MAN OF THE WEST (1958) C widescreen 100m dir: Anthony Mann

w/Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Arthur O'Connell, Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano, Bob Wilke, Jack Williams, Guy Wilkerson

From Variety's review of the film: "The screenplay, from a novel by Will C. Brown [written for the screen by Reginald Rose], has Gary Cooper as a reformed gunman, now a respected citizen entrusted with the savings of his community. He is on a mission to get the town a schoolteacher when he is robbed of the money by members of his old gang. It is also somewhat by accident that he, and two other victims (Julie London and Arthur O'Connell), wind up taking refuge in the bandits' hideout, which had once been Cooper's, too.

"Superficially, the story is simply the account of Cooper's efforts to free himself, London and O'Connell of the outlaws. It is given dimension by the fact that to do this he must revert to the savagery he has foresworn.

"Cooper gives a characteristically virile performance, his dominance of the outlaws quietly believable, while London achieves some touching and convincing moments in a difficult role. Lee J. Cobb, a frontier Fagan of demoniac violence and destruction, and Arthur O'Connell, with whimsical grace and gaiety, add considerably to the picture's interest."

From The Movie Guide: "Mann's last western and his most disturbing foray into the genre. Working here with Cooper instead of Jimmy Stewart, Mann again tells a tale of Shakespearean proportions in which complicated men struggle against their own worst instincts."

For more information about Mann's western films, consult FilmFrog's review of THE MAN FROM LARAMIE.