Man of the West

A pretty dark western for its time and very well plotted. Even with an idea of how things will turn out it's still pretty tense and Cooper does a good job creating a complex character. Also have to throw in a mention for the great shots.

It's a little simplistic in its good vs. evil themes... oh, they try to make it look like Gary Cooper is conflicted, but you know all along he's a good guy and he's going to do the right thing. It's odd to put Julie London in a movie, label her character as a singer, and not even give her one tune. She's got a great set of pipes (and a great set of, ahem, something else) so let her use 'em. But it's an entertaining flick, and I've fully warmed up to Gary Cooper.

It makes use of all the western clichés in such a masterful way.

Almost seems to set a template for UNFORGIVEN, in its tale of a reformed dubious character being dragged back into violence, but there is not a great deal of weight or complexity given to these themes, hindered further by Cobb and Cooper's diametrically opposed, "irresistible force/unmovable object" performances. Some beautiful widescreen scenery is a highlight, however Mann sometimes seems ill at ease with the wide aspect ratio, especially in the cluttered crowd scenes.

A film in which death of all things - of men, of dignity, of the West itself - becomes the primary emotion, a catalyst for the brutal violence and deep sadness that pervades its entirety. Gary Cooper gives one of the few great performances of his career, and Anthony Mann's compositions brilliantly frame the tension and the fragility of this bleak and powerful story.

# 606

Incredibly cinematic in its presentation; there are so many great shots and moments. The script/story however is a dime a dozen.

Another fine Mann western--a little bleaker than usual.

589

Very good "adult" western (meaning stuff that they wouldn't show on TV). Definitely see this one on the big screen if you can

Gary Cooper was a pretty underrated actor for whatever reason. One of Mann's best, also has Lee J. Cobb chewing scenery every chance he gets.

we can't "progress" into the womb of civilisation without confronting the shadowy corners of our childhood homes--and god, what demons reside in those hidden pockets of our history, their stench emanating from the screen. years before hellman, mann's most abstract western offers a mirror to the repressed consciousness of a nation, asking of us: how easily will you end back where you started? did you ever leave? as per BEND OF THE RIVER, can you reconcile shimmering image with festering reality?

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

86.500

Above-average western with a dark side and no likable characters.

tren, tren soygunu, yürümek, çiftlik, geçmişle yüzleşmek, kadin, soyguncu, eski suçlu adamin geçmişiyle yüzleşmesini konu edinmiş.

a follow-up to High Noon? fight scenes were not really good.

There are a few really tremendous shots scattered about, plus an interesting climax in a deserted mining town which resembles the coming Spaghetti wave, but in general this is all very loose and contrived, offering little incentive to invest in Cooper's heroics or Cobb's insatiable villainy.

watched: 2013, 2014, 2023

Slow moving but well-acted and Cooper and London have unexpectedly great chemistry

Creio que dentro do western nenhum outro diretor teve a estruturação espacial que o Mann conseguiu - um deleite. Western #2 do Anthony Mann no fim de semana. DVD Versátil Cinema Faroeste Volume 4

Sorry Jean-Luc Godard, it's just not that great.

83.500

Goddammit this is boring. Reginald Rose and Lee J. Cobb followed up 12 Angry Men with THIS?!

612

Cliched but perfectly solid. Stock plot, only somewhat unusual aspect being that the potential romance is doomed since Cooper's married for unclear reasons. Tad darker than some other '50s westerns; you can see the shift toward the Revisionist period. Cobb is predictably fun as the over the top leader of Cooper's former gang. Funny that Cobb is playing a character much older than Cooper's even though Cooper is 10 years older. Odd that Julie London (a singer), plays a singer, but doesn't sing.

1140: not bad! old fashion action! look like funny!!

Mann underplays the big emotional moments, particularly in the case of the final showdown. That choice gives the film some extra gravitas which it earns through a quiet building of the tension between Link and Doc. Mann's use of wide and long landscape shots heightens the sense of isolation, as well as the small stature of the characters in their world. Also,I'm happy with any film that allows Lee Cobb to chew up scenes.

#661

Married cowboy and a lady: stupid plot with some useless characters, there is no possibility of romance, pretty bad "High Noon" short in last fifteen minutes. unfortunately it's not Mann's finest hour. B-