Man of the West
"...bullet fast, forcedul and authoritative." - Ruth Waterbury, Los Angeles Examiner
In his last great role, Gary Cooper powerfully demonstrates why he will forever be remembered as one of the most original and authentic stars of the screen. Tight-lipped, capable yet vulnerable, Cooper's portrayal of a former outlaw whose past returns to haunt him ranks among his best.
When the train he is on gets robbed, Link Jones (Cooper) finds himself unwillingly reunited with his old gang. Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb), the gang's sadistic, half-crazed patriarch, was like a father to Link some twenty years past and welcomes him back. To survive, Link must take up his old ways - his killing ways. What was once his "family" has now become his hell.
Renowned for its breathtakingly violent fist fight between Cooper and bad guy Jack Lord (Hawaii Five-O), director Anthony Mann's strongly allegorical film - generally dismissed in its initial 1958 release - has since gained a reputation as one of the finest achievements from the Western's golden age.
Member Reviews
Failure on release in 1958, but now considered a classic. - seenonflickr
Gary Cooper plays a reformed outlaw who has to rejoin his former cronies after being caught up in a train robbery. According to IMDB, "[t]he movie was a critical and commercial failure on its release in 1958. This was largely blamed on the casting of Gary Cooper, who was considered to have been badly miscast due to his age." and "Jean-Luc Godard [...] raved about the film saying it was the best film of that year [and it] is now considered a classic western."A true man of the West - caladonia
A final performance by Gary Cooper in which he reprises to some extent his performance in "High Noon".
Needless to say Coop seems tired in this movie and a little too old to be sparring with Jack Lord. He turns in his usual professional job in a film which characterises the Western genre. Well worth a look if you like Westerns.
Member Reviews
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Failure on release in 1958, but now considered a classic. - seenonflickr
Gary Cooper plays a reformed outlaw who has to rejoin his former cronies after being caught up in a train robbery. According to IMDB, "[t]he movie was a critical and commercial failure on its release in 1958. This was largely blamed on the casting of Gary ...A true man of the West - caladonia
A final performance by Gary Cooper in which he reprises to some extent his performance in "High Noon".
Needless to say Coop seems tired in this movie and a little too old to be sparring with Jack Lord. He turns in his usual professional job in a film which ...