Review of The Tin Star (1957) by Andrew H — 14 Apr 2011

This is more of a 'coming of age' western than anything else. A rookie sheriff (Anthony Perkins) enlists the help of an experienced bounty hunter (Henry Fonda) to teach him the ropes; but refuses to wear a tin star himself. The story itself is good at it does make the viewer think of the lessons that are being taught and there is a lot of wise dialogue from the mentor to the student. Thrown into the story is the local villain (Neville Brand), who believes he should be sheriff and is also a bit of a racist. The ending to the film is quite suspenseful and you're left to wonder how the young sheriff is to deal with such the final situation he finds himself in.

The negative points of the film are to do with the cast. Betsy Palmer's character should not have been in the film for all the use she does. There should have been more of a focus on the characters of Lee Van Cleef and Peter Baldwin who are central to the story.

The acting by the principal actors is excellent and they adapt very well to their roles. Anthony Perkins is well suited to the nervous rookie sheriff who displays the characters lack of confidence extremely well. Henry Fonda has the right stature and manner to be the wise mentor and delivers some of the best dialogue in the film. Neville Brand who stands out is Neville Brand who is very convincing as the villain. Brand, possibly deliberately, is the complete opposite of Anthony Perkins in the way of stature and build and has more of loud confidence about his character.

Overall quite a good western with some very good dialogue and a very good storyline. More focus should have been made on certain characters and less on others but the main cast is well suited to their roles.