Man of the West (1958)

If you are looking to read a synopsis for this film, you won't find one in this review, for many have already adequately done so. But I will say, I found Man of the West an extremely entertaining film to watch if you are a staunch fan of adult western genre as I am, and this film was not made for Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers type, I will also add that Man of the West was a triumphal exit from western films for director Anthony Mann. Dramatic and powerful gritty acts of violence played by ruthless characters, along with the balance of Gary Cooper's reformed outlaw character trying to keep himself and Julie London alive, brings forth some tense suspenseful moments. Man of the West achieves all that is expected from an above average western with some surprisingly risqué scenes for a 1958 film involving Julie London's character forced to strip for the brutish outlaw gang while Cooper looks on helplessly with a knife being held at his throat, as the clothes come off the blood begins to trickle down Cooper's neck. I give all the actors credit for their fine performances and the highest quality cinematography enhances this well paced story. Man of the West is a must see film for Gary Cooper and Julie London fans alike. Many will be surprised by the ruthless character Jack Lord plays with extremely realistic acting. This 1958 film still reaps plenty of exciting adult western entertainment.

Intelligent, heartfelt Western / character study has an interesting tale to tell about a man who looks forward, intent on what his next phase in life will be, but finds that he will be utterly unable to escape the stigma of his past (a common enough theme in the Western genre). A rock solid ensemble of actors fill out a bare minimum of principal cast members, which helps to give "Man of the West" a somewhat intimate feel while at the same time making it somewhat epic. The California scenery is beautiful (naturally) and the widescreen photography is as impressive as one will ever see in this sort of thing. Leigh Harline's music is also wonderful. But the glue that holds it all together is a nuanced, low key performance by legendary actor Gary Cooper as the man who is conflicted in thought and emotion, as fate interrupts his journey.He plays Link Jones, a man travelling by train to hire a schoolteacher, and who incidentally is a former outlaw trying to forget his shady past. Unfortunately, a group of bandits attempts to rob the train, and it moves on, leaving Jones and two others stranded in its wake. His two new acquaintances are Billie Ellis (Julie London), a singer who just so happens was trained as a teacher, and the garrulous Sam Beasley (an amiable Arthur O'Connell). After a bit of walking, they come upon an isolated farmhouse where Jones says he spent his younger days. He thinks they will find shelter here, but instead he finds his old gang, led by the blustery Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb), the unconventional father figure of Jones's past. Tobins' gang contains the mute Trout (Royal Dano), the slow-witted Ponch (Robert J. Wilke), and the aggressive, depraved Coaley (an eerily effective Jack Lord). Jones reluctantly agrees to rejoin this bunch of men, but you can be certain he's not happy about the arrangement."Man of the West", during its release, didn't attract that much attention despite the efforts of the great Western director Anthony Mann; it took the complimentary words of French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (a critic at the time) to help it start to attain a classic status. Mann does an excellent job with the storytelling (the script is by Reginald Rose, based on a novel by Will C. Brown), and gets fine performances out of Cooper and Cobb. In reality, Cobb was 10 years *younger* than Cooper, but he's reasonably convincing as the ill-intentioned mentor. Wilke, Dano, and John Dehner as Claude are very watchable, although it's a shame that Dano's character is mute given what a memorable voice the actor had. Lord is perfectly despicable playing a man who's a real piece of work (he forces Billie to strip at one point).The finale could have used a bit more tension, but otherwise this works pretty well. It doesn't miss an opportunity for comedy as we see how Jones reacts to seeing, and riding on, a train, a new experience to him. Western lovers should find it to be satisfactory.Seven out of 10.

For me, it's hard to believe this film doesn't have that great of a reputation. Gary Cooper is in full form here as Link Jones, a now harmless man with a haunting past. He goes on a train looking for a school to hire for the new school they have in his town. While on the train, he meets Billie Ellis, a beautiful school teacher, played by Julie London. The train is attempted robbed, and Link is reunited with his old gag, who is led by Dock Tobin, Links's old and psychotic mentor, played superbly by Lee J. Cobb. Link is unlike the sadistic gang at all now, he's a hero, and he tries to stop them from doing any more damage. This is a film of great chemistry between Cooper and London's characters, a film of enough action and romance to satisfy any western fan, and of course another great performance from Gary Cooper. You have to admire his character."That's the ugliest thing I ever saw in my life", says Cooper's character. "You've never seen my ex- wife", Arthur O'Connell's character responds. This is a classic western.

Link Jones is on his way to Fort Worth to hire a schoolteacher, having left his wife and children behind, Link appears to be the epitome of the simple honest man. However, the train he is on is robbed by outlaws, thus meaning that Link's past and his dubious family ties are all careering towards a day of reckoning.This was Anthony Mann's second to last foray into the Western genre, and perhaps his most clinical as regards a structured tale of men as complicated as they are conflicted? I always find with Mann's Westerns that a sense of doom hangs heavy, there are very few directors in Western cinema history who have this knack of filling the viewer with such a pervading feeling of unease. Here we have Gary Cooper as Link, on the surface an amiable man, but the sequence of events see him thrust back into a life he thought had long since gone, the term that a leopard never changes its spots sits rather well, but here we find Mann fleshing out his lead character with an acknowledgement that a former life has passed, with Cooper perfectly transcending this well scripted arc.What strikes me mainly about this piece is that Mann's characters are not the quintessential good vs bad characters, these are just men with their own individual hang ups, they all are fallible human beings, and that is something that surely we all can identity with? The acting across the board here is top notch, Cooper is excellent, replacing Mann's stock Western muse, James Stewart, he cements his earthy and identifiable worth wholesale. Lee J. Cobb actually is the glue that holds the film together, his portrayal of Dock Tobin perfectly plays alongside Cooper's emotive showing of Link Jones's confliction. Sadly a negative to me is that we are asked to believe that Gary Cooper is Lee J. Cobb's nephew, a difference of ten years has to be a casting error one feels. Still, the film comes highly recommended, because the intelligence and dark atmosphere of the piece makes it well worth emotional investment, whilst Cooper's two main fights (both different) are seriously great cinema. 8.5/10