Review of The Tall T (1957) by Max M — 23 Nov 2008
Based on the Elmore Leonard short story The Captives, this is the second western in a run of six amazing collaborations between director Budd Boetticher and star Randolph Scott, known as the "Ranown Series" (the name coming from a merging of Scott's first name and producer Harry Joe Brown's last name, which served as the name of their production company, Ranown Pictures).
Like all of the Boetticher/Scott pictures, the plot is lean (Scott is taken hostage along with the daughter of a wealthy owner of a copper mine [Maureen O'Sullivan] who is being held for ransom by a trio of killers led by a menacing Richard Boone) but the characterizations are multi-layerd and complex.
We are never given a reason why Scott lives on a large ranch all alone and without a wife, which makes his character all the more interesting, and despite the fact that Boone portrays a remorseless thief (he never actually kills anyone but has two men to his dirty work for him) his intentions are ultimately for a better, quieter, and simpler way of life, much like Scott's character.
The films of Budd Boetticher may be classed simply as low budget B pictures, but there is more going on in their scant 75 minute running times than the majority of large-scale A-list Hollywood releases. And they are alot more entertaining as well.
This review of The Tall T (1957) was written by Max M on 23 Nov 2008.
The Tall T has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
