Waste of time

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

BROKEN LANCE is a run of the mill Western elevated by Spencer Tracy's unfailingly high acting standards. Screenplay is OK, with an ending that requires much suspension of disbelief, and with a vested anti-racism message which, back in 1954, must have been unusual and even necessary. Film critic Leonard Maltin sees it as Shakespeare's King Lear in the male version and in the West. He may have a point, though one could argue that the parable of the prodigal son also comes to mind, except that that son is of mixed race (Wagner) who is returning from doing time, and brother Widmark resents him to the point of short-changing him in terms of inheritance.Widmark begins well enough but gradually goes wide of the mark, and by the end his character is overblown with self-pity, hatred, greed, envy, and many other sins, to the point of trying to shoot his half-brother (the whole sequence is pathetic and lets the film down badly). Needless to say, by comparison Wagner comes across as an angel, not least because he has done three years in jail by taking the blame for a misdeed by his father, Tracy, thereby sparing the latter that time behind bars. That situation in effect gives Wagner the plum part in the movie but, sadly, apart from the moment when he throws a wad of money into a spitoon, he misses the opportunity. I would have loved to see Marlon Brando in that part. Katy Jurado, playing Tracy's second wife and the daughter of an Indian chief, is Wagner's mother. Her weak acting is particularly exposed when she comes face to face with Tracy. The other two brothers hardly have a thing to say, and sound dumb when they open their mouths. Jean Peters is beautiful, which is a plus, but her role is rather limited. The actor who plays her father is convincing, but his part is too short to be noteworthy.Photography and settings are first class, and give this movie a kind of GONE WITH THE WIND look at times. I have now seen this film some five times, and to me it ends with Tracy's death. The remaining 20+ minutes are painful to watch without him, especially the thoroughly unbelievable sequence where Widmark tries to do Wagner.

If you want to see Spencer Tracy in a Western, you'll have to take what you get here in this story of a land baron who alienates his sons but expects their undying loyalty at the same time. Don't get me wrong, Tracy's good here in his role, but the story is a bit convoluted with the renegade sons, and relies on youngest half-brother Joe (Robert Wagner) to take the fall for his father's going off half cocked at a copper mine and destroying a good portion of the company's assets. I couldn't help but feel a little more work could have gone into the story line, and yet it won a 1955 Oscar for Best Writing. Go figure.Just going by the cast list, this should have been something special. Richard Widmark, Hugh O'Brian and Earl Holliman portray the older three brothers, born of Matt Devereaux's (Tracy) first wife, but their characters were never really developed to any significant degree. All we get is that Ben (Widmark) is the strong willed oldest brother, and Denny is the whiny, sniveling sibling who has a penchant for being disagreeable. Quite honestly, I don't know why O'Brian was even needed in the story, did he even say anything throughout the picture?Actually, it seemed like Katy Jurado was the force that kept the momentum of the picture on track as Matt's second wife and mother of Joe. Funny, but apparently she didn't have her own name in the story, she just went by Senora Devereaux. The more I see Jurado in these kinds of roles, the more I seem to like her. I guess I'd have to say I enjoyed her best in 1952's "High Noon", a movie that's just about on everyone's favorite Westerns list.Told in an extended flashback manner, the story eventually catches itself back up in real time to find Matt Devereaux attempting to wield his authority one last time to prevent his sons from selling off parts of his empire to fund other interests. Senora Devereaux uses her influence with son Joe to stop him from seeking revenge on his older brothers, though there is a neat fight between Ben and Joe near the top of a rocky outcrop. My vote for best performance goes to the two stuntmen who filled in at that point; the way they rolled down the side of that mountain looked like it would have been mighty painful.

Dear me this is a western in name only. With all the star names I expected a lot more. Hugh O'Brian totally wasted with hardly any lines. None of the sons would have put up with the bullying overbearing prick of a father! Maybe the movie was aimed at women as it had so many male stars but this bloke thought it a disappointing watch to say the least. Perhaps I am one of the few people who think Spencer Tracy, whilst an excellent actor in some of his films, perhaps westerns are not his forte. I don't even like 'Bad day at Black Rock' which I found rather silly. If 'Broken Lance' was remade today, we would have an entirely different movie with perhaps a more realistic storyline.

This 1954 Cinemascope flick, full of action, was inspired by Shakepeare's King Lear (as was West Side Story by Romeo and Juliet) and you can appreciate that in the script adaptation (which won an Academy Award). There's some great acting in it. Tracy, Peters, Wagner, Widmark and Katy Jurado (also nominated as best supporting actress for the film) are all top rate. Dmytric directed a very special western (that is much more than just a simple western because it has character). The film, his direction and most of its players should have been considered for Academy Awards. Nominated were also the cinematography and the musical score (which won). If you like westerns, definitely see it. If you don't, you should consider some of its other outstanding assets: Its theme, plot, suspense, no-nonsense romance, bigot-ism, action, family betrayal and the exceptional combination of great cinematography, with top level direction and acting. This was movie-making at its best. They don't make them like that anymore!