awful actor. It just seems like somebody needed to fill this role quickly and grabbed a paunchy old stage hand from sweeping the floor, saying you'll do ! The guy just can't act ! How did he get by for so long in Hollywood with no talent, when there were other superb actors around like Spencer Tracy , Kirk Douglas, Richard Widmark etc... Robert Taylor must have read many scripts turned down by the proper actors of Hollywood just to get work.He is actually billed as the lead in this movie ! Even John Wayne on a bad day could act this man under the table. The definition of a Superstar is the star that carries the movie. Without Richard Widmark's presence billed as second lead, this movie would have fallen completely flat. Is this movie really directed by the same man who made "Bad day at Black Rock" and "The Great Escape" ? John Sturges must have been having an off day. Although he didn't have much to work with. The poor script and leading man to name but two. In Bad day at Black rock you have of course the master and arguably the best screen actor there has even been , Spencer Tracy. In this movie you have Robert (the statue) Taylor. Without a good leading man a movie is sunk before it begins.John Sturges should have been more like William Wyler in his approach to directing Robert Taylor. To at least coax a mediocre performance from the man, rather than this exhibition of rocking horse excellence. Nice to see Dr McCoy though, playing yet another heavy, he is a very good actor, obviously, although he never liked beaming down to planets.

JohnHowardReid When "Bad Day at Black Rock" was released back in 1955, director John Sturges was hailed as the master of Cinema-Scope suspense. Despite a somewhat unconvincing climax (mostly caused by Spencer Tracy's refusal to spend any more time on location, which meant that the scene had to be shot on a studio sound stage), the film was hailed by all as a gem of jeopardy. Certainly Millard Kaufman's taut script and a fine array of support players led by Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine helped. Some critics feel that Sturges' abilities gradually declined after this and that he never topped "Bad Day...", but to me "The Law and Jake Wade" proves these suspicions wrong. How brilliantly Sturges uses CinemaScope here to obtain his effects! The very landscapes (and there are a great many of them, thanks to extensive location shooting) seem not only hostile and threatening, but they are made to close in on our protagonists like a prison. The few interiors reinforce this motif. Prison cells and the eerie, cramped quarters of a ghost town are relieved by just one dinner-table scene, which is the only sequence in the movie which doesn't quite succeed. (An ill-judged, distorted close-up of Robert Taylor doesn't help).Perhaps most of the instant-information dialogue in the earlier scenes is a bit too obviously pat, but otherwise the William Bowers script is not only tautly exciting, but offers excellent opportunities to support players like Middleton, Silva and Kelley. In the flashier star role, Richard Widmark pulls out all stops to impress, but I found the less flamboyant, more subtly skilled acting of Robert Taylor more appealing. It's difficult to maintain sympathy as the good guy when you're on the receiving end all the time and your opponent has all the snappy dialogue, but Taylor comes through this ordeal with flying colors. And the writer does relent at the end when he hands Taylor a neat rejoinder to Widmark's aggrieved protest, "I was going to hand you your gun!" Taylor replies: "But then you always liked me much more than I liked you!"