While Pursued is a good effort to produce one of the first psychologically based film noir westerns, it seriously lacks an kind of real propulsion until very late on in the film. Coupled with a sometimes strange and surreal plotline, some elements of the excellently produced action scenes are left unsupported. In other aspects it does work very well indeed, but the taints are difficult to totally ignore. However the general quality of the Pursued's production does still stand out overall.

711

Years before taking the title role in Night of the Hunter, Robert Mitchum played the hunted in this movie that's more film noir than Western. While there's nothing truly spectacular about it, it's quite excellent in every regard and thoroughly watchable. A tight script (some of Mitchum's voiceover monologue is a bit overcooked, but no more so than your average noir), good performances, stark cinematography, a fair-to-good Max Steiner score, dark psychology and a lot of tense moments.

# 862

A "noir Western". Not bad but just a curio

Hollywood's Freudian fad of the Forties invades the Western. Interesting but inevitably dated, and a bit outside Walsh's range as a director.

The way the background story is told is a little unlogical and the rest of the movie has some flaws too, but overall it's an interesting experience.

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