jarrodmcdonald-1 I've always liked this film. The main reason is because the script is written in a way that none of the main cast dominates the action. Some of them are off screen for stretches of time, while the others take over the story. And as this happens, it gives minor supporting players a chance to step up and shine. Another reason I enjoy this film so much is because Robert Douglas gives a realistic portrayal of a man with an agonizing disability. Also the two stars of the picture, Dane Clark and Ruth Roman, seem to have a respectful give and take in all their moments on screen. The direction is flawless, and the writing (based on Jack London's THE SEA WOLF) provides a strong set of conflicts that motivates all of them in a setting that can best be described as their mutual hell. The reigning tyrant, or devil in such a hell, is given humanness by Raymond Massey who understands that the other characters and an audience sometimes needs someone to hate, intensely.

LeonLouisRicci Off Center, Obscure B-Western with Intelligent Intricacies Not usually Found in the Glut of Westerns before Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher got Hold of the Reins. It is Full of Wordy and Philosophical Exchanges among a Cast of severely Flawed Characters.The Evil Personified Raymond Massey, Brutal, Tyrannical, and Sadistic Oversees a Man Made Hell of a Mining Camp and Spouts Things like if He Meets the Devil, They will Get Along just Fine. Dane Clark is the Closest thing to a Hero but is On the Run from the Law, as is Ruth Roman, the Only Female Character that spends Half the Film on Her Back (due to a violent stagecoach crash). There is an Alcoholic Bible-Thumping Judge, and an Undersized Motor Mouth that clearly has a lot of Issues. Robert Douglas as Massey's Counterpart, a Lawyer that is also Hobbled from the Crash and Matches Wits with the Dictatorial Massey is Comfortably Contrasted. Also, surprisingly, the Movie is Filmed in Color and that is really the only Bright Thing in this Cynical, Under-Seen, little Gem. Dark with a High-Brow Script, the major Disappointment is the Gunfight Finale that Cuts away in Midstream and almost Looks like They just ran Out of Money (it is absurdly abrupt).Overall, a Western that has been Ignored and Forgotten but it really is Something Special, Different, and a Refreshing Cerebral Change from Genre Tropes, Especially Early in 1950.

dougdoepke Jack London's Sea Wolf (1941) is remade here into an undistinguished oater. Nonetheless, Massey is effective as the tyrannical mine boss, loudly lording it over his hapless men in a role tailor made for the actor's powerful presence. A rather subdued Dane Clark, however, is again playing second fiddle to John Garfield in a role Garfield had in the much more expensive original. But, pity a poor well-scrubbed Ruth Roman who looks utterly lost in an ill-defined eye-candy role.What's notable in this remake is the absence of an intellectual counterweight to the tyrant's Nietzschean view of humankind. What there is in this version is divided between the sometimes philosophical comments of Milburn (Douglas) plus those of the Judge (Farley). In the original, it was actor Alexander Knox who went toe to toe with the tyrannical Edward G. Robinson. Likely, the producers figured a sagebrush opera was not the place for intellectual debate, which nonetheless sparked the original. Speaking of the production, it does a good job of making a budget effort appear bigger than it is. Despite appearances, the production never leaves greater LA, making good use of Vasquez Rocks and Bronson Canyon.Then there's that wagon crash that's no stock footage and a real stunner. Still and all, the drama never really gels, while the script and direction remain lackluster, at best. And considering the Jack London roots, that's a genuine disappointment.

henri sauvage This is in fact an unusual Western for its time, or for that matter, any other. I have to give the makers high marks for original thinking and a certain audacity for transplanting the 1941 film version of Jack London's famous story from its original salty environs to the bleak Southwestern desert, in this often scene-for-scene remake.Instead of a seal-hunting ship crewed by the scum of the sea, this time the action takes place at a mine worked by outcasts and fugitives from the law, kept in line by the brutal discipline of the owner, thoroughly detestable "Boss" Kruger (Raymond Massey) and his henchmen. All the characters from the 1941 movie are here, with minor changes, even down to the disgraced alcoholic judge who fills the same role as the ship's doctor in the previous film.There are some worthwhile things about this version, including the Technicolor desert scenery and performances which range from at least adequate to quite good. But any viewer who's familiar with 1941's "The Sea Wolf" will find themselves making unfavorable comparisons. The director, while certainly competent, is no Michael Curtiz, and Dane Clark and Raymond Massey -- although fine actors in their own right -- just aren't a John Garfield and Edward G. Robinson. Clark lacks Garfield's raw presence,and Massey never displayed the kind of edge Robinson could bring to a dramatic role.However, Ruth Roman is a fairly passable substitute for Ida Lupino. Robert Douglas ("The Fountainhead", "King Richard and the Crusaders", "The Prisoner of Zenda") gets a rare break from his typical personification of a slimy, aristocratic villain when he recreates Alexander Knox's character from the 1941 film, but the script never allows him to develop the more complex relationship with Kruger that his counterpart had with "Wolf" Larsen.Which I think gets to the heart of what went wrong here: Despite its 77-minute running time, "Barricade" is nonetheless rather slow-paced and talky for a Western. But compared to "The Sea Wolf" -- which clocked in at 90 minutes, not a one of them wasted -- the characters aren't given enough time to become fully fleshed-out. Particularly Kruger, who as a petty Lucifer ruling his own private Hell should have a certain shabby yet tragic magnificence to counterpoint his ruthless thuggery. I still recommend "Barricade" as worth a viewing, even if this abbreviated remake doesn't quite measure up to the original.