An awesome rugged Western masterfully directed by John Sturges including good main cast and agreeable secondary actors in which Marshal Taylor tangles with nasty bandit Widmark over a buried loot . It deals with outlaw Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) getaways from prison with the help of a lawman with a dark past called Jake Wade , because once Clint did the same for him . Jake left Clint just after , but Clint finds him back and forces Jake by kidnapping his girlfriend called Peggy (Patricia Owens) to lead him to a loot Jake buried one year ago when he abandoned Clint . Hollister and his sidekicks (Robert Middleton, DeForest Kelley , Henry Silva) tie Jake and survey to no escape . Then Peggy learns all too quickly about Jake's dark past . When they arrive in the ghost little town where Jake hid the money, they have to fight off a bunch of marauding Indians .
This exciting as well as robust Western contains tension-filled , juicy atmosphere , thrills , suspense , gun-play and an impressive final on a dead little town which was one of filmmaker Sturges's best moments . Magnificent western from the John Sturges/Richard Widmark team and their second collaboration , after ¨Backlash¨ and considered one of their best . Colour , music , scenarios , landscapes all marks well in this thrilling story about a compulsive outlaw who contends his old friend as well as his nemesis . It describes a long journey in which there are extreme characters combined with psychological observations and enriched by eventual ambiguity and a tense picture about dishonesty and badness . This particular Western only starred by a few characters contains an interesting screenplay by William Bowers based on the novel by novel Marvin H. Albert . By that time (1958) the picture was considered quite strong , tough , surprisingly violent ; today is deemed a classic film . And seems to be a great influence of wide range such as violence , a hard battle of wits among gunslingers and scenarios . The two stars , Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark , make nice adversaries . They are accompanied by a good support cast such as Robert Middleton , Henry Silva , Burt Douglas , Eddie Firestone and intimate ¨Bones¨ DeForest Kelley of Star Trek . Filmed in Cinemascope in colorful cinematography by Robert Surtees who gets to take from nature the maximum impacts as deserts , valleys , mountains , being wonderfully photographed . Being filmed on location in Alabama Hills , Lone Pine, Death Valley National Park,California, USA . Breathtaking background scenarios , dramatic close-up along with shining illuminations , all of them perfectly mingled with a tale full of violence , tension , intrigue and shoot'em up .
This top-drawer Western drama was compellingly produced by William Hawkes and stunningly realized by the master John Sturges , infusing the traditional Western with psychological confusion , including his characteristic use of landscape with wonderful use of Natural Parks which is visually memorable . Sturges established his forte with magnificent Westerns almost always plenty of action , violence , and splendid outdoors . Sturges began his directing career at Columbia Pictures, where from 1946-49 he he worked on "12-day wonders" ("B" pictures shot on a 12-day schedule). From there he moved on to MGM where he filmed more "B" pictures, albeit on a larger budget . He established an independent production company in 1959, releasing through United Artists. From 1960-67 he worked under contract for United Artists. His first major hit was the western Dog Day at Black Rock (1955) , which he shot in just three weeks, wrapping up virtually every scene in a single take . He specialized in robust action pictures, particularly westerns. He excelled at bringing to life tautly written stories about tough characters facing difficult circumstances . Throughout his career he regularly alternated hits with misses . He has also been criticized for his lack of stylistic trademarks , though his best films remain exciting to watch . Sturges was expert on all kind of genres , but especially warlike such as : ¨Great Escape¨, ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ and ¨Eagle has landed¨ and Western such as ¨Last train of Gun Hill¨, ¨Magnificent Seven¨, ¨Backlash¨, ¨Law and Jake Webb¨, ¨Joe Kidd¨ and Chino¨, among others . This high-level and Western will appeal to Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark fans .
