A Man Alone (1955) User Reviews

A Bad Reputation

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 February 2007]

Notorious gunman Ray Milland comes upon the scene of a stagecoach massacre. Outlaws had robbed the stage and killed six people, including a mother and child. Milland frees the horses and rides one of them into town for help during a sandstorm.

The sheriff is laid up and a lout of a deputy, Alan Hale Jr., comes at Milland gun in hand without identifying himself. Milland starts shooting and wounds the deputy. After that it's a hunt for Milland in the town.

Of course he takes refuge in the one place no one is going to look, the house of the sheriff, Ward Bond and his daughter Mary Murphy. The house is under quarantine because Bond is down with yellow fever.

Milland helps Murphy nurse Bond back to health. During which news of the stagecoach massacre reaches town. And the hunt is renewed.

Milland gives a fine performance in this very grim western of a man on the run, mostly due to his bad reputation. Ray Milland also directed this film for Republic Pictures in its last days. Director Milland got some good performances out of such in the cast as Raymond Burr, Lee Van Cleef, Arthur Space, and Thomas Brown Henry.

A Man Alone has similar plot premises to both The Oxbow Incident and John Payne's Silver Lode that came out the year before. All three had to do with the terrible consequences of mob violence when due process is abandoned. Very telling stuff indeed coming out as it did at the tail end of the McCarthy era.

The film holds up very well after over 50 years and is recommended for western and other movie fans.

Ray Milland is - A Man Alone!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 10 June 2009]

Wes Steele is a gunman, his reputation follows him where ever he goes. Then one day he happens upon a dreadful scene, a stagecoach has been attacked and five people have been murdered, including a woman and a child. This sickens Steele who takes up a horse and rides to the nearest town with the best intentions, but no sooner is he there, he quickly becomes a target for blame and hostility. Taking refuge at the home of yellow fever struck Sheriff Gil Corrigan and his daughter Nadine, Steele proves to have a tender side as he helps to aid the ailing sheriff. But an angry mob is out for Steele's neck and when Gil comes around, will he believe that Steele is not responsible for the recent turn of events?

Ray Milland's westerns are a mixed bunch, ranging from the mundane (Bugles in the Afternoon), the watchable (California) to the very good - here with A Man Alone. Making his directorial debut, star Milland has managed to craft a genuine mood piece out of a well trodden, and often filmed, story. Milland, utilising his silent feature experience, sets the disquiet tone within the first quarter, where as he comes upon the horror scene, it's played out without dialogue, the mood is set for the next part of the journey, the town.

This is an ugly town, corruption and underhand tactics are the order of the day, so much so that when Steele blows into town (literally during a sandstorm) one would think that with his reputation, it would be ideal for him. But things can quickly turn around. Thanks to Milland's portrayal of Steele, it's apparent to us that Steele is weary of the life he has led, his yearning to cast off his burdens evident as his relationship with the Corrigan's starts to blossom. Yet it's funny how quick the milk can turn sour, because seemingly normal people can become a mob, an angry mob intent on justice regardless of the truth. For here there is no truth as the lies have been cast and mud nearly always sticks...

Milland is aided in the cast by the always solid Ward Bond (Gil), Raymond Burr (purple suited and black eyed nastiness as town villain Stanley), Lee Van Cleef (Stanley's thug muscle Clanton) and Mary Murphy (bright eyed and bushy tailed Nadine). Shot on location at Snow Canyon in Utah, it's a shame that location work is very much sparse because of the town set plot. However, in a film calling for an oppressive and pot boiling feel, this is something that is easily forgivable. A Man Alone is a very good Western, yes the story has been done far better (re: The Ox Bow Incident for example), but Milland's film deserves your time, and hopefully come the end, also your respect. 7.5/10

Ray Milland and Mary Murphy

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 28 February 2014]

First time director Ray Milland must have scored a success with this psychological Western typical of the 1950s, as he went on to both direct and star in four more features- 1956's "Lisbon," 1958's "The Safecracker," 1962's "Panic in Year Zero!" and 1967's "Hostile Witness." In the role of Wesley Steele, a gunman of ill repute, having to kill simply to survive, director Milland begins the film with nearly a half hour without (much) dialogue. Steele discovers a massacred stagecoach, five people shot dead (including a little girl), all the money gone. He soon finds himself in a most unfriendly town, where the hapless deputy (Alan Hale Jr.) prefers to shoot first and ask questions later; incredibly, the safest place for Steele to hide from a possible lynching turns out to be the Sheriff's quarantined home, due to his being bedridden with yellow fever. Lovely Mary Murphy, Marlon Brando's leading lady in "The Wild One," is entrusted with the most difficult role, the Sheriff's daughter, who naturally falls for the much older Steele, and capably manages the feat of growing up from 'daddy's little girl' to feisty heroine, inspiring Wes to return to clear his name, and redeeming her own father (Ward Bond), who had fallen under the crooked influence of town banker and criminal mastermind Raymond Burr. You can't go wrong with a supporting cast that includes Lee Van Cleef, Douglas Spencer, Thomas Browne Henry, and Arthur Space. Unfortunately for Mary Murphy, her screen career wound down all too quickly, though television kept her busy for another two decades. Horror/sci fi buffs remember her turns in 1951's "When Worlds Collide," 1954's "The Mad Magician," and 1957's "The Electronic Monster."

pretty good

[KyleFurr2 · 7/10 · 6 November 2005]

I was surprised about how good this was since Ray Milland didn't star in hardly any westerns and this was the only western he directed. Milland plays a gunfighter who's horse dies in the desert and starts to walk when he comes across a carriage full of dead people and he takes a horse and goes into the nearest town. As soon as gets into town, Milland shoots a deputy who thought he was the killer and the whole town is after him. Milland winds up hiding in the basement of the sheriff and his daughter and the daughter winds up falling in love with him. Ward Bond plays the sheriff who was sick and when he wakes up doesn't know what's going on. It's a good western that isn't very well known.

Edgy, Downbeat Western with a Good Cast, Atmopherics, & Sharp Dialog

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 26 September 2017]

After Winning the Oscar for "Best Actor" for the Cutting Edge Film about Alcoholism, "The Lost Weekend" (1945), Ray Milland went on to have a Long and Varied Career in Film and Television.

This B-Western made at "Republic" Studios (one of their last) was His first Try at Directing. He went on to Direct 3 other Movies, the Best is "Panic in the Year Zero" (1962), about the Aftermath of a Nuclear War.

This is an Offbeat Western. The First 30 Minutes has Milland's Gunslinger on the Run in the Desert and there is No Dialog. This First Act Sets Up the Bleak Tone of the Film as there is much Suffering and Brutal Displays of the Harsh Desert and a Stage Coach Massacre (with a not often shot of a bloody murdered little girl). This is Adult Stuff.

The Film has Noirish Claustrophobic Tendencies, Mob Mania, and Rich Folks as Super-Baddies. Almost Everyone in Town, it seems, has been Corrupted by the Harsh Realities of the Desert and the Clan of Outlaws Running Things.

Ward Bond's Speech to His Daughter (Mary Murphy) about just how Bad Things were when She was a Little Girl and Lost Her Mother is Heartbreaking and Profound.

Bond is accompanied by Lee Van Cleef and Raymond Burr and that gives this Western Shades of Film-Noir, as does the Desperation and Wholesale Corruption.

Overall, Mary Murphy is Stunning as a Smart and Beautiful Young Woman, Van Cleef is Menacing, and Burr is Burly and Scary. Above Average Western in Color, but Not CinemaScope with a Good Cast, Good Story, and Milland's Direction is Edgy at times.

bit ponderous, but a Western with a difference

[Marlburian · 7/10 · 29 May 2007]

The first 30 minutes of this film are very gritty, with Wes Steele in trouble from the start, discovering the stage with its murdered passengers and then becoming a fugitive trapped in a town. Then the film tapers off a bit, and it's a little hard to accept that Nadine comes to trust him so quickly.

I'm conscious of my own pedantry, but have to note that Milland here joins Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott in playing a middle-aged Westerner who has little trouble in attracting a much younger woman - he was 50 when the film was released. And if being the notorious Wes Steele is such a handicap, why not assume a false name - it would have been difficult for the authorities to disprove a false identity. (Richard Egan in "Tension at Table Rock" was another notorious Wes - Tancred in this case and in the ballad that accompanied the film - who diligently signed his real name in hotel registers, only for the clerk to react in distaste.) The "Time Out" review describes Milland's direction as "sometimes a little too ponderously deliberate, but - like the performances - eminently watchable", and I agree with this. The plot made a pleasant change from the run-of-the-mill Westerns of the 1940s and 1950s.

A minor correction to the above...

[LFRibeiro · 12 August 2002]

Just a brief correction on the above comments: A Man Alone was *not* Milland's only directoral experience. He also directed Lisbon (also starred and produced), The Safecracker (U.K., also starred), Panic in the Year Zero! (also starred) and Hostile Witness (U.K., also starred). Although solid pictures, none of these films made a strong impact on Milland's career.

Excellent cowboy parable

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 22 March 2014]

Ray Milland directed a film himself for the first time with this, and not a bad effort too. He had a rather up and down career as an actor and continued in the same vein as director.

Gunfighter Milland is lost and on foot in the desert, stumbles across a stagecoach with its occupants brutally murdered and as it transpired, robbed. He makes it to the nearest town, is shot at by a deputy sheriff who should really have stuck to driving trains, then witnesses and gets accused of a cold-blooded murder, goes on the run and holes up in a young lady's house whose sheriff father is quarantined with yellow fever. Should he stay or should he go? With Love potentially in the air you know the answer to that. So, now with plenty of time for moralistic asides and romance he tries lamely to clear his name. It's sound and simple fare expertly done and an engrossing oater which also manages to lightly analyse duty (or dooty as Ward Bond might say), justice, hypocrisy and redemption. Poor old Raymond Burr got saddled once again with the deranged baddies part. The Gun is usually the final judge and jury in these kind of Westerns, however not so here - and it ends like a TV episode of Bonanza with the suddenly contented people rolling by like clouds.

Refreshingly any blurred lines that are introduced are not allowed; this film is straightforward in every department with all the generally accepted correct morality boxes ticked by the end and well worth watching because of that.

A solid western film w/ star/director Milland in good form

[funkyfry · 8/10 · 9 November 2002]

Ray Milland makes use of his silent film experience to play the first half of this movie virtually without speaking. He plays the title character, a lonely man in ever sense as he finds a group of slain stagecoach passengers, is forced to kill the sheriff (Hale, Jr.), sees another man shot before his eyes, and ends up a man wanted for all the killings.

A good commentary on human weakness in the "psychological" tradition, but it gets to talky and melodramatic in the second half.

Good supporting cast headed by Burr, Murphy, and Bond hold up well to Milland's straightforward playing and direction.

A stark, fairly convincing western.

At A Lonely Pace

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 23 January 2008]

Three years before making his directorial debut with this Ray Milland had starred in The Thief which was notable for a complete absence of dialogue (though there were FX) and clearly something had rubbed off because the entire first reel of A Man Alone lacks dialogue of any kind and even when it comes it is throwaway stuff during a poker game in the saloon. Milland had given the best years of his active life to Paramount but had to go to Poverty Row for a chance to direct, in fact this was one of the last films turned out by Republic. Though Milland is the only major star on offer he does feature familiar faces like Ward Bond, Alan Hale Jnr,Lee Van Cleef and Raymond Burr playing what feels like the one millionth crooked banker in Westerns. Milland in fact employs an interesting mixture of cliché and innovation; he begins with the time-honored sequence of a lone rider gradually coming closer. The rider is Milland himself who, when his horse goes lame on him is obliged to shoot it and continue on foot. Director Milland doles out information with an eye-dropper; initially he could be anyone, good, bad or indifferent, but when he has to continue on foot he discards his saddle but not before removing two large wads of serious folding money planting the suspicion that he may be a bank robber. Eventually he comes across a deserted stage coach surrounded by stiffs. He borrows one of the team and makes for the nearest town where trigger-happy deputy Alan Hale Jnr draws on him and is wounded for his pains. This is where it tends to part company with reality. On the run from a mob Milland steps into the local bank - whose back door is conveniently open even though it is night, well past opening house and especially careless inasmuch as banker Raymond Burr is discussing how he engineered the stagecoach robbery via hired hand Lee Van Cleef, who more or less admits responsibility for the carnage. Burr's partner finds this hard to stomach so Burr puts one in his back unaware that he will be able to blame this on Milland. Despite minor script flaws like this Milland turned out a fairly good first feature.

Overrated stinker

[doug-balch · 2/10 · 12 May 2010]

This movie is barely watchable. Several times I almost shut it off. Writing this review was the only thing that kept me watching. I was suckered into watching it because of a great cast, including Ray Milland, Raymond Burr, Ward Bond and Lee Van Cleef. Not bad, right? Wrong. Also my Comcast on screen guide gave it three stars out of four, when it should have had just one star.

The biggest problem is the implausibility of most of the plot. Through a series of preposterous coincidences, Wes Steele, a notorious gunfighter, finds himself falsely accused of the murder of six people in a small town.

Even more preposterously, he is harbored in the town by the Sheriff's daughter, who proceeds to fall in love with him in less than 24 hours, despite the fact that he is at least 30 years older than her and provides no evidence that he is not responsible for the killings.

A half hour into the movie it would have been clear to a five year old exactly how all the conflicts were going to be resolved. This resulted in the movie having zero dramatic tension.

Wes, although a notorious gunfighter, is a copycat of Gregory Peck's character in "The Gunfighter", which was released five years before this movie.

Implausibly, he's a "good guy" who's never killed anyone except in self defense, is running away from his reputation blah blah blah. Like Peck's Ringo Kid, he is engaged in massive self pity party about how tough his life is because of his "name".

Of course, for no apparent reason he announces almost immediately to the girl that he is none other than the famous gunfighter, Wes Steele. Later in the movie, he continues to share this information with just about anyone else who will listen

It would have been very easy and consistent with the presentation of his character to keep that information to himself, but then that would make sense and be out of step with the movie, which makes no sense.

And exactly how in 1880's Arizona did people keep their shirts so perfectly pressed? Especially after they've wandered for days through the desert with only a canteen and a gun on them? Amazing.

The movie also lacks several things I like to see in a Western, like outdoor locations. This was shot almost 100 pct in Burbank. In the opening scene, Milland almost knocks over one of the fake cacti on the set. Hilarious.

There are no Indians, except a crude reference to possible murdering Apaches on the loose. There are a couple of Mexican characters, who are treated with no respect or humanity.

I'd say the most interesting thing about this movie was the presence of Alan Hale, honing his acting skills in preparation for his future as the Skipper in Gilligan's Island.

Also, it was interesting to note that both Hale and Mary Murphy had later guest appearances on Burr's TV show "Ironside" and on Bond's TV show "Wagon Train". I guess those guys took care of their own.

It was also interesting that Alan Hale played one of the three avenging brothers in "The Gunfighter", a film in which Gregory Peck played an identical character to Wes Steele of "A Man Alone".

Underrated; Ray Milland-Directed Noir Western; Taut, Well-Acted

[silverscreen888 · 8/10 · 25 July 2005]

"A Man Alone", adroitly directed by Ray Milland, starred himself as a gunfighter who happens upon a stage robbery, where several people have been slain, while he has been stranded in the desert. He takes one of the horses he finds, and heads to town to report the crime. He is instead accused of the crime himself. He flees and hides in the town's bank. There, he overhears the gang responsible for the deaths talking over the robbery. Another banker is shot in the back, and again Wes (Milland) is made to look guilty of the murder. He stumbles into the sheriff's cellar during a sandstorm,still trying to evade capture; and the next morning, while he is trying to leave, he is confronted by the sheriffs daughter, Nadine. He can't leave; and they become unwilling companions. The sheriff (Ward Bond) is sick with yellow fever. He finds her asleep, exhausted by taking care of her father, and puts her to bed. Their whole relationship changes; she knows he is a good man; but when the sheriff wake he feels he must go. She wants him to stay, they embrace and from then on the situation changes, again. The sheriff wants security for his daughter; and he has sold his soul to the bad element in town to get it. he confronts Raymond Burr, the real killer; they fight and he is wounded. He stumbles back to the house, where he passes out. Nadine, by now in love with him, fetches the doctor to help him. The sheriff finds him there and is livid, saying that he has compromised their home. Days pass; in the meanwhile, seeing what he has become by his own fear, the sheriff decides to let Wes, the gunfighter, go free. The townsmen still thinking that Wes is the murderer go after the sheriff when he has done so; but Wes returns to save the day. This is a tense, dramatic film with good dialogue and a fine silent portion at the film's outset that is superior storytelling with a camera. This film represents an unusual achievement by Milland both as actor and director. The production is in color which is well-used and unobtrusive; cinematography was done by Lionel Linton. The screenplay by John Tucker Battle I find to be taut and well-fashioned; the music by Victor Young served the story-line very well. Art direction was by Walter E. Keller, costumes by Adele Palmer and the important set decorations were supplied by Fay Babcock and John McCarthy, Jr. Among the other actors in this fine cast who made an unusual impression were Raymond Burr as the nefarious banker, Mary Murphy as Nadine, Ward Bond as the embittered sheriff, Grandon Rhodes and Lee Van Cleef, powerful Arthur Space as the doctor, Thomas Browne Henry as the newspaper man, Douglas Spencer, Alan Hale Jr. as the luckless acting sheriff. and Minerva Urecal. This is a tense film, from start to finish; and the pace was never neglected. Much of its action takes place in darkness or shadows, heightening its power on the mind of the viewer. The underlying theme in a semi-wilderness noir situation (where the central character cannot rely on the law to aid him) is strongly demonstrated, namely "to do what is important and be prepared to admit a mistake". This is a narrative about men and women alone on the frontier in a dangerous situation where the only certainties are to be found in one's own courage, character and self-reliant judgment. By my standards, it is a well-directed and very good and unusual story.

"Shut up, Wesley!"

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 15 December 2021]

In the Old West, a drifting gunman (Ray Milland) finds himself in a Southwest town wrongly accused of a crime. He hides out in the basement of a young woman whose father is invalided upstairs (Mary Murphy and Ward Bond). Can he escape before being lynched by a vengeful mob? Raymond Burr, Lee Van Cleef and Alan Hale Jr. Are also on hand.

"A Man Alone" (1955) is the first of five films directed by Milland. It mixes the brutal realities of the Old West with some quality mood. While mostly a town-bound Western (and often in the Sheriff's residence), there's also some spectacular photography of the Southwest (listed below). Meanwhile Milland comes across as a James Stewart lookalike.

If you can roll with a couple of contrivances, the story is good with interesting explorations of morality. For instance, is dishonest gain acceptable as long as no one dies? Even if it can be justified, what if innocent people wind up dead? How long can a generally good person keep up the lie and live with their conscience?

The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot at Republic Studios in Los Angeles with location work done at Snow Canyon outside St. George, Utah. Other locations cited are Arizona (Paiute Wilderness Area & Colorado City) and New Mexico.

GRADE: B.

A very fat Turkey

[miked-26800 · 3/10 · 28 January 2021]

A film with Ray Milland, Ward Bond, Raymond Burr & Lee Van Cleef ought to be worth a look. But sadly no. After a promising start the film settles down to tedium. As expected a shoot out finish but that very routine in it's handling. Don't bother with it!

Enjoyable Formula Western

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 8 June 2021]

This is a Republic production so because of that it is pretty much a standard western. Ray Milland is the a infamous gun man whose horse gives out in desert. He has to shoot it humanely rather than have the horse suffer. Then he walks into a stage massacre. He takes one of the stage horses and rides it into town.

This is where the plot thickens as he has to shoot a Deputy (Alan Hale0 who shoots him first. Wounding Hale is not the best way into town. Then it gets worse as the chase leads him into the bank where he learns who killed all the stage people. Raymond Burr is a despicable bad guy who hired the people who were the killers, and has bribed the town sheriff into going along.

The rest of the movie is Milland's bad guy trying to get away and to pin these crime on them instead of on him. It gets a little more fun when he falls for Mary Murphy, the sheriffs daughter. The sheriff is ill so he is bedridden until late in the film. Then he and his daughter square off. In the finale one of Burr's Henchmen rats him out for the while town to hear. Then we have the required happy ending of this era of westerns. The way it ends is typical but the trip to get there is one less traveled, by a man alone.

Starring AND directed by Ray Milland.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 10 September 2010]

I was surprised to see that Ray Milland not only starred in this western, he directed it! The fact that a British man would star in an American western, however, did not surprise me. After all, if a Tasmanian (Errol Flynn) could star in one--why not Milland--especially since his Welsh accent was pretty faint. Plus, since the US is a country of immigrants, there MUST have been a few Brits in the Old West. However, I am sure none of them had a name like 'Reginald Alfred John Truscott-Jones' (Milland's actual given name)! "A Man Alone" is helped along by having a couple really good heavies--Raymond Burr (a familiar heavy of the 50s until he struck gold playing Perry Mason) and a young Lee Van Cleef (who was always menacing). These two automatically improves the movie from the onset. Ward Bond, a wonderful character actor is on hand to play the sick Sheriff. Plus, while he's not especially well-known today, Milland was a dandy actor (at least until his later years when, like Bette Davis, he would accept ANY part--and a few were pretty bad). Here he's still in his prime--a good, solid leading man--not the macho or romantic type--just a good everyman actor--and a far cry from his sophisticated image of the 1930s.

This film starts off very sad. Milland is riding his horse in the middle of the American desert when he comes upon a party from a stage coach--and all of them, including the children, have been murdered. When Milland comes into town, the Deputy Sheriff sneaks up on him--Milland turns and shoots (wounding him). Now the town thinks HE was responsible for the massacre--not realizing some of the town's 'upstanding citizens' were the guilty parties. Milland discovers this but no one believes him. It's up to Milland to clear himself and ferret out the guilty parties by the end of the film.

There is a major cliché that hinders the film from being one of the best westerns of the day. When Milland hides out, he just happens to hide out in the home of the Sheriff. While the Sheriff is delirious with fever, there is his pretty daughter in the home as well. When she discovers him and realized everyone is looking for him, she shelters him from the posse!!! Why would a woman do this--particularly the Sheriff's daughter?! This makes no sense--and I wish they'd not relied on such a phony plot device as this. And, when she inexplicably falls in love with him, it seems even more phony.

Another cliché comes into play later in the film when Milland has his showdown with the leader of the murders (Burr). Burr refuses to draw his gun, so Milland throws away his advantage and his a fist fight! First, in a fight I am sure that the big and burly Burr would have won. Second, any SANE man would have shot out Burr's kneecaps or put a bullet in his brain--that's the only 'fair fight' that really took place in the West. The fist fight cliché is just sloppy writing.

However, the film is entertaining and it does take a few nice detours apart from the clichés. As a result of good acting and part of the writing being good (only part), it is very watchable. Just don't expect a lot and you'll be happy with the results.

By the way, Alan Hale is listed in the credits. This is actually Alan Hale, Jr. ('Skipper' from "Gilligan's Island")--not his famous character actor father (who was usually billed as 'Alan Hale').

Very good ordinary western

[MarioB · 7/10 · 31 August 2000]

Solitary gunman stands alone against a village for crimes he didn't do. He have some help from the sheriff's daughter, and, of course, they fell in love (But they don't leave the village at the end of the film!) Nothing new under the western sky? Not really in the story. But actor Ray Milland, in his first and only experience as a director, did a very fine job with the cast (except, of course, with awfull Raymond Burr). The 10 first minutes of the film are unique : no word is spoken! In the night scenes, Milland adopts the film noir genre, even if the film is in color (But, you know, men talking in the shadow...) Because of these directing qualies, we forget that the story have been seen a thousand times in western, and this little film becomes very pleasant to watch, for fans of old westerns.

A few too many coincidences but still a good western

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 18 September 2012]

This western opens with a man, later identified as gunslinger Wes Steele, riding through the Arizona desert; after his horse takes a tumble he is forced to shoot it and continue on foot. Eventually he comes across the site of a massacre; everybody aboard the stage, including a woman and child is dead. He unhitches the horses and rides one into the nearest town. The deputy sheriff pulls a gun on him and he shoots back injuring the man. Fleeing from the angry mob that emerges from the saloon he hides in the bank... here he hears the bank's owner, Stanley, arguing with his men; they were the ones that robbed the stage and one of them is upset about the deaths. They hear Steele moving about and use his presence as an excuse to shoot the dissenting gang member. Steele flees once again this time he takes shelter in a cellar. The next day he learns that he is in the house of the sheriff! The Sheriff is in bed with yellow fever but Steele is found by his daughter; if he is to survive the mob that is searching for him he will have to convince her of his innocence.

This B Western has a decent story and is well acted; Ray Milland does a fine job, both as protagonist Wes Steele and as the film's director. Mary Murphy does a decent job as the Steele's love interest, the sheriff's daughter, Nadine Corrigan. Other notable performances come from Raymond Burr and Lee Van Cleef as Stanley and one of his henchmen. The opening scenes in the desert gave a real sense of how hot and dry it was making Steele's predicament seem real. This didn't let up when he got to town as most of the action took place in the sheriff's house creating a sense of claustrophobia. The film's strength is this claustrophobic atmosphere; in fact there is surprisingly little real action; just a few shootings and a fist fight but that isn't a fault to my mind. The are some faults of course; it is stretched credibility to believe that Steele would take shelter in the bank just as the real crooks were discussing the crime, then that he would hide in the house that just happened to belong to the sick sheriff... also he claimed that he was trying to get away from his reputation as a gunfighter but he kept telling people who he was! Still if you can ignore these faults it is a good way to pass the time if you like westerns.

Stranger rides into town and confronts corruption while finding love

[fisherelle · 8/10 · 10 February 2008]

Well above average film. The opening 30 minutes (in which Milland, our hero, doesn't say a word, despite being on screen most of the time)are particularly atmospheric. The film's strength comes from it's depiction of the harshness of the landscape and how this fact compromises the moral principles of several of the characters. We are shown a bleak, sandstorm-blown, yellow fever ridden, arid, uncompromising world where a fairly traditional western is played out. Ray Milland gives a good performance as the eponymous 'Man Alone', while his directing skills are less assured. Definitely worth watching, and a cut above most of the films in its genre.

The Lone Stranger

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 16 March 2021]

Ray Milland followed in the footsteps of playing the title role in 'The Thief' by beginning his directorial debut (self-effacingly billed as 'R.Milland') by dispensing almost entirely with dialogue for the first ten minutes in this moody noir western with gothic interiors by cameraman Lionel Lindon and an ugly pair of heavies in the form of Raymond Burr and henchman Lee Van Cleef (neither of whom you see in the same film as Ward Bond every day).

Great western about violence and greed. As a man accused Ray Milland is great.

[mamalv · 9/10 · 12 May 2005]

A Man Alone starred Ray Milland as a gunfighter who seeks refuge in the cellar of the Sheriff's house. He has come across a stage robbery, while stranded in the desert. He takes one of the horses, goes to town to report the incident, but becomes the accused instead. He runs, hides in the bank, and overhears the gang talking over the robbery. The banker is shot in the back, and again Wes (Milland) is the fall guy. He stumbles into the sheriffs cellar in a sand storm, and the next morning, trying to leave is confronted by the sheriffs daughter, Nadine. He can't leave and they become unwilling companions. The sheriff (Ward Bond) is sick with Yellow Fever. She is exhausted, and he finds her asleep, puts her to bed, and in the morning their whole relationship changes. The sheriff is awake and he must go. She wants him to stay, they embrace and from then on the situation changes. He confronts Raymond Burr, the real killer, they fight and he is wounded. He stumbles back to the house where is passes out. Nadine is in love with him, and gets the doctor to help him. The sheriff finds him there and is livid, saying that he has compromised their home. Days pass and in the mean time the sheriff must decide to let him go. The town, thinking that Wes is the murderer go after the sheriff, but Wes returns to save the day. This is a great western with stellar performances under the direction of Ray Milland. Sort of ahead of its time in the method venue. The color photography is a plus.

Ray Milland vehicle by directing and playing as a man falsely accused of stagecoach robbing and murder

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 31 August 2022]

This classic western style is plenty of suspense as the dreaded final approaches and the protagonist realizes he must stand alone while town people surrounding him and nobody is willing to help him , except for a gorgeous girl . The narration is well adjusted , from the beginning , until the final showdown and being approximately developed in ninety minutes . It deals with a gunfighter (Ray Milland) , stranded in the desert, out when he sees an attacked stagecoach with its murdered passengers . He takes one of the horses to ride to town to report the massacre , but finds himself accused of it . He also finds himself framed of the murder of the local banker as well as wrongly suspected of a stagecoach slaughter , and winds up hiding in the basement of a house . As our starring moved by his will to prove his innocence , takes shelter and hides not alone but comely local marshal's daughter (Mary Murphy) . While the elderly sheriff (Ward Bond) , is very sick on his bed . Somewhere in the DARK a Bullet Drilled Home !

Vintage western style is full of tension as the breathtaking confrontation approaches , following the style of other stories in similar wake , that's why it results to be a ¨High Noon¨ (1954 , Fred Zinnemann) variation -that was a relentless allegory and criticism of HUAC black list- along with ¨Silver Lode¨(1954 ,Allan Dwan) . As our protagonist realizes he must stand alone against impossible odds , as nobody is willing to help him , but they pursue him , as gunfighter's main hope lies in the trust of a beautiful woman who hides him while being wrongfully accused of murder and attempting to clear his name . Remarkably well-organised western in which not one single second is wasted and the tension is built up admirably ."A Man Alone (1955)" is a low-budget western with a tense , intriguing , thrilling and suspenseful storyline. This western thriller is competently built and Ray Milland has an outstanding acting in the character of a gunman who wishes redemption . The performances are top-notch and the viewer gets tense enough , adding an enjoyable love story . Being Milland's debut behind the camera , delivering a decent oater . Ray Milland gives a nice interpreation as the gunslinger who comes across the aftermath of a stage robbery, in which all the passengers were killed . His partenaire is the charming actress Mary Murphy , in her fruitful career getting to give earnest leading lady perfs opposite Tony Curtis in ¨Beachhead¨ (1954), and ¨Hell's Island¨ (1955) with John Payne and especially ¨The Wild one¨ with Marlon Brando . They are well accompanied by a great cast of notorious secondaries , such as : Ward Bond , Raymond Burr , Arthur Space , Alan Hale Jr. , Douglas Spencer and , of course , Lee Van Cleef.

This exciting motion picture was professionally directed by Ray Milland . Ray was a prestigious actor, but also a producer and a craftsman filmmaker. With this A Man Alone(1955) and subsequently Lisbon (1956), Ray Milland moved into another direction, turning out several off-beat, low-budget films with himself as the lead , notably this A Man Alone (1957) his Western debut , The Safecracker (1958) , Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and Hostile Witness (1969) . Rating : 6/10 . Less-than-notable , but acceptable , passable and decent enough . The flick will appeal to Ray Milland fans.

Milland's version of 'High Noon'

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 18 January 2022]

Why was High Noon so popular, when many other westerns had the same theme and were infinitely better? If you want to see Ray Milland's version, check out A Man Alone, which he directed as well. I used to jokingly call him Ray Mi-bland because I thought he was boring, but that was before I'd seen his good movies. Who would have thought he'd pull off the role of a western gunfighter?

The common theme of an entire town turning against an innocent man is present in this drama. Ray comes across a stagecoach massacre, and when he rides into town on one of the surviving horses, everyone thinks he was the bandit who did it. When a beautiful woman with a lovely figure, Mary Murphy, believes in his innocence, she offers him shelter. As if he needed any more obstacles, Mary's father is the local sheriff, Ward Bond. Ward is very sick and Mary's caring for him while he's confined to his bed. I didn't like seeing him looking so old and ill, especially since I knew he died a few years later, but he still had his signature warm energy.

It's not the best western out there, but it's definitely worth watching. If you like Ray Milland, or if you like the storyline, you'll probably enjoy it. Next up, try Riding Shotgun or Silver Lode.

When is necessary a loner stop running and face his fate!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 3 August 2023]

As versatile actor Ray Milland plays a gunslinger Wes Steele running from his bleak past at desert area he've found a stagecoach brutal massacre of six people and worst a woman and his young daughter, a hard scene to face even for guy inured to the killing, he head to the city with a stagecoach's horse in order to report what he had saw, unfortunately others horses arrive firstly at city, alarmed the citizen already figure out the worst, upon a strong sandstorm Wes reaches in town and was conflated as the stagecoach's murder by the deputy Jim (Alan Hale Jr.) in the crossfire Jim stays injured, Wes looking for a shelter randomly ends up in a local Bank where is ongoing a belligerent discussion on next room, Wes hears all about concerning stagecoach's robbery, when one of them leave the office and was killed by back for his partners of stagecoach's robbery and massacre whereof he doesn't agree whatsoever.

Wes looking around some pace to hide, find out a door into a house's cellar, there he meets the young girl Nadine (Mary Murphy) introducing himself as stranger just passing by, his father actually is local Sheriff Gil Corrigan (Ward Bond) is convalescing in bed suffering a yellow fever, through the Doctor Mason (Arthur Spacey) Nadine hears the latest sad happenings over stagecoach bloody murders and the killer is in town hidden somewhere, thus Nadine faces Wes if he had committed such evilness, whom he replays that had make many things that ashamed him, however it wasn't your style, slowly raises a mutual affection over them.

Wes had many opportunity to running away, but often aid to care the feverish Sheriff, the night of funeral of the victims the real mastermind of those crimes stays at church when Wes arrives stealthily and throw at Stanley's faces (Raymond Burr) what he heard on Bank's office when his partner was killed by back, Stanley afraid be killed offers a laissez-passer to Wes leaves the town as uncharged man, Wes prefers beaten him so hard that almost kills him, Wes had a concussion at head stayed unconscious several days waiting for the gallows over such angry crowd, through the shadowed past of Sheriff Gil sets free Wes at desert nearby Indian territory, the destiny of Wes is running once more?

In a nutshell A Man Alone is largely enjoyable in many aspects, firstly Nadine had a secret trunk fully of their belongs ready to stepping out, likewise Wes Steele running for his bad reputation pastime, in other hand Sheriff Gil has theirs skeletons in his closet, after lost his ranch for strong drought and his wife died by exhaustive work as laundress sold his integrity for make blind eyes for Stanley's robberies, also supported by a solid secondary cast, as Raymond Burr, Ward Bond, Alan Hale Jr., Arthur Spacey and the stereotyped gangster Lee Van Cleef, fine movie indeed!!

Resume:

First watch: 1981 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25.

it's ok... some big names in this one

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 11 April 2020]

Ray Milland only directed a handful of films, and this was his first, directing and starring as Wes, an innocent man getting caught up in a murder scene. when bandits knock off the stage coach, Wes comes onto the scene, and is made out to be the bad guy by the evil townies. and what western wouldn't be complete without Alan Hale Junior (skipperrrrr), Raymond Burr (perry mason!) and Ward Bond! Mary Murphy is Nadine, who lets Wes hide out at her place. it's pretty slow going... story is good enough, but with all these giant names, this should have been a little more exciting. Wes just hides out in the house most of the film. i've never seen this one on Turner Classics; it's showing on Epix channel, and only has 700 votes, as of today. not sure why Murphy didn't make a bigger name for herself.. she does perfectly fine. sometimes she looks and sounds like shirley jones... other times, a bit like marilyn monroe. she was the girl who straightened out marlon brando in "Wild One".