Review of Union Pacific (1939) by Adam S — 20 May 2010
John Ford did it first with "The Iron Horse", but Cecil B. DeMille's sprawling, adventurous take on the building of the first trans-continental rail road is every bit as exciting and funny.
The actual building of the track takes second stage to the fates of three employees; Joel McCrea as the Union Pacific hired gun, Robert Preston as his war buddy working with a crooked bank man to stall the proceedings, and Barbara Stanwyck as the mail woman caught in between for their loyalty and love.
The love triangle may be contrived, but the three stars are believable (even Stanwyck in an on-and-off Irish accent) and charming, and DeMille keeps the 140 minutes moving with exciting action set pieces (including two train wrecks and a honey of an Indian attack) and masterful direction.
Solid film all around from the greatest movie year of all time.
This review of Union Pacific (1939) was written by Adam S on 20 May 2010.
Union Pacific has generally received positive reviews.
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