A curiously listless western that should have been better, given the cast, the composer, and the cinematography. Somehow the story never develops any energy or momentum. Even the climactic shootout falls flat.
The film seems unsure of exactly what it wants to be. The ending (spoiler ahead!) provides a perfect example. Robert Mitchum holds off shooting the bad guy so a younger man can take the shot and prove himself. As a result, Mitchum himself is shot - apparently very gravely. He refuses whiskey, says he stayed too long in this town, and is cried over by his ex, Jan Sterling. So he's dying, right? ... Not so fast. In a blink of an eye, the mood changes. Mitchum declares he's retiring as a gunfighter to live a peaceful life, and he and Jan smooch as the music announces a happy ending. It's as though scenes from two different movies were ineptly spliced together.
Much of the film is like that. Henry Hull is a sheriff who only wants to avoid trouble, yet he's willing to lend a hand in Mitchum's highly dangerous crusade. For most of the running time, Jan Sterling (drained of sex appeal by an unflattering hairstyle, costume, and makeup) seemingly declines to take sides in Mitchum's fight against the local powerbroker, even though her personal interests are directly involved. Mitchum himself nearly burns down the town he's been hired to save and, oddly, doesn't think it's any big deal.
It would be nice to believe that these ambiguities reflect depth and subtlety of characterization, but I think they just represent confused storytelling. The script tacks various scenes together without concern for consistency, and presents a host of characters whose motivations are foggy at best.
The film seems unsure of exactly what it wants to be. The ending (spoiler ahead!) provides a perfect example. Robert Mitchum holds off shooting the bad guy so a younger man can take the shot and prove himself. As a result, Mitchum himself is shot - apparently very gravely. He refuses whiskey, says he stayed too long in this town, and is cried over by his ex, Jan Sterling. So he's dying, right? ... Not so fast. In a blink of an eye, the mood changes. Mitchum declares he's retiring as a gunfighter to live a peaceful life, and he and Jan smooch as the music announces a happy ending. It's as though scenes from two different movies were ineptly spliced together.
Much of the film is like that. Henry Hull is a sheriff who only wants to avoid trouble, yet he's willing to lend a hand in Mitchum's highly dangerous crusade. For most of the running time, Jan Sterling (drained of sex appeal by an unflattering hairstyle, costume, and makeup) seemingly declines to take sides in Mitchum's fight against the local powerbroker, even though her personal interests are directly involved. Mitchum himself nearly burns down the town he's been hired to save and, oddly, doesn't think it's any big deal.
It would be nice to believe that these ambiguities reflect depth and subtlety of characterization, but I think they just represent confused storytelling. The script tacks various scenes together without concern for consistency, and presents a host of characters whose motivations are foggy at best.