Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . THE BODY SNATCHER well knows, the going rate for a corpse in 1831 Scotland was "ten pounds" ( or $30.11 U.S.). Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to around $41.27 during 1868, when THE NAKED SPUR takes place. So as you watch Brig. Gen. Jimmy burying Bob's "five thousand buck corpse" toward the end of THE NAKED SPUR, you can figure that's an exaggeration of well over $4,900 (or $1.4 million, in 2018 dollars). If anyone is sporting a body to rival Esther Williams' famed MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID among the cast of THE NAKED SPUR, it's surely FREAKY FRIDAY's mom (whose closest thing to a shower scene comes when she plays musical cans in a cave with Gen. Jimmy). The best thing about soggy "Ben's" burial on the not-so-lone prairie (presumably he has "Jesse" for a grave-mate) is that it saves "Lena" and "Howie" the ordeal of a trip back to Kansas. As any survivor of even ONE trek to the Bun Flour State can tell you, the punch line to all the best jokes is "I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas any more!"

dougdoepke If you can get past the dumb title, this is a heckuva good outdoor western, filmed in majestic southwestern Colorado. It's four untrustworthy guys and one eye-candy woman trying to make it to Abilene, where three of the guys can collect a big reward for the fourth. What's unusual is none of the guys is particularly likable, so it's hard to know who to root for. There's the cashiered army lieutenant (Meeker), the grizzled old prospector (Mitchell), the embittered rancher (Stewart), and the giggling outlaw (Ryan). Then there's Ryan's girlfriend (Leigh) who only looks half-Hollywood. The shifting alliances among the bunch as they travel makes up the plot. This is the first of the celebrated Mann westerns and it shows in most every aspect: setting, script, photography, directing, and acting. (My only reservation is with the "sitting duck" staging of the Indian attack.) Nonetheless, get a load of that roaring river, too much for even white water rafting (the Uncompahgre, I believe). Then too, the tumbling rapids sort of mirrors the gang's shifting undercurrents. Stewart's never been better as the ornery Howie, basically the same kind of part he played in all his Mann westerns, while Ryan adds color with nervous snickers and giggles, definitely a different kind of bad guy. Ordinarily, I'd figure the girl was added for marquee purposes. After all, who wants to look at ugly guys for 90- minutes. But here Leigh's worked nicely into the plot. The showdown is a really memorable one and makes me doubt I'll do any more rock climbing.All in all, it's a spectacular western, with a fine cast and a suspenseful drama. In short, not a movie to be passed up

JohnHowardReid The photography is a standout. In fact, "The Naked Spur" looks like a 3-D film, complete with lots of deep focus compositions and even objects thrown at the camera! The natural locations are surely mighty impressive, although location movie-making does have its disadvantages -- such as the necessity to post-sync dialogue. Millard Mitchell's timing is way out of sync, but fortunately his role is not all that large. Stewart delivers a characteristic performance in his tailor-made role; Robert Ryan excels as usual; Ralph Meeker and Janet Leigh are competent enough to get by. Anthony Mann's astute direction keeps his audience on a knife edge. His action scenes pack a wallop. The screenplay comes across as tautly suspenseful, characters are skilfully delineated and the plot builds to a stunning climax. Admittedly, I can think of a more powerful ending. The one we actually have is a bit too conventional. Kaper's music score is one of his best.

abcj-2 THE NAKED SPUR - (1953) - I remembered this film from my past for sure about the time Janet Leigh showed up. I saw it back in another western phase a year or two ago. It was definitely not my preferred kind of western. I prefer some moments of comic relief (not necessarily pure comedy) and a little less grit and grimace. Jimmy Stewart was so conflicted and angry that I didn't equate him as the hero. He was way too uptight. I found him annoying and unattractive. I didn't think he and Leigh had any chemistry, and that made her part really unnecessary. For that matter, she was quite annoying and seemed to hop from man to man and not making informed choices. However, as a female stranded out west, I think she made the smarter call. Meeker and Mitchell were good, but other than to rankle Stewart's composure, I'm not sure their presence added much other than to make a bigger crowd. The real reason to watch, however, was for the one clearcut bad guy. I'll be on the lookout for Robert Ryan again. He was pure screen magic and made the film. Yes, the Hays Code causes Mann to have to let Ryan get the shorter end of the proverbial stick, but he still had a presence that made it hard to pull completely against him. Thus the need for a more clearcut hero.I was a little hesitant about Anthony Mann if Stewart was going to keep playing the anti-hero type. I like a hero. Fortunately, "Winchester '73" put Mann and Stewart back on my radar. Now that is excellence at its peak. I think I'm more of a John Ford type gal, but I'm going to remain open-minded as I work through the Mann westerns. It appears that there are quite a few IMDb reviewers who also had some issues with Stewart. I may have to keep Stewart reserved for lighter fare as I adore him in The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, The Shop Aroundthe Corner, and many other comedies and romances. At least I have "Winchester '73" to add to my favorite westerns, but, unfortunately, not this Mann western.