Jimmy Stewart delivers another intense performance as Will Lockhart, a former Army officer who now delivers supplies to people like storekeeper Barbara Waggoman (Cathy O'Donnell). But the real reason for his arrival in her town of Coronado is to probe the mystery of the death of his kid brother. Along the way, he makes an enemy out of hot-headed, miserable piece of work Dave Waggoman (Alex Nicol), son of the imposing local cattle baron Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). He also butts heads with Alec's ranch foreman, the amiable Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy), and is persuaded to go to work for Alec's rival, Kate Canaday (Aline MacMahon).
Jimmy and filmmaker Anthony Mann made for a good team, as they worked on a total of eight films together. This was the last of their Westerns, and while it's much too predictable to achieve true greatness, it's a very handsome production, well photographed (in CinemaScope) and nicely scored. Philip Yordan and Frank Burt wrote the script, based on the story by Thomas T. Flynn, and it gives Manns' cast a great opportunity to strut their stuff. Kennedy in particular has a great role, played with some nuance (the character was more genuinely villainous in the original story). Nicol is amusing as the kind of jerk antagonist that will get the audiences' blood boiling. The film is a shade more violent than many Westerns before that point, with some grisly implied violence (more than once, a character is shot in the hand), and it has another memorable moment when Jimmy is briefly dragged by a horse.
In smaller roles, watch out for Wallace Ford as Lockharts' employee & friend, and an entertainingly weaselly Jack Elam as a drunk who tries to sell information.
While not on the level of "The Naked Spur", this viewers' favourite among the Stewart / Mann Westerns, "The Man from Laramie" shows its audience a pretty good time.
Seven out of 10.
Jimmy and filmmaker Anthony Mann made for a good team, as they worked on a total of eight films together. This was the last of their Westerns, and while it's much too predictable to achieve true greatness, it's a very handsome production, well photographed (in CinemaScope) and nicely scored. Philip Yordan and Frank Burt wrote the script, based on the story by Thomas T. Flynn, and it gives Manns' cast a great opportunity to strut their stuff. Kennedy in particular has a great role, played with some nuance (the character was more genuinely villainous in the original story). Nicol is amusing as the kind of jerk antagonist that will get the audiences' blood boiling. The film is a shade more violent than many Westerns before that point, with some grisly implied violence (more than once, a character is shot in the hand), and it has another memorable moment when Jimmy is briefly dragged by a horse.
In smaller roles, watch out for Wallace Ford as Lockharts' employee & friend, and an entertainingly weaselly Jack Elam as a drunk who tries to sell information.
While not on the level of "The Naked Spur", this viewers' favourite among the Stewart / Mann Westerns, "The Man from Laramie" shows its audience a pretty good time.
Seven out of 10.