Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Brilliant and touching

Amateur movie with Big budget

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

I just finished watching Man Of The West on television, specifically Turner Classic Movies. I have seen the movie once before but not at a time when I could go online a few minutes later and write a review.I have been to many of the location sites found in the movie. Paradoxically, I have visited the sites because of my love for movies like Man Of The West. Now the locations, and those western movies, kind of affectionately support each other in my psyche. Point is; I like the scenery found in the film. Man Of The West is an adult western. There is the unambiguous suggestion of sex and some general adult themes. The villains come in various shapes and sizes and mental disorders, including a mute man, and a crazed sex maniac, and a psychotic old man played by an actor (Lee J. Cobb) ten years older than the man playing his adopted son (Gary Cooper). All the characters seem realistic in their own way, a tribute to the cast.It was a solid, well-made western almost 60 years of age that remains dynamic today.

From director Anthony Mann (Winchester '73, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie, El Cid), I only knew the leading actor in classic western High Noon, I wouldn't have known he starred in many others, this was another one in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Basically Link Jones (Gary Cooper) is a reformed outlaw travelling to Crosscut, Texas to hire a schoolteacher, conman Sam Beasley (Arthur O'Connell) briefly speaks to him, and this rouses the suspicions of the town marshal who thinks he looks familiar, and on the train Sam introduces him Crosscut saloon singer Billie Ellis (Julie London) who is keen to be a teacher. Thieves Coaley Tobin (Jack Lord), Trout (Royal Dano) and Ponch (Robert J. Wilke) attempt to rob the train, and Link is knocked unconscious trying to intervene, and after recovering and helping Sam and Billie he finds the thieves hiding out in a rundown house. Aging outlaw Dock Tobin (The Exorcist's Lee J. Cobb) comes in and is shocked to see his nephew Link, he abandoned him years ago allowing him to go straight, he says things have not been the same since he left, he is introduced to the roughnecks, including Coaley, his cousin. He realises he and his friends are in danger when Coaley kills the wounded and near death Alcutt (Jack Williams), he lies to his uncle to get away, but he wants him to remain with the gang to rob a bank in the town of Lassoo, he only agrees to protect Billie. There is a point when Billie is threatened to strip by Coaley, and Tobin takes his time to stop it, they are soon joined by another cousin, Claude Tobin (John Dehner), and set on the four day ride to Lassoo, on the journey Link and Coaley get into a brutal fistfight, Sam tries to intervene and is shot, after being humiliated by Link and attempting to kill him Coaley is shot by Tobin. Billie has affectionate feelings for Link, but back in his home town Good Hope he is already married with a child, he volunteers to lead the robbery, he is joined by mute Trout (Royal Dano) but the town turns to be a ghost town, so Link kills Trout, and in gun battle he kills Ponch and with regret also Claude. He returns to Billie and is shocked to find her raped and beaten, so he searches for Tobin who is above on the cliffs, after some taunting he does get shot and the bag of money is stole is taken back, with the day saved Billie says she will return to singing, while Link rides back to Good Hope to his family. Also starring Guy Wilkerson as Train Conductor, Chuck Roberson as Rifleman-Guard on Train, Frank Ferguson as Crosscut Marshal, Emory Parnell as Henry, Tina Menard as Juanita and Joe Dominguez as Mexican Man. Cooper gives a good performance full of gravitas and intensity, London is interesting as the leading female, and Cobb is chosen well as the villain, I will confess that I found the story difficult to follow at times, but there enough controversial moments, such as the rape scene, and of course the showdown style gun fight near the end is really engaging, so all in all it is a watchable western. Very good!

Tense , violent ,epic Western in which Gary Cooper , Lee J Cobb and Julie London stand out . Brilliant and taut Western with wonderful use of locations and top-of-the-range cast . Gary Cooper is the Man of the West , a reformed outlaw called Link Jones (Gary Cooper , he bravely did his own horse-riding scenes despite physical pain from a car accident years earlier though) becomes stranded after an aborted train robbery with two other passengers (Julie London , Arthur O'Connell) . Cooper is forced to rejoin his ex-colleague (Lee J Cobb) and ex-boss to save himself and other innocent people from the band's (Jack Lord , Robert J Wilke, Royal Dano) mistreatment .Magnificent Western plenty of thrills , shootouts , violence , gorgeous landscapes and results to be pretty entertaining . This excellent Western deserves another look at 1958 , nowadays is better considered then the 50s when was dismissed . In spite of its violence that influenced in Spaghetti Western , ¨Man of the West¨ turns out to be an essential and indispensable Western for hardcore aficionados . Jean-Luc Godard, a film critic before he became a director, raved about the film saying it was the best film of that year ; because of his recommendation, the film has been reevaluated and is now considered a classic western . Gary Cooper is frankly well in the role that fits him like a gun fits a holster .Gary Cooper was, at 56, a decade older than Lee J. Cobb who played his "Uncle" Dock Tobin , in the film Cooper and John Dehner talk about being children together , Dehner was actually fourteen years younger than Cooper . However , Stewart Granger was originally announced for the lead role and James Stewart eagerly sought the role played by Gary Cooper, but since Stewart had fallen out with director Anthony Mann he did not get the part . Very good support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as Jack Lord , Royal Dano , Robert J Wilke , Arthur O'Connell , Frank Ferguson and special mention to Lee J Cobb . Colorful cinematography in CinemaScope by Ernest Haller . Powerful and thrilling musical score by Leigh Harline . This top-drawer Western was stunningly realized by the master Anthony Mann , infusing the traditional Western with psychological confusion , including his characteristic use of landscape with marvelous use of outdoors which is visually memorable . Mann established his forte with magnificent Western almost always with James Stewart . In his beginnings he made ambitious but short-lived quality low-budget surroundings of Eagle-Lion production as ¨T-men¨ , ¨They walked by night¨ , ¨Raw deal¨ , ¨Railroaded¨ and ¨Desperate¨ . Later on , he made various Western , remarkably good , masterpieces such as ¨The furies¨ , and ¨Devil's doorway¨ and several with his habitual star , James Stewart, as ¨Winchester 73¨ , ¨Bend the river¨ and ¨The far country¨ . They are characterized by roles whose determination to stick to their guns would take them to the limits of their endurance . Others in this throughly enjoyable series include ¨Tin star ¨ and ¨Man of the West¨ is probably one of the best Western in the fifties and sixties . After the mid-50 , Mann's successes came less frequently , though directed another good Western with Victor Mature titled ¨The last frontier¨. And of course ¨Man of the West ¨ that turns out to be stylish , fast paced , solid , meticulous , with enjoyable look , and most powerful and well-considered . This well acted movie is gripping every step of the way . It results to be a splendid western and remains consistently agreeable . Rating : Above average , the result is a top-of-range Western . Well worth watching and it will appeal to Gary Cooper fans .

There's a lot to like about this excellent Anthony Mann Western.Great "passing of the West" theme.Great tension and dramatic plot developmentReally good supporting acting. Lee J. Cobb gives a bravura performance. Jack Lord is tremendous as the henchman. Great work by John Dehner as Link's cousin. It's hard to take Dehner seriously, because he appeared so many "B" pictures and TV westerns. But here he comes across as a legit "A" list supporting actor. Julie London is surprisingly effective and Arthur O'Connell provides solid support as well.However, there were a number of things that prevented this movie from being better:Gary Cooper's just way too old for this role. The logic of the its own plot says he should be 40 or so, while he looks like he's 60. That also hurts in the creepy romantic subplot with Julie London, a woman nearly 30 years his junior.As is typical in many Anthony Mann movies, there are gaping plot holes. Mainly the preposterous coincidence that Link gets left by the train within short walking distance of his old hideout - and his whole gang is sitting right there, even though he hasn't been anywhere near the place in over a decade.Another plot hole, how could Tobin possibly not have known that Lassoo was a ghost town. He seemed to know a ton about the gold kept there. Also, it also wasn't much of a town, what, 10 buildings in total. How much money was in that bank? Another case of Mann deciding he wanted a climactic shoot out in a small ghost town and not ensuring that the plot sets it up properly.I thought the rape scenes - graphic for their time - were gratuitous.I didn't see the point of killing the Mexican woman in Lassoo. Mann seems sadistic at times.At the end Link and Billie ride off into the sunset, but isn't the whole territory out looking for Link now? Claude said the telegraph wires were "burning" that the sheriff had identified him. What about his horse back in Crosscut? Also, he told everyone where he was from. Won't they hunt him down in his home town now?It may sound like I'm nitpicking, but all these things add up and most of them aren't necessary. Mann was just very sloppy with plot details. I like to give credit to directors who went to the trouble to preserve the integrity of their stories.