Pretty Good

Best movie ever!

Admirable film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

. . . THE BODY SNATCHER well knows, the going rate for a corpse in 1831 Scotland was "ten pounds" ( or $30.11 U.S.). Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to around $41.27 during 1868, when THE NAKED SPUR takes place. So as you watch Brig. Gen. Jimmy burying Bob's "five thousand buck corpse" toward the end of THE NAKED SPUR, you can figure that's an exaggeration of well over $4,900 (or $1.4 million, in 2018 dollars). If anyone is sporting a body to rival Esther Williams' famed MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID among the cast of THE NAKED SPUR, it's surely FREAKY FRIDAY's mom (whose closest thing to a shower scene comes when she plays musical cans in a cave with Gen. Jimmy). The best thing about soggy "Ben's" burial on the not-so-lone prairie (presumably he has "Jesse" for a grave-mate) is that it saves "Lena" and "Howie" the ordeal of a trip back to Kansas. As any survivor of even ONE trek to the Bun Flour State can tell you, the punch line to all the best jokes is "I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas any more!"

Perhaps one of a special hybrid of western-noir adventure The Naked Spur effectively blends genres to deliver a satisfying story that resonates long after the final scene. From the start we wonder what's up in this mysterious western as Stewart's Kemp sneaks up on a prospector camped out in the Colorado Mountains. That the man doing the sneaking is everyman James Stewart whom we've come to identify with in so many films as that sort of man who is in trouble. Here in this film it is his emotional psych that is being troubled as he appears to be criminal in his actions.When Howard Kemp (James Stewart) approaches a secluded plateau in pursuit of a criminal he employs the aid of prospector Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell) and dishonorable soldier Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker) to help him capture accused killer Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan) and bring him in to justice. Vandergroat was arrested for shooting an unarmed man and has fled with virginal Lina Patch (Janet Leigh) in tow. It seems that Kemp and Vandergroat has a past history and when the criminal lets out that a reward is offer for him the other men step up for a piece of the take. It seems that when Kemp went off to fight the Civil War and left his home and property in the hands of his fiancé, she sold it and left with the profits, and the reward will get his land back. Vandergroat works to get the others to go against Kemp, and as the odds turn a head to head confrontation becomes inevitable.The script keeps us in the dark about Kemp's purpose and when we hear Vandergroat spill the beans about the reward it serves to cast doubt on the supposed accusations about who's guilty. This particularly "noir" touch is what gives the film its troubling core.. Stewart is a man who is keeping a secret and his motivating the others to aid him in his scheme supports the modern idea that the difference between good people and bad is the quality of their corrupt ethical values.The shadow of guilt that shifts between Kemp to Vandergroat as other characters are swayed by the lure of wealth transforms the ad hoc community to a distrustful one. This dark vision of the world is something screenwriter Sam Rolfe may have been honing his skill set for his later work on the TV show Have Gun will Travel about a cowboy detective dressed in black who did dirty investigative work in the old West.This noir bleakness is the single item that bonds the men in this film, a common denominator as all the men become desirous of the reward, and of the virginal Lina. As the only woman in the narrative Janet Leigh's Lina Patch is a character that carries the double weight of virgin, and fallen woman and as the tensions shift between characters, her own value changes as property of either the good man on a tainted mission, or the bad man voicing the truth about his actions. It was Leigh's first real film role, and a testament to her abilities at expressing the emotional changes that pull the character through the story.The film, however noir in its design, still delivers a great Hollywood ending that redeems both the lead character and manages to reaffirm the basic value of love, faith, and community. This is one of the things that James Stewart always brought to a movie, and in his post-Army days as he was returning to active work as an actor, it was an interesting mellowing of his basic persona that was present in early comedies. Perhaps it was the 52-mission flight record he logged in when flying in the Air Corp and experiencing the first-hand understanding of the fragile barrier between life and death that developed him into such a fine actor in his later career.If you return to this tale after a first-viewing experience, the filmmakers have succeeded in their goal. It is a treat.

One of Mann's notable collaborations with Jimmy Stewart that captures the attention of the audience with enough action and good acting by many famed stars of those days such as Janet Leigh or Robert Ryan and, I need not mention, James Stewart. The film delivers an unforgettable story that teaches us lessons that have to do with greed and pure meanness. I shan't say more, alas I am perturbed that I will reveal important facts of the plot. Moving along, the scenery is quite dazzling and powerful, the film takes place on the rocky mountains so expect beautiful hills and valleys and streams. (Here start some info that could be called spoilers!) None the less I am still inclined to point out some dismal characteristics of the film that I did not enjoy. The film had a rather abrupt ending, like there wasn't enough time to film a couple of scenes more. I believe that instead of suddenly showing the brutal nature of a character there should have been some kind of transition or slower progression to make the plot a little more believable. Although the sudden ending might actually add to the brilliance of this western. Summarizing, This western has enough action packed scenes, good acting by very famous actors such as James Stewart and Janet Leigh, beautiful scenery and classic Anthony Mann cinematography. As such I believe this film deserves a 7/10 which is, by my standards, quite excellent

Another of the Great Mann/Stewart Collaborations that combined Deep Characterizations, Beautiful Landscapes, and a Remarkable Style that Penetrated and presented Colorful and Realistic Stories populated by Complex and Interesting Situations.The Western like most Genres is a Panorama of work that ranges from Trite to Terrific. This is one of the latter. A Tense and Claustrophobic feeling that Ironically is felt even though the whole thing was Shot Outdoors because there is a constant Intrusion of Natural Boundaries. Rocky Cliffs, Raging Rivers, Caves, and clumps of Forest all close in to Corral the proceedings.The Cast is as Good as the Script and the Direction and there is a large amount of Abnormal Psychology that is an unwelcome presence and must be dealt with. Everyone is Thinking about Paydays, Double-Crosses, and Thin Alliances, what could have been and what must be done. This makes for quite an Uncomfortable Ride and this is a Dark Saga set in front of a Lush but Imposing Background.