Review of The Misfits (1961) by Max P — 16 Sep 2008

A great cast handles powerful material while mostly managing to keep just south of over-the-top. The Misfits features a world-weary Gable, a fragile Monroe, a battered Clift, and a vulnerable Wallach trying to find meaning and love in the brokedown West.

This ain't your typical Western, no siree, and has more in common with film noir than your average John Wayne flick. Fabulous performances all around (and Gable does a soul-crushing drunk scene), but the real star is Monroe, who is both resplendent and heartbreaking (besides the horse scene at the end, look for her much earlier scene dancing and drinking with the men and Ritter's character).

The whole thing gets a bit hammy and melo in spots, and screenwriter Arthur Miller's in-jokes about Marilyn are both surprisingly postmodern and sometimes cruel, but Huston's direction is sharp and the concluding scene powerful in its bleakness tinged with hope and warmth.