Best movie ever!

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It pains me to say this because Jimmy Cagney is one of my favorite actors, but the whole time I watched him in this picture I kept thinking of Dan Blocker's Hoss Cartwright from "Bonanza". Cagney had added a fair number of pounds over the years, and no longer resembled the slim hoofer that he was back in the 1930's when he established himself as a top flight gangster in film. I'm sure that vest he wore added to my perception.In the story, Cagney's character Jeremy Rodock was one mean a-- rancher and horse trader. He subscribed to the one man rule of law in the absence of legal authority, and I got a pretty good idea that he wouldn't have been in favor of our current president's redistribution of wealth agenda. I had never heard the term 'hangin' fever' in a fair share of Westerns I've seen before, so I'm guessing the term was made up for this picture, but it served pretty well for Rodock's brand of justice.As always, Cagney's performance in the story is credible, but after seeing him in many other vehicles, it's hard to warm up to his presence in a Western. The same goes for his appearance in "The Oklahoma Kid', featuring another personal favorite, Humphrey Bogart. Both appeared in that picture as opposing outlaws, and though a largely forgettable film in each actor's repertoire, they did participate in one of the wildest bar room brawls you're likely to find, recommendation enough in my mind to check that one out.Irene Papas also takes center stage in this story as the long time companion of Rodock. Her disillusionment with Rodock's personal code meets it's strongest test in the growing admiration of young Steve Millar (Don Dubbibs), who hires on after his role in an opening gunfight. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he attempted to run away with Jocasta (Papas) before that miles long walk through the desert.Brilliantly filmed in gorgeous Eastman Color, "Tribute To A Badman" might not have been the best title for this story, as Rodock was as fair minded as they came when dealing man to man. Cross him though and there was hell to pay. That, I think, could have been a useful alternate title.

This is a very good and very unusual film because I really didn't predict where the film would go--despite first appearances. A young Easterner comes upon Jimmy Cagney as he's being "bushwhacked"--in other words, he's been trapped by horse thieves and they are trying to shoot him. The actor's name who played the Easterner escapes me and I really don't care who he was--the film WAS a Cagney film after all. And once Cagney has been extricated from this ordeal, he and the young man become friends, of sorts.Later, the young man decides to stay and work for Cagney at his horse ranch. However, much his new duties involve chasing down rustlers. Unfortunately, Cagney sees himself as the law and hangs the crooks without a trial. This really disturbs the young guy and Cagney's girlfriend, Irene Pappas. As a result of Cagney's brutality, both the girl and young man are prepared to leave for good. Here is where the film gets good and really heats up. Fortunately, the film does NOT take the easy way out and give us the conclusion we'd expect--ending on a very positive note.Of the films of the later part of Cagney's career (after WHITE HEAT), this is among the very best. Worth while even if you are not a fan of the genre or Cagney--it's a very unique and watchable flick.

Stepping into the place of Spencer Tracy, James Cagney plays Jeremy Rodock in Tribute to a Bad Man. It's the story of a man in the wilds of the west where there is no law and he has to make his own to hold his own.Of course in that kind of rugged country your character is also changed by the responsibility you have. You make a lot of enemies.Don Dubbins is a young drifter who comes into the valley that Rodock and his spread dominate and finds a badly wounded Rodock. He administers some first aid and gets him back to his ranch. Cagney because he owes him his life, takes Dubbins in.Cagney's got a live in mistress in Irene Papas and Dubbins goes kind of sweet on her. She's also got another admirer in one of the other ranch hands, Stephen McNally. If you think the plot is beginning to resemble Jubal which came out the same year, you're right.Tribute to a Bad Man is the last of three Cagney westerns, The Oklahoma Kid and Run For Cover are the other two. I've never felt Cagney's urban persona is quite home on the range, but he does deliver a very good performance.Best in the film however by far is Vic Morrow. He's the son of a rival rancher who Cagney catches stealing his horses. I can't say, but watch what he does to 'punish' him and then lets up. But Morrow's speech letting him know he's got a permanent enemy is the highlight of the film.Without Cagney the film would be less than memorable though.

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.