Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

dougdoepke No need to recap the plot. I have to agree with Doug Balch's perceptive review—there're too many flaws in this Mann western to rate with his best. In the pivotal tenderfoot role, Perkins is callow enough but lacks the inner mettle to make his transition to tough guy believable. On the other hand, Fonda's total self-assurance does get tiresome. Jimmy Stewart as Morg, I think, would have conveyed some needed inner life. The movie manages to touch all the expected bases, apart from a racial subtext that reflects America's growing civil rights movement. And as Balch points out, the serial showdown with the McGaffeys is both implausible and poorly staged. Too bad, also, that Paramount couldn't pop for more than an obvious studio town and LA area locations. These familiar settings have cheap TV production written all over them. Perhaps this is why Mann directs in an unusually impersonal manner.On the other hand, Mann manages to soften rough spots with smooth pacing, though I don't spot many of his stylings, especially the reality of violence. I also agree that McIntire delivers the movie's best performance as the frontier doctor. He's quite vivid and believable. Also, the doc's demise and aftermath is almost inspired and amounts to the movie's highpoint. All in all, there's good reason, I think, why this oater is not generally included among Mann's best. After all, it's results and not reputations that should count.(In passing—the movie came along at a time when the boyish Perkins was being promoted as a bobbysox idol. Fortunately, Hitchcock saw through the mirage, thus qualifying the actor for movie immortality.)

drystyx This is a fairly basic Western. The story line here is the veteran helping the young lawman learn to be a lawman who lives long enough to do a good job.Fonda is the veteran, and Perkins is the young lawman.Neville Brand is the bully, of course, who wants to be in charge.A couple of subplot romances.It's what Mann does with an ordinary script that makes this a triumph. The story is well paced, and exciting, and ends with a showdown scene that has got to be on any serious top ten of all time list. The camera angles and the dialog would make even modern "in your face" directors envious. It is a showcase demonstration that should be in every "Film Director" class.

ma-cortes ¨This is the story of the ex-sheriff who'd worn it -till he'd faced one gun too many...the young , novice sheriff he had to teach to wear it- or watch to die and the boy who lived only to wear one of his own ! .. and 40 dollars a month -that's what they gave you for protecting people who ran like rabbits when the going got roguish ! ¨ . The picture deals with a beginner young marshal ( Anthony Perkins ) who persuades veteran bounty hunter (Henry Fonda) to help him to rid a little town of bandits . Meanhile the old gunslinger falls in love with a widow (sensitive acting by Betsy Palmer) who has a half-breed son (agreeable Michael Ray) .This excellent , meaty Western contains interesting plot , a love story , shootouts and is quite entertaining . This outstanding Mann Western balances action , suspense and drama . It's a classic recounting about teaching an unexperienced marshal in charge of an older veteran ex-sheriff . The highlights of the film are the climatic showdowns , the educating scenes between master and pupil along the river and when the medic's carriage- very well performed by John McIntire- rattles back into little town while the citizens are waiting his arrival . Top-notch Henry Fonda as embittered gunfighter and magnificent Perkins as green lawman . The traditional story and exciting screenplay by Dudley Nichols won Academy Award nominations . Wonderful cinematography in black-and-white is superbly caught by cameraman Loyal Griggs . Atmospheric and lively musical score by the classic Elmer Berstein . This is another superbly powerful triumph from Perberg and George Seaton , producers of ¨The country girl¨ and ¨The proud and profane ¨. The motion picture is masterfully directed by Anthony Mann who realized various Western masterpieces such as ¨The furies , Devil's doorway and Man of the West ¨ and several with his habitual star, James Stewart, as ¨Winchester 73 , Bend the river , The far country , Man of the West ¨. Rating : Above average ; in spite of absence his ordinary star , Stewart, being perfectly replaced by Fonda , ¨Tin star ¨ is probably one of the best Western in the fifties and sixties . Well worth watching and it will appeal to Anthony Perkins and Henry Fonda fans .

BigBobFoonman I'm really not trying to be recalcitrant, but this was the worst big name western I've ever seen. A blatant "Shane" knockoff, with 2 male stars, Fonda and Perkins, who basically "phoned-in" their lines. They both looked like they'd had rather been anywhere but on that set. The action was tepid to non-existent, the acting TV-like and bland, with the exception of John McIntyre as "Doc"--he seemed fully engaged. Also, the excellent Lee Van Cleef, perpetually undercast, was locked in well to the bad-guy role. Neville Brand was given a terrible bully character to play, and seemed to be coasting. Strangely, they gave Brand a beautiful white horse to ride, while everybody else rode the usual TV-Land gaggle of stunt-ponies and quarter horses. The climactic scene was awkward, almost comical, and "anti"-climactic. The only interesting scene was the Doc riding home from fixing up somebody, in the dead of the night, using his old faithful buggy-horse as a precursor to cruise control...