Above average western yarn complete with an array of fine actors and a script rich in symbolic metaphors.
The cast features the likes of Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Susan Hayward, Cameron Mitchell, and Hugh Marlowe. Characters are deep and well-defined, in a superior character study of some of the deadly sins that destroy a person's mind and kills them, both spiritually and physically. Hayward is spot-on in her portrayal of a gold-digging femme fatale who turns strong men to jelly without even trying. Throughout the film, however, there is a hint she may have been misunderstood. Each of the men has his own individual weakness and demons.
She hires four men to rescue her husband from a mine shaft where he has been injured, and is under siege from an Indian tribe. She offers them gold from that mine as a reward, and their greed seals the contract. Look for cleverly utilized symbolism; my favorite is the town wiped out by a volcano-except for two things: a church steeple that rises above the destruction, and a gold mine hidden underground below the destruction. As you watch the movie, you'll see many more.
The inevitable battle with the hostiles provides plenty of good, old fashioned western action. It also has the film's only real weakness: it's glaringly obvious who's going to "get it," and the order of when they meet their ends. Epitaphs of lower status characters are written on the wall as soon as their usefulness to the story is completed.
It's a worth-while story, and well told. Certainly western fans will like this, but other viewers will, as well.
The cast features the likes of Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Susan Hayward, Cameron Mitchell, and Hugh Marlowe. Characters are deep and well-defined, in a superior character study of some of the deadly sins that destroy a person's mind and kills them, both spiritually and physically. Hayward is spot-on in her portrayal of a gold-digging femme fatale who turns strong men to jelly without even trying. Throughout the film, however, there is a hint she may have been misunderstood. Each of the men has his own individual weakness and demons.
She hires four men to rescue her husband from a mine shaft where he has been injured, and is under siege from an Indian tribe. She offers them gold from that mine as a reward, and their greed seals the contract. Look for cleverly utilized symbolism; my favorite is the town wiped out by a volcano-except for two things: a church steeple that rises above the destruction, and a gold mine hidden underground below the destruction. As you watch the movie, you'll see many more.
The inevitable battle with the hostiles provides plenty of good, old fashioned western action. It also has the film's only real weakness: it's glaringly obvious who's going to "get it," and the order of when they meet their ends. Epitaphs of lower status characters are written on the wall as soon as their usefulness to the story is completed.
It's a worth-while story, and well told. Certainly western fans will like this, but other viewers will, as well.