a.lampert This 1947 western in black and white could have been just another mediocre Joel McCrea piece of sagebrush like the dozens of Randolph Scott movies I've watched. The thing with Scott was that you had to watch a lot to find the few masterpieces. For me this was Joel McCrea's best film that I've seen yet, or certainly as good as Guns in the Afternoon (aka Ride the High Country) in which he teamed with Randolph Scott which always gets outstanding reviews. McCrea is the man of dignity, pretty much in the vein of Henry Fonda, who strides tall throughout the picture, unflinching in his view of the 'right thing to do'. It's what we've come to expect of him, but he carries it well and you just know he has that strength. What was surprising was the performance of the diminutive Veronica Lake of the iconic hair style, although you only get a glimpse near the beginning of it. Here (married to director Andre De Toth during the making of the movie) she gives a steely performance of some skill, using her sexual allure to persuade men around her to do things according to her will, and very convincing she can be. Don DeFore an actor I've not seen before, impresses as a friend to help McCrea when he's in trouble and I'm surprised with all the movies I've seen that he somehow escaped me. The great Donald Crisp, Charlie Ruggles, Ray Teal and Lloyd Bridges all appear in convincing roles. A tough, adult western I can highly recommend.

MartinHafer I mentioned the casting director in the summary because the odd casting decisions severely impacted this movie. While it starred Joel McCrea (who made quite a few nice westerns), the rest of the cast was just bizarre--so bizarre you almost think that the studio deliberately picked the worst possible actors for the film! First, the petulant and very strong-willed woman of the west is played by Miss Peek-a-boo herself, Veronica Lake. Not only is she too small for such a role, but she still sports a variation on her fashion-setting 1940s hair--which looked totally out of place in the old West Second, her father was played by, of all people, Charlie Ruggles! The very British Donald Crisp is on hand to try to keep order as the town sheriff. And, finally, Don Defore (Mr. B from "Hazel") was cast as a bad-man--a guy who liked to shoot first and ask questions....well, never! This just seemed weird from a guy with lovely manners and such a nice-guy persona! What were they thinking?!?! As for the plot, it is quite different--and considering they made a billion or more westerns, this is a very good thing! The film begins with Ruggles magnanimously having his daughter's fiancé beaten up and chased out of town. It seems that Ruggles already has a man picked out for her. Unexpectedly, this unleashes the she-devil in Veronica--who decides to start her own competing ranch AND use evil as her guide. Too bad that the virtuous Joel McCrea is working for her and is pulled right into the middle of this mess. Soon, bodies start piling up and it's particularly surreal to see Defore is responsible for many of them!! Weird...very, very weird! I wasn't sure fond of this film, however, because of its odd-ball plot--the odd-ball casting that made the characters tough to believe. Probably the worst wasn't Defore (he was a close runner-up) but Lake, as whenever she got mean and angry, she made you want to say "....awww...ain't she cute...I love it when she makes that pouty expression!". It just didn't work for me despite McCrea's excellent (as usual) acting. An odd little curio.

lastliberal I looked this up on Comcast and the title suggested it might be interesting with a title that smacks of sexual symbolism. The description talked about cattle barons and a hard time, so I thought it might be another Brokeback Mountain.Well, it wasn't that at all It was about evil and out of control cowpokes. Joel McCrea (the ramrod) 1s the honest cowpoke who comes out of his drunken stupor after losing his family to find his own way. But his costar, Veronica Lake as Connie Dickason, steals the film as a strong-willed butch-type, who goes against the wishes of her rancher father Ben Dickason (Charles Ruggles) and refuses to marry his choice--the evil Frank Ivey (Preston Foster) and goes for a sheep man. GASP! Evidently, she wants someone she can whip.Well, somehow sheep boy skedaddles out of town and leaves his sheep ranch to his fiancée, who proceeds to fight daddy and Ivey.This is NOT a misogynist Bond movie! It is a western done by a Hungarian director, which had an interesting script with a lot more than you usually see in a cowboy movie.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) Veronica Lake is Connie, a woman who has seen all her life her weak father being dominated by Frank Ivey (Preston Foster). When the man she loves, Walt Shipley cannot stand up to Ivey , she goes on a war against both Ivey and her father. She gets Joel McCrea to be the ramrod and McCrea in turn gets Don De Fore and his friends to help. The problem with Connie is that she is so hurt and scarred by the domineering Ivey that she becomes obsessed in winning this war no matter what. It is a shame that the character of Connie could be not more elaborated, but that would have meant a much longer film. Lake is great as Connie, she is the star of the film. A very good western, a bit hard to follow at the beginning.