JohnnyLee1 Captivating once it settles into its stride. This is not a conventional Western. Watch Cooper not acting, he's so natural. Especially his first scene with Lee J Cobb in which he hardly speaks. Some unexpected scenes not typical of the era - as Doc (Cobb) says: "I haven't seen that before!" Camerawork is outstanding as is the setting. But mainly it's Coop's film.

Wuchak Released in 1958 and directed by Anthony Mann, "Man of the West" stars Gary Cooper as a reformed owlhoot who becomes stranded with two others (Julie London & Arthur O'Connell) in the Arizona wilderness after their train is ambushed. They eventually make their way to a hidden ranch in the rolling hills, which ushers in phantoms of the ex-outlaw's past.This is hailed as a cult classic and it's obvious why: To compete with so-called adult TV Westerns of the mid-late 50s, like Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Maverick and the brutal The Rifleman (for which Sam Peckinpah directed several segments), Mann made "Man of the West" so 'adult' that there would be no comparison. He obviously wanted to spur people away from their TV sets and into the theater, along with the added attractions of widescreen, color, spectacular locations and just all-around superior filmmaking.What's so 'adult' about "Man of the West"? The portrait of the West it paints is decidedly harsh with its band of psychotic killers and an ex-outlaw as a protagonist who's constantly on the verge of letting loose his long-held-in-check violent nature to stamp out the specters of his past. On top of this you have risqué and risky moments for the era (which are rather tame today), like London's character being forced to strip in front of the dudes and an off-screen rape. The other gang members, by the way, are played by Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano and Robert J. Wilke.Some reviewers criticize the film for reasons that aren't very justified; for instance, the fact that Lee J. Cobb, who plays the half-mad uncle of Link (Cooper), was ten years younger than Cooper. Yet Cooper's role was originally slated for the younger Stewart Granger. (James Stewart, Mann's go-to man in five of his previous Westerns, desperately wanted the role, but Mann overlooked him due to their falling out during the pre-production of 1957's "Night Passage" wherein Mann pulled out). In any case, Cobb is made out to be about 10-12 years older than Link and I think it works for the most part, particularly since Cooper was still lean & mean at 56 during shooting, although his character is supposed to be 20 years younger. (Cooper would incidentally pass away a mere four years later). True, Link's face looks withered, but it could be argued that that's what a hard life in the Old West does to a man.Another criticism is the idea that Dock believed the bank in Lassoo would be full of money when the settlement turns out to be a virtual ghost town. Yet ghost towns were birthed overnight back then when mines would suddenly shut down, etc. The looney Dock obviously based his scheme on data from years earlier and an update on the town's status hadn't yet come to him or his gang. They were used to hiding out in their spare time and there was no internet or cell phones. Where's the beef? That said, there are some justifiable criticisms, like the surreal and lame melodramatics, the slow-pace and the dubiously choreographed fist fight sequence. These elements are so bad they might send modern viewers running away screaming. Thankfully, lame aspects like this went out of vogue by the 60s.If you can roll with these issues and enter into the world of the movie, however, it has a number of attractions, including the subtext: Cooper's character is named Link because he represents the link between the barbaric and the cultured, the primitive (his old gang) and the civilized (his new life). Unfortunately, with the gift of volition some people inevitably choose to eschew progress and continue in their ape-headed, animalistic ways (which is actually offensive to animals).After the aborted train robbery, Link starts to recognize his old stomping grounds and is drawn to the hidden shack for shelter & refreshment; yet perhaps also to revisit his past and "the good ol' days." He vacillates between his new identity and the temptation of regressing to the wild "freedom" of his lawless youth.Interestingly, "Man of the West" is very similar to the slightly superior "The Law and Jake Wade," which debuted four months earlier. As good as the subtext is in "Man" it's meatier in "The Law" (see my review), which is also a little less talky and melodramatic. Yet "Man" has since emerged as a cult classic while "The Law" has fallen into obscurity; no doubt because the latter lacks the two strip sequences and the iconic Cooper.Although obviously flawed, "Man of the West" was the precursor of the Leone and Peckinpah styled Westerns that came into fashion in the mid-late 60s. The grim, laconic Link is the predecessor of future antiheroes, like Eastwood's 'Man with No Name,' but Link is better IMO because he has more human dimension.BEST LINE: "There's a point where you either grow up and become a human being or you rot, like that bunch." The film runs 100 minutes and was shot entirely in California (Santa Clarita, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Jamestown, Thousand Oaks, Newhall, Sonora and the Mohave Desert, with studio-bound scenes done in West Hollywood). The script was written by Reginald Rose from Will C. Brown's book "The Border Jumpers." GRADE: B-

Jackson Booth-Millard 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!

dougdoepke There's a mystery in the movie. Namely, why has everyone left the frontier town of Lasso. I think I know why. That's because it's the one ugliest bunch of dwellings to appear in any western, big-budget or little. Heck, even an ant could put together better-looking mud huts than these dirt pimples. I salute whoever in production was responsible for this pest hole, since most Hollywood frontier towns look like they came from squeaky-clean Disneyland.Okay, it's a really good western, but not Mann's best, Godard or no Godard. Besides, what makes a Frenchman so expert on American westerns that everyone has to change their minds because of him. Basically, I'm with those who find the 57-year old Cooper miscast as someone much younger. Sure, he gives it his grim-faced best, and has kept that iconic ramrod physique even at late middle-age. But those facial close-ups can't conceal the proverbial passage of time. Of course, this would be meaningless were it not that the screenplay insists he be younger than two important guys (Cobb & Dehner) who are obviously much younger. Besides, we're reminded by a script that constantly brings up age relations. Thus, I'm constantly reminded that this is only a movie, after all. As good as Coop can be, Mann made a key mistake not hiring the younger Stewart for the role. The other basic flaw is Cobb who hams it up mercilessly. Now I'm hard-of-hearing, but most every time he spoke I had to turn down my earphone. He doesn't speak, he bellows for the very back row. Surely he knows there are other ways of dominating than shouting out your lines.Now for the good stuff which means London plus London. That so-called strip scene got a lot of press in its day, but seems pretty tame by today's standards. Nonetheless, the scene's really good for prompting mixed emotions in the audience. Sure, I wanted her to take it all off, just like when I was sitting front row at strip shows years ago. But still, I could feel her embarrassment in front of all those leering bad guys making her do it. And that's no fun at all, shapely body or not. And I expect a lot of male viewers were similarly affected.For sure, I kept waiting for Hawaii Five-O's Dano to come in and book that leering bad guy Jack Lord (Coley). After all, who would believe that toothy cop from TV could make such an excellent villain. Here he's sporting a 3-day old beard, a layer of grime, and no ethics at all, making him a perfect guy you love to hate. At the same time, it's a stellar line-up of henchman, including Wilke, Royal Dano, and Dehner. All in all, it's a pack of wolves fit for the best of predatory westerns. But you do have to feel for the meek and mild O'Connell (Beasley), what with all that testosterone floating around. Still, he does prove his guts in the end.That shootout between Claude (Dehner) and Link (Cooper) is one of the most imaginatively staged I've seen and arguably the movie's highpoint. Director Mann was certainly an expert at staging. I especially like that barren lunar landscape framing the action. The absence of greenery sort of goes along with an absence of respect for good and bad among the men living there. But that's Link's problem. He's in the process of growing out of that barren ethical stage even if everything around him is preventing it. So he's confronted with that age-old human conundrum of having to use violence in order to end it. It also means having to overcome the teachings of his past. No wonder the last scene has him riding away from what's long been working against him.Apparently, the movie was first underrated. That's not surprising since the screen, big and little, was saturated with horse operas in 1958. Now, however, I'm afraid the movie's overrated among Mann's iconic westerns. Still, the compensations are many despite the two basic flaws, and remains a complex movie, worth catching for a second time.