Review of The Violent Men (1955) by John R — 29 Dec 2015

151228: Between the vindictive, self-serving, backstabbing Martha Wilkinson (Barbara Stanwyck) and the ultimatum wielding Caroline Vail, the women in this film got me riled. I was sucked right in by this duo and further by John Parish's (Glenn Ford) apparent unwillingness to invest in protecting his employees, friends and community.

And that was all before the film was half over. I was so annoyed I was almost going to it off but then things started to go the way this old western fan wanted, and was conditioned to expect. Martha's true black-hearted nature was revealed, Parish turned out to be as coy as I had hoped and it wasn't over yet.

Corruption and vigilante justice was to follow. Moviegoers must have reviled Stanwyck for years afterwards? Credit to such an old western for playing me so well. It's been awhile since I felt this passionate about a story.

To top it off, there is an impressive stampede scene near the end as well as a realistic Wild Bill Hickok, Davis Tutt showdown. This film has it all and is now one of my favorites.