Warlock (1959)

Just so you know: Warlock is the name of the town in Warlock. In case you're like me and sometimes misinterpret the meaning of a title, this is a western, not a movie about witches and wizards. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the plot.Henry Fonda and his faithful sidekick Anthony Quinn arrive in the town of Warlock to instill some law and order into the western city that's frequented by bandits and criminals. The local "bad boys" resent the presence of a new marshal, and they're quick to let Henry and Tony know they're not about roll over and play nice. Richard Widmark, Frank Gorshin, Tom Drake, and DeForest Kelly constantly toe the line with the so-called good guys, but then the lines start to blur. Henry and Tony aren't as good as they appear to be, and Dick isn't as enamored by the bad guys as he should be. . .I actually really liked this movie, but if John Wayne were the lead, or if Henry Fonda had been given Dick's part, I probably wouldn't have liked it. Richard Widmark, looking adorable in glorious Technicolor, is a fantastic and conflicted hero, torn between good and bad, family and friends. There's no scrimping on the side plots in this movie, as everyone has a backstory and something to hide. Plus, there are countless love triangles with the arrival of Dorothy Malone and Dolores Michaels. Since I'm not the biggest Henry Fonda fan, so I didn't need to be convinced that he's got a bit of a bad guy in his character. Anthony Quinn does a good job, except for his strangely muddled Southern accent, but really it's Richard Widmark who's the heart and soul of the movie. Even when he's bad-which he almost always is-he's incredibly likable. He just might be the most adorable, lovable, type casted bad guy ever! And ladies, if you don't think he's handsome, make an appointment with your eye doctor.

Copyright 1959 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Paramount: 30 April 1959. U.S. release: April 1959. U.K. release: 17 May 1959. Australian release: 6 August 1959. Sydney opening at the Regent. 10,980 feet. 122 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Warlock is a small, dusty cow-town which is dominated by a gang of ruffians and cowpunchers. After numerous killings and other incidents, the citizens hire Clay Blaisdell (Henry Fonda) to become town marshal. He is an infamous professional gunfighter who always travels with a club footed sidekick, Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn). In addition, Johnny Gannon (Richard Widmark), until recently a member of a cowboy gang, is appointed deputy sheriff, a job paralleling Clay's and one which is noted for the short life expectancy of its holder. Jessie Marlow (Dolores Michaels), known as "The angel of Warlock", soon comes to like Clay, although she originally protested his being hired. Clay starts to clean up the town, while Morgan starts to run a gambling hall and saloon, a familiar pattern between the partners.NOTES: Negative cost: $2 million.COMMENT: In "Warlock", Dmytryk and Aurthur tried to take the formula western with its standard characters, ready-made plot and familiar backgrounds and give it some unusual and intriguing variations. That they were not wholly successful — despite a lot of earnest acting and some occasionally forceful uses of the CinemaScope screen — is due to the wordiness of the dialogue which should have been trimmed and made sharper and more realistic before shooting commenced.OTHER VIEWS: Big western... Many of the familiar elements of the western story, the frontier town cowed by unruly elements, the imported lawman with a killer's reputation, the citizens who finally assert themselves to gain control of their community, these are all part of Warlock. But the 20th-Fox presentation is an effort to take such a theme, familiar in its basic outline and carry it beyond the ordinary conclusion and behind the usual facade... The plot, dealing as it does with very complicated people, is involved, but not puzzling. Aurthur's characters and their dialogue are fresh and picturesque. Widmark's portrayal is vital, although his early position as a member of the hell-raising gang is not entirely clear. Fonda is particularly fine. It may not be a romantic conception, but Fonda gives his role great validity. - "Variety".

There is no doubt that this Film was brilliantly put together both in Direction and Star Quality. When you put together Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark and Anthony Quinn, you know you are in for a treat. The story is quite superb and a far cry from many of the Westerns being churned out in the Fifties. As the Marshal who is quite dangerous, in his own way, Fonda is really the star around which so much resolves. Widmark as a reformed outlaw turned Deputy Sheriff plays his role to perfection, while Anthony Quinn as the crippled close friend of the Marshal is integral to the final outcome. They are greatly supported by a well-worn Dorothy Malone, and to me at least a surprising good performance by Tom Drake as the cruel and somewhat cowardly leader of the Outlaws. It is one of the last Cinemascope big movies by Fox, and the photography and atmosphere are quite spectacular.

Warlock (1959)Director Edward Dmytryk is one of those dependable Golden Age mainstays who is pulling off tightly made movies even this late in the game. After many archetypal movies, often just short of greatness, he is still putting on a good game with first rate camera-work (Joe MacDonald) and top shelf actors (Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, and Richard Widmark, all in major roles). And so this is actually a strong, complex movie.It helps that the plot, even though apparently another retread of Western clichés, is complex and well balanced. That the bad guys are partly very good and vice versa is exactly what the genre needs, and it is filmed so gorgeously--the night and interior stuff especially--it has a feeling of total command. It's a strong if still conventional film, a true Western in the best Anthony Mann sense rather than John Ford. The plot is too complex to even analyze quickly, but a couple key elements play out. First, Fonda and Quinn play hired marshals who come into towns overwhelmed by some bad guys. They are hired for their ruthlessness because the town has no choice, but when they get to work, the town begins to doubt itself. And then there are all the secret past events that seem to converge here, almost too perfectly, but creating a layered and sometimes confusing backstory that gradually moves front and center.All three male actors are in top form--I'll assume it's because the whole lot of them were consummate professionals there to get a job done well. While this was made years after the official end of the old studio system, it still is made (on location) with the same general factory ethic--tight production standards, familiar genres, efficient entertainment. It works, and it works better than it should. Certainly not a classic like "High Noon" or "Stagecoach," but a solid entry even for people who think they don't like westerns.