Alicia I love this movie so much

AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Claudio Carvalho While riding his horse through the Wyoming, the Pennsylvania's youngster Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) saves the tough rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) from two horse thieves. Rodock offers a job of horse trainer to Steve and brings him to his ranch. Steve meets Jocasta Constantine (Irene papas), a young woman with a dubious past that lives with Rodock and soon he falls in unrequited love for her. Further, he learns that Rodock has a code where horse thieves are hanged by him without any trial. Jocasta unsuccessfully tries to convince Steve to return to his family in Pennsylvania. Further, she asks Rodock to stop hanging thieves. When Rodock's foreman McNulty (Stephen McNally) flirts with Jocasta, he is fired by Rodock and plots a vengeance with Rodock's enemy, his neighbor Lars Peterson (Vic Morrow). Now the old rancher has to decide whether he will insist on his code of justice and lose Jocasta or whether he will change his behavior. "Tribute to a Bad Man" is a western with James Cagney in the role of a vigilante in a place with no law. This feature introduces Irene Papas in the role of a woman with dubious past but also with strong personality and self-respect. Don Dubbins is the character that will change James Cagney's one with his naiveness and sense of justice. The result is a great and unknown romantic and dramatic western. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Honra à um Homem Mau" ("Honor to a Bad Man")

dbdumonteil With a Greek thespian such as highly talented Irene Papas ,playing the part of an ex-dancer called "Jocasta ",and a young boy working in her companion's ranch,I was waiting for an Oedipian western,and it is ,in a way ,as "Jo" is like a mother to Steve,writing letters for his mom,and urging him to leave this place before he becomes like "them"...And of course ,the boy falls for her...But the movie avoids metaphysical pretensions and focuses on the way events,Jo and Jeremy (James Cagney) make a man of him -that's what the young lad says in the first minutes-.Superbly filmed with splendid colors and a good use of the wide screen ,the plot revolves around Jeremy and his horses.Jeremy is an ambiguous character (check the title which is thoroughly appropriate: does a "bad" man deserve a tribute?) Rodock can be very cruel ,a cruelty which culminates in a scene where he forces the thieves to walk some miles on a rocky trail without their boots.But he shows in the last scenes that he longs to be loved too.Hats off to Robert Wise,a director who could excel in westerns ,Musicals ("West Side Story") ,horror movies ("the haunting" (1963!) is better than any horror movie I can think of) ,sci-fi ("the day the earth stood still") ,films noirs ("the set up" " odds against tomorrow " )and made the best movie dealing with death row ("I want to live" )!

ashew Since, by and large, this is a forgotten film, I wasn't expecting too much when I sat down to watch it. I was stunned to find a throughly enjoyable film. Fair warning: This is not a shoot-em-up Western...it is a human drama with one fist-fight, one gun battle, one hanging, and some (well-deserved) torture of the bad guys.Evidently, I am a bad man...because I couldn't find one thing wrong with the way the Cagney character went about his business. He was strong, fair...and brutal ONLY when he had to be. Yes, that brutality would have been unforgivable if there was a sheriff or other body of law close-by, but the movie makes the point repeatedly that there is no law for 200 miles in any direction. When there is a vacuum, or void, one must fill it. What the Cagney character does is fill that void with the mandatory strength and frontier justice required for the situation. What he did does not work in today's society, but they weren't living in today's society, so one must take the philosophy in context of the times. He was not an unfair man, or brutal for the fun of it...he was brutal in order to punish the guilty who were there to steal from him...to steal his property, his livelihood, and also those who would try to steal his woman. Personally, I think if there was a bit more justice Cagney style, we wouldn't have nearly the level of crime we do today.Even with regard to how he treats the Irene Papas character, I didn't see great fault with the man. Yes, he put off marrying her because he had issues, but virtually every scene they had together he was showing her some sort of affection, or enjoying her company...and never in a perverted "I own you" kind of way, but you could see in his face how deeply he cared for her. The drama arises from his determination to hang those who would steal his horses from him, and the Papas character's revulsion by it. Other than that, they clearly love each other.Robert Wise does a masterful job with the directing...this is a gorgeous film. Whether it's one of the massive Cinemascope shots, or an intimate two-shot in a barn at night, everything is just beautiful.The acting throughout is quite good, with Irene Papas absolutely phenomenal in her central role. Cagney, with only one or two over-the-top moments, is outstanding as the tough-shell-tender-center rancher who must keep an entire world together...land, men, women, and cattle. He was an actor who could do more with a guttural sound than he could with a paragraph of dialogue. He has some brilliant moments in this film. Don Dubbins is perfectly cast as the "soft" Easterner trying to make it as a horse wrangler. At first I thought I didn't like his acting, but I think it was actually the character he was playing that I didn't like...a bit too meek for my taste...but that was the character written, so he must have done a good job if I believed it enough to not like it. My only real complaint is that there's not even close to enough screen time for Chubby Johnson, Lee Van Cleef, and Royal Dano.The weakest part of the film is probably the script, which is decent, but not great. Fortunately, they hired top named actors for leads and support, and they infused the movie with a lot that wasn't on the page.Overall, an enjoyable Western that is well worth a viewing. 8 out of 10 from me for the great Cagney and Papas, plus the brilliance of Robert Wise's direction.

funkyfry ****POSSIBLE SPOILERS*******Glorious western morality story with a loose, authentic feel and look. Cagney plays a rough horse rancher intent on hanging anyone who steals his horses, regardless of the law. When a new recruit comes from the East (Dubbins), Cagney's girlfriend (Papas) re-evaluates the morals at issue and finds she can't live with Cagney. But, he too has changed his attitude -- after forcing a neighbor's son (Morrow) and his compatriots to march for miles with no shoes. Real human emotions and relationships are at the fore, and there are no pat solutions being offered here. Fantastic photography and involved directing. Van Cleef, for once, is seen without a gun in his hand, and no ulterior motives -- he's just a wrangler with a dry wit! A very refreshing western film with a good script.... one of the best of the decade.