Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Shawn Spencer Pursued is a soap opera in Western clothing -- it is NOT a film noir. The plot is choppy, slow and has major holes. If you don't like the characters attitudes, just wait five minutes -- they'll change...and change again and again...I'm a big fan of Robert Mitchum, but this was not his best performance. He has no chemistry with Teresa Wright. Dean Jagger plays a thoroughly hateful villain, though.The cinematography and the beautiful desert rock formations were worth two extra stars...

bombersflyup Pursued encapsulates story telling, but the characters struggle to give the story vibrant life.Robert Mitchum as the main character Jeb, is bland and completely lifeless, I really couldn't care less about him. Someone in a review said his character is just a thumbnail sketch, spot on I say. While Teresa Wright, the best actor in this film, is too restrained in her role and takes a back seat. I have no problem with the Adam character, I don't think you need more depth in this character, his actions are understandable. I liked when Thor revealed to her mother her intentions of killing Jeb, that was a bit of a shock, but then it all turned back rather quickly. The characters mindsets change rather haphazardly throughout the film.

Dalbert Pringle There were really only 2 things that this decidedly misguided Western Chick Flick had going for it that prevented me from giving it an even lower rating than 5 stars.One of Pursued's only notable assets was the casting of one of Hollywood's best cowboy/tough guys of the late 1940s, Robert Mitchum, as Jeb Rand (although I've seen Mitchum better cast in other films).And Pursued's other worthwhile bonus was the absolutely wonderful camera-work done by ace-cinematographer, James Wong Howe. Believe me, some of the dazzling shots that were taken of New Mexico's rugged, wide-open country (as well as other shots) improved this maudlin, melodramatic, little soap opera significantly and made it well worth watching right through to its painfully predictable ending.On the other hand, one of this Western's biggest and most damaging deficits was that its story was given over, far too often, to being nothing but a corny Chick Flick that dwelt on a really brain-dead romance that had literally been going on between Thorley Callum and her adopted brother, Jeb, for near 20 years now. (Spare me!) I found that one of the principal problems with this less-than-fiery love affair was the blatant miscasting of Teresa Wright as the now-grown woman, Thorley Callum.Now, I'm not saying that Wright was in any way a terrible actress. That's not the case here.It was Wright's looks that were all wrong. The truth is she was just way too plain and mousy-looking (and sans any sexual appeal, whatsoever) to be at all convincing as the sort of woman whom a man (in his right mind, of course) would be willing to die for.And, besides the above complaint - The other aspect of Pursued that lost it some considerable points was the "big secret" behind Grant Callum's senseless, 20-year pursuit of Jeb Rand. This apparent revelation comes as no surprise at all to the viewer which causes its intended impact to fall flat on its face at the big climatic showdown when all of the facts are finally brought to light.All-in-all - I would never recommend this disappointing Western to anyone who, like myself, is a staunch fan of 1940's cowboy flicks. Regardless of its obvious big budget, when it comes to worthwhile "Old West" drama, there are certainly plenty of very entertaining B-Westerns out there that surpass Pursued by a literal country mile.

Patryk Czekaj It's an exceptionally thrilling and engaging mix of a typical western and a distressing noir film. Moreover, the psychological nature of the picture subconsciously insinuates a gut-wrenching proclamation of genuine Freudian theories.Jeb - a temperamental loner living with an adoptive family - is haunted by some mysterious demons of the past. His only recollection of a horrible event that took place a long ago is an image of cowboy boots clanging dreadfully with flashy spurs. What's more, since he was little, Jeb wanted to introduce himself as an individual with a huge sense of his own identity, frustrating his loving yet secretive mother Ma. Time passes, and Jeb deepens the already burning feelings for his foster sister Thorley, and - at the same time - intensifies the hatred towards his brother Adam.Mentally unstable, Jeb plunges even further into the self-conscious trauma when he kills a man - who threatened him earlier with fired shots - and discovers that the person was really his brother. Reviled by the society, pursued by a gang of vicious brutes and abandoned by his beloved wife-to-be, Jeb decides to stand against his biggest fears and unravel the dark secret that's been assaulting him for so many years.Pursued is a perfectly intense and engaging film that borrows all that's best from many different genres. Robert Mitchum and Theresa Wright give incredibly ambiguous performances, adjusting to the general ambiance of the picture. Clever use of flashbacks, distorted black-and-white cinematography, and picturesque New Mexican imagery combine for an outstanding amount of disparate sensations.