The Man from Laramie (1955) User Reviews

A tale of anguish and vengeance...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 10 February 2001]

Some of the best Westerns of the fifties were those directed by Anthony Mann and John Ford, straightforward and unpretentious, but each with an interesting approach to the requirements of the genre... Mann's films were the more prestigious, usually featuring James Stewart who, with John Wayne, was the fifties' biggest box-office draw... "The Man From Laramie" best known because of the Frankie Laine theme strong which accompanied it, is notable for (among other things) Alex Nicol's extraordinary projection of sadism, an element which dominated the best of Mann's movies... The motion picture was to be the last of the Mann-Stewart Westerns...

Stewart is cast as a wagon handler from Laramie, Wyoming, but is, really, an army officer out to avenge the death of his younger brother, a U.S. Cavalryman, massacred by the Apaches who were buying guns from unknown persons... It is these persons that Stewart is looking for..

Soon Stewart gets involved in an area of New Mexico which is ruled by the iron hand of a cattle baron Donald Crisp, a strong authoritarian "who can't live with a lie"... Crisp's one weakness is his love and care for his spoiled son, Alex Nicol...

Wild but feeble, yet vicious, Nicol - with extraordinary projection of sadism - accosts Stewart in several confrontations in which (among other outrages) Stewart is dragged through fire by horses, and has his hand held tight while Alex puts a bullet through it... Mann proceeds in this mood throughout the movie, growing even more sadistic...

Arthur Kennedy, a hard-working heavy, plays the adopted son of Crisp... He is a son in disguise, jealous of Alex, pretending to be his brother's ally and protector...

A lot of good supporting actors are cast including Cathy O'Donnell, the fragile beauty who has little to do but await patiently for an opportunity; Aline MacMahon, the fine 'ugly' woman who never leaves the old man, and Jack Elam who tries to knife James Stewart in the back...

Anthony Mann adopted an altogether tougher approach to Western mythology than John Ford... His obsessive, neurotic characters and his emphasis on violence foretell the work of Peckinpah, Leone and Eastwood...

Filmed in Technicolor, "The Man From Laramie" is a Western with new touches of brutality touching off the wide screen spectacle...

Another great James Stewart western

[NewEnglandPat · 8/10 · 23 February 2003]

James Stewart rides the vengeance trail as he comes to a dusty New Mexico town in search of a gun runner whose wares were used by raiding Indians that led to his brother's death. Stewart is grim and determined in this beautifully filmed western to square matters with his unknown quarry and meets with hostility and indifference at every turn. The film has touches of extreme violence which was unusual for its time. The story is packed with suspense and tension as Stewart's Will Lockhart seeks his personal retribution. Along the way, Lockhart is befriended by a pretty girl and a strong-willed female rancher who are sympathetic to Lockhart's quest. Another sub plot has a cattle baron, his neurotic son, and a ranch foreman riding rough-shod over other ranchers and townspeople. Arthur Kennedy and Donald Crisp head a great cast of veteran western character actors, and a nod goes to Aline MacMahon for her portrayal of the plucky ranch woman.

Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Mann end their Western collaboration on a high note ...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 11 February 2023]

...with this Technicolor tale examining vengeance, moral culpability, and familial loyalty. Stewart plays Will Lockhart, whose brother was killed in a cavalry ambush. The ambush was carried out by the Apaches. The question Lockhart wants answered is who provided the Apaches with the rifles used in the attack. His journey takes him to a sprawling ranch in New Mexico, lorded over by Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp), a man who may have lived by the ethos of rugged individualism, but now, in his twilight, develops a belated sense of right and wrong.

The film also stars Arthur Kennedy as the faithful ranch employee who simmers with resentment over not being appreciated; Alex Nicol as Waggoman's hotheaded son, a character with a violent streak; and Cathy O'Donnell as Alec's niece and Lockhart's love interest.

Good movie, but too many plot inconsistencies

[doug-balch · 6/10 · 21 May 2010]

This is an very good Western. It may be a little underrated, because it is generally known as the "worst" of the three Mann/Stewart Westerns. I thought it was at least as good as "Winchester '73" and "Naked Spur".

Here are a list of positives:

• The acting is very good. Stewart is his usual fabulous presence. Arthur Kennedy is solid. There are also some other fine supporting performances. The only exception is Alex Nicol playing the heavy. This was overdone, both the character and the acting.

• The basic plot is pretty compelling, at least through the first half of the movie.

• It looks like it was filmed almost entirely on location.

• There was a very short, but excellent scene where a Mexican friar explains that the Pueblo Indians in the town of Coronado are traditionally peaceful cliff dwellers and fundamentally different in nature from the nomadic Apaches. Rare historically accurate and sophisticated insight from a Western of this era.

Now here are the negatives:

The movies suffers from numerous fundamental plot/feasibility issues.

1) Lockhart is a U.S. Army calvary captain who has gone undercover posing as the leader of a supply wagon train (it's unsaid , but that's how they got through Apache country. They had an Army escort). However, he hardly acts like a spy, pretty much spilling his guts about his mission whenever given a chance. If he was smart enough to come up with the ruse of pretending to be a civilian, surely he could have been a little more clever in rooting out the bad guys. Like maybe pretend he wanted to buy some repeating rifles? Just sayin'.

2) More on Lockhart's preposterous ineptitude as a spy. When the town drunk (Jack Elam) offers to sell him any information he wants, Lockhart shoos him off. Real smart.

3) Why was he loading up his wagons with salt? Didn't he come to stay?

4) Some other user reviews felt that it was not explained in the movie why the drunk later tries to kill Lockhart. I thought it was made clear that the Indian paid the drunk to kill him, then the Indian killed the drunk in order to shut him up. The Indian was put up to this by either Vic and Dave or the Indian gun buyers themselves. Remember, Lockhart coughed up the reason for his "secret" mission to the Indian the minute he rode into town.

5) After being hired by Kate Canady, Lockhart immediately rides onto the property of the Waggoman ranch in order to cut out stray Half Moon Ranch stock. This doesn't sound like such a critical task that Lockhart should be taking that kind of risk considering that Dave Waggoman wants to kill him. Good idea to go alone, too, huh? Why not leave your gun behind and paint a bullseye on your back while you're at it?

6) It's difficult to understand the motivations of Vic and Dave in selling guns to the Indians. It's clearly not necessary, they already control most of the territory. We have to assume that this was crazy Dave's idea - an irrational attempt to emulate the former ruthlessness of his father. It's completely out of character for Vic to be complicit with Dave in this activity.

7) Once the guns are revealed, Vic'c character is handled irrationally for the rest of the movie. The logic of the script says that his actions are tragic and sympathetic i.e. he clearly does not intend to kill Dave and hurts the old man by accident. To this point in the story, Vic is a Job figure, a decent guy whose life has been destroyed by accidental external forces. Yet for the rest of the movie he is cast as a legitimate villain, justifiably killed by the Indians (thereby indirectly avenging the death of Lockhart's brother) and remembered by the old man forever as the dirty snake who killed his faultless son. This inexplicable about face in the script is grossly unfair to Vic.

8) And while we're on the subject, how can Lockhart be so darkly obsessed with avenging his brother's death and hold absolutely no malice toward the Apaches who actually killed him. It's ENTIRELY the fault of Vic, who was no doubt forced or coerced into selling the guns anyway by crazy Dave.

9) There was no way that wagon load of guns falling off the cliff damaged the majority of the rifles. The Indians surely could have collected them at the bottom of the hill.

10) The finale scene where Vic, Lockhart and the Indians all show up at the rifle scene at exactly the same time is a preposterous coincidence

11) And one last thing, just how did Lockhart get down from that cliff at the end of the movie without the Indians noticing?

In summary, "Man From Laramie" has good acting, good locations and a solid, interesting plot set up, but the conclusion is contrived. Plot elements and scenes are just slapped together to produce the climatic scenes Mann is looking for. The story has no integrity. The other parts of the movie aren't strong enough to compensate for the numerous glaring flaws.

Mann-Stewart Combo Does It Again!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 2 December 2005]

Director Anthony Mann and actor James Stewart combined to make several westerns and they were all very good. Make that "excellent." This is one of them and it gets high marks for an involving story.

It also features what I call "realistic dialog," along with interesting characters and a film noir feel to it. That's no surprise since Mann directed a few film noirs. Along that noir theme, be warned this is not an upbeat story, a feel-good Jimmy Stewart film that most people remember him by. In here, he's a vengeful guy here (but, yeah, still a good man at heart). Donald Crisp also demonstrates an overt double-edged sword, so to speak, being a very gruff but fair land owner.

Some of the best lines in the movie are delivered by Ailine MacMahon, an older woman friend who helps Stewart. Cathy O'Donnell plays the female romantic lead but is a bit on the bland side, frankly.

Good story.....solid western.....deserves to be better known. Buy the DVD. It''s cheap. You won't be sorry.

"I always feel like I belong...where I am."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 21 February 2020]

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.

You Scum!

[hitchcockthelegend · 9/10 · 16 November 2009]

Will Lockhart (James Stewart) leaves his home in Laramie on a mission to find out who was responsible for selling repeating rifles to the Apaches who killed his brother. Landing in Coronado, New Mexico, he finds that most of the territory is owned and ruled by Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp), a fierce patriarchal rancher with one loose cannon son, Dave (Alex Nicol) and another surrogate son, Vic Hansboro (Arthur Kennedy) running the Barb Ranch. As he digs deeper, Lockhart finds he is in the middle of two wars, one of which may eventually conclude his revenge fuelled mission.

The Man From Laramie is the last of the five Westerns that director Anthony Mann made with leading man James Stewart. The only one filmed in CinemaScope, it is a visually stylish picture that is full of brooding psychological themes and boasts great acting and a tight script. It's no secret that Mann, before his sad death, was looking to make a Western King Lear, The Man From Laramie serves as a delicious starter to what would have been the main course. With its family dilemmas and oedipal overtones, Mann's Western is very Shakespearian in tone. That its characters are sumptuously framed amongst a harsh dangerous landscape further fuels the psychological fire; with the landscapes (terrificly photographed by Charles Lang) providing a link to the characters emotional states. So many scenes linger long and hard in the memory (none of which I would dare to spoil for would be new viewers), so much so they each reward more upon subsequent revisits to the film. There's some minor quibbles down the pecking order; for instance Cathy O'Donnell as Barbara Waggoman is poor and contributes little to proceedings, but really it remains a quality piece of psychological work that barely gives us reason to scratch the itch.

Taut, tight and tragic is The Man From Laramie, brought to us courtesy from the dynamite partnership of Mann & Stewart. 9/10

Watchable, should of been better though.

[bombersflyup · 6/10 · 9 December 2020]

The Man from Laramie initially engages and has a solid story, but fades.

The beautiful Cathy O'Donnell tilts her head to the side time and again, to convey she's interested and has subsequent thoughts, but never in action or dialogue. Therefore her characterization's quite tame and bland. The same can be said about Stewart's character to a degree. He's no tough guy, everything's resolved by everyone else. However, I wouldn't say the film is tame. The ending though, isn't great.

Goes way beyond just being a western--sharply seen and acted

[secondtake · 8/10 · 9 September 2010]

The Man from Laramie (1955)

You have a right to expect a movie starring James Stewart, directed by Anthony Mann, and photographed by Charles Lang to be spectacular. And it is. This is one of the first full wide screen Technicolor movies, and it's one drawback might be that it is trying to apply a new format to an old and slightly tired genre. The fact it rises above its familiarity is to Stewart's credit and Mann's. Lang (who photographed an extraordinary number of great black and white films) trades stately perfect color and design for pure drama and intensity, which are very different things, but it gives a full backdrop to the high drama here.

This is a beautiful movie, for sure, in its restrained way. (The fact that it's restrained when the whole world is gaping for surging new big color movies is a small miracle in itself.) Mann did a number of westerns, for which he's most known, and a few other genre pics, but first made his name as a film minor film noir director. He seems to carry over enough of the edginess and cruelty of those noirs to make his Westerns exciting rather than epic, which is a good thing. He and Stewart worked together on five westerns, and they have taken on a life of their own, and a feeling of their own that's impressive once you click into it. One of the best noir elements to the story (which was not written by Mann) is the feeling of the lone man against the world, a great theme.

The key woman lead is a cliché, the widow hanging on against the odds in town. In this case she is a charming but slightly miscast Cathy O'Donnell, a favorite of mine who takes demur and innocent to the heights. You see from the outset that this widow and Stewart's good, hard working character are destined for some kind of meeting of destinies. And there are inevitable clichés, too, that you might get used to--the stoic Indians, the older woman as tough as nails (and a gem of a role), a patriarch with a thoughtful wise look that shows counteracting wisdom, and fistfights in the dust. It's all great stuff, in the Western mold. (One fight is right in the middle of a mooing herd of cattle, and it's pretty fun.)

You do wonder sometime at the possibility of a super nice guy sticking it out against all these obstacles, and I mean obstacles. The domineering (and sometimes evil) family led by Donald Crisp, with the always impressive Arthur Kennedy as the chief hand, seems like more than a man could handle. But the conflict is real, and the movie makes it pertinent beyond being "just" a western. And beautifully done. Even if you don't like westerns, this will grab you anyway.

Not a spectacular western, but satisfyingly straightforward with a violent undercurrent...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 7 June 2011]

The fifth of five western collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann is certainly one of their finest. Plot involves Army Captain from Laramie doing business in the small town of Coronado, but in reality seeking revenge for the killing of his brother by Apache Indians using rifles purchased from wealthy local ranchers. Adapted from a magazine serial by Thomas T. Flynn (later published in book-form), this no-nonsense outdoor adventure is surprisingly gripping, with no-holds-barred violent action and a solid supporting cast. Stewart gives yet another first-rate performance in a genre that was especially good for him, however Cathy O'Donnell was an odd choice for a (subtle) love-interest. Charles Lang's splendid cinematography needs to be seen in the widescreen format to capture its grandeur (this was one of the very first westerns shot in CinemaScope). An entertaining film, and capped with a nifty theme song. **1/2 from ****

a solid western

[Stenius · 7/10 · 30 January 2004]

*possible spoiler* I still can`t decide if Jimmy Stewart is one of the best actors ever, or one of the worst. OK -he isn´t a bad actor but somehow he always seems to be too relaxed and too polite. He hasn´t got that bad attitude that could sometimes improve his performances. But altogether he made pretty good role here. The story is not your typical old obvious story which surprised me positively. Arthur Kennedy is great in his performance as the main villain. Hey the fact that he turns out to be the bad guy was absolutely genius! This isn`t the all time greatest western but it`s not that disappointing either. I give it a pretty good: 7/10

Could have used a better script

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 30 December 2005]

The Man From Laramie is the last completed western of the James Stewart- Anthony Mann combination. They started Night Passage together, but quarreled and James Neilson finished it. Stewart-Mann turned out some great westerns and three other films as well and all were good entertainment.

The Man From Laramie is probably the weakest of the five westerns. It seems better than it is because of the quality of company of players Anthony Mann got for this film. The story has way too many improbabilities.

Stewart plays an army captain on leave on a personal mission to find out who sold Apaches repeating rifles with which they massacred an army patrol led by Stewart's brother. He arrives at his destination and tangles with the spoiled and crazy son of the owner of the local Ponderosa.

The owner is Donald Crisp, as always a strong character and his son is played by Alex Nicol. Nicol delivers a scenery chewing performance as a really rotten human being, the kind you go to the movies and love to hate.

The point is that Nicol is so bad and so obviously lacking a whole suit in his deck of cards is that why would anyone get any kind of close to him to have private dealings. Yet that's what we're asked to believe.

Arthur Kennedy is the foreman of Donald Crisp's ranch. His is the same role that Charlton Heston did in The Big Country, the orphan kid who gets taken in by the big landowner and raised by him. But Charles Bickford had a daughter there.

Kennedy is courting Cathy O'Donnell who is Crisp's niece and Nicol's cousin. She owns the local mercantile and upon Stewart's arrival she starts reevaluating her personal life. She's playing an older version of the part she had in The Best Years of Our Lives as Harold Russell's fiancé.

Another big plot hole is that the people dealing with the Apaches are doling out the weapons bit by bit afraid of starting a general Indian uprising. Leaving aside the question of why they're selling them at all, why don't the Apaches just follow them to where the supply is and take the weapons?

The only other two roles of consequence are Wallace Ford as Stewart's sidekick and Aline McMahon as the owner of a rival spread to Crisp's. Both deliver in their usual good style.

It's not a bad western, but the script and the character motivation from the script could have used some rethinking.

Complex but Memorable

[dougdoepke · 27 May 2019]

On his way to a mixed-race village, a lone cowboy seems mysteriously fascinated by charred clothing he finds on the trail. Once in town he finds little more than conflict between himself and a rancher's family, including the crafty foreman and a belligerent son. So what's going on with the lone cowboy and his apparent mission.

If you've got a yearn for wide-open spaces, this is the western to catch. From desert flats to rocky cliffs, the screen's filled with Mother Nature at her most expansive. Happily most of the action takes place among these great sights. To me, the vistas are the movie's best feature among stiff competition. For example, it's also an exceptionally well-acted oater, though O'Donnell seems a little too delicately saccharine for a frontier gal. Nonetheless, Kennedy is in fine form as the crafty Vic, who's an excellent foil for Stewart as the lone cowboy Lockhart. And, of course, Stewart is Stewart, low-key, but determined.

All in all, for a western, the storyline's unusually complex featuring a number of subplots. But then, 1955 was a time when Hollywood went for big screen epics in its battle with front room TV's. So producers had to fill out the narratives to increase runtimes befitting more epic proportions and name casts. Here the subplots-- old lady MacMahon, sinister Elam, wacko Nicol-- are mostly agreeable, but don't tighten the impact, which is clearly Stewart's odd relationship with Kennedy. Speaking of impact, there're several memorable scenes that lift results. Maybe the most memorable is Stewart getting dragged through the smoking campfire that's excellently staged and photographed. No doubt that's due to director Mann who knew how to make viewers feel and not just see. Then too, the difficult father-son relation between father Crisp and substitute son Kennedy is both poignant and sensitively performed. No wonder Kennedy was cast in what amounts to a difficult good-guy bad-guy role.

All in all, it's an ace western, a little loose in construction, but with moments of memorable excellence.

Mann & Stewart Again.

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 9 October 2013]

Jimmy Stewart re-teams with director Anthony Mann for this interesting western as he plays Will Lockhart, who is driving supplies to his employer Barbara Waggoman(played by Cathy O'Donnell) who is waylaid by ruthless and vicious Dave Waggoman(played by Alex Nicol) son of local cattle baron Alec Waggoman(played by Donald Crisp) who is apologetic to Will, and offers to reimburse him the full value of his loss. He accepts, but retains a grudge against Dave, and continues to work for Barbara, as he also pursues the person who is selling guns to the local Apaches. Arthur Kennedy costars as Alec's right hand man, who ends up helping Will.

OK western is well acted and exciting, though the story has certain weaknesses in logic and motivation that weaken it. Still, worthwhile viewing despite these problems.

The Mann from Laramie.

[dbdumonteil · 8/10 · 11 February 2004]

Another solid western by a man who gave some of the best works of the whole genre (the naked spur, cimarron,etc).This is the story of a double search:Stewart is looking for the man who's responsible for his brother 's death.Crisp is afraid of a man who might possibly kill his son:he has a recurrent dream which frightens him .Little by little the two stories converge and make one in one of the most brilliant western screenplays of the fifties.The dreamlike touch gives a movie another dimension,which only great directors can conjure :Walsh,Ford ,Daves,or of course Mann.

The characters are more complex than we thought at first sight,and the cliché of the old wealthy man with a son -black-sheep-of-the-family and an almost- adoptive- son-good-boy is avoided.Alex Nicol and Arthur Kennedy give strong nervous tortured portrayals which almost outshine star Stewart.Crisp is equally effective in the part of a man who tries not to face the truth -which may be the meaning of his premonitory dream-,and will finally see it when he is blind.The lead female part is the weakest link of the movie ,but Aline MacMahon's colorful Kate more than makes up for Cathy O'Donnell's blandness.

I had seen this movie for the first time when I was 13.I saw it again yesterday.It has not aged a bit.

Tries something different, but not all that successful.

[blott2319-1 · 6/10 · 17 December 2021]

I always find myself annoyed by the situation, but simultaneously invested in the main character's plight, when someone is mistreated as much as The Man from Laramie. There's a sense of injustice, but that makes you get on the protagonist's side as you want to see him get revenge. I also like Jimmy Stewart in these kinds of roles, he knows how to portray the level of disgust someone would feel after being attacked without provoking it. I was kind of surprised how the plot progressed, because it often seems in movies like this, once the line between white hats and black hats are drawn they just keep making the villains more evil and the heroes more lovable. However, there isn't that instant escalation, in fact there is an apology and an admission of wrong from one of the "bad guys," which leaves you to question if they really are bad at all.

The other aspect of the story that they tried to weave into The Man from Laramie was an attempt at a murder mystery of sorts. We are meant to wonder who was indirectly responsible for the death of the protagonist's brother by supplying the Apaches with dangerous rifles. Normally I would totally love this kind of puzzle left for the viewers to solve, but in this film due to the economy of characters there is simply no mystery. You can put 2 and 2 together much faster than Jimmy Stewart does. It made the movie feel a bit drawn out and slow at points because I was just waiting for things to be revealed. There were still thrilling and action-packed moments as various characters get involved in shoot-outs, but The Man from Laramie lacks something in the story to truly set this western apart from so many others with similar plotlines.

An awesome rugged Western masterfully directed by Anthony Mann including his ordinary star , James Stewart

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 29 August 2012]

From Columbia Pictures , produced by William Goetz and screenplay by prestigious Philip Yordan , a Western plenty of emotion , action and shootouts ; being the last and the best of James Stewart's classic Western collaborations with Anthony Mann. From a story by Thomas Flynn for the Saturday Evening Post and its subsequent novel with the same title . A cowboy named Lockhart (James Stewart) defies the local cattle baron (Donald Crisp) and his sadistic son (Alex Nicol) by working for one of his oldest rivals (Aline MacMahon) . The obsessed cow-herder going through hell and high water to track down the stranger who sold Indians weapons which led to the death of his brother ; then excitement increases until a surprising final .

This exciting Western contains tension-filled familial atmosphere , thrills , suspense and gun-play . Magnificent western from duo Anthony Mann/James Stewart and their final collaboration . Colour , music , scenarios , landscapes all marks well in this thrilling story about a cowboy who deals with a baron land who's going blind and worries which of his two sons he will leave the ranch to . The picture has been described as a western version of King Lear adding a tautly strung outdoor Wodunnit . It describes a family tragedy in which there are extreme characters combined with psychological observations and enriched by eventual ambiguity . By that time (1955) the picture was considered very strong , tough , surprisingly cruel and brutal ; today is deemed a classic film . And seems to be a great influence of wide range such as violence and scenarios , both of them influenced in Spaghetti Western as well as outdoors similar to Almeria landscapes . Filmed in Cinemascope with colorful cinematography by Charles Lang supported by assistant Henry Jaffa , Mann gets to take from nature the maximum impacts , as desert , river , mountains , being wonderfully photographed . Impressive background scenarios , dramatic close-up along with shading illuminations , all of them perfectly mingled with a tale full of violence , tension , intrigue and shoot'em up . The filming took place on location in New Mexico , there were built two ranch : Big Barb and Half Moon , next to Santa Fe . The technician and artist team was formed by numerous actors and 142 technicians . Producers hired 18 mules , 24 horses and 800 cows and building a great ranch of 32 miles length . Nedless to say , the main and secondary cast is first-class . Top-of-the-range acting by the great James Stewart as a lone avenger obsessed with hunting down the men who sold guns to the Indians that murdered his brother . There are top-notch acting from old-stagers as Donald Crisp playing an aging ranch baron and Aline MacMahon as an old spinster and special mention to Western usual secondary Jack Elam as a sinister gunslinger . Delicate Cathy O'Donnell (Ben Hur) was widely felt to be badly miscast as Barbara Waggoman and seems a little lost among the movie's many shots and brawls. Emotive as well as intriguing musical score by George Duning performed by Morris Stoloff , including a notorious theme tune .

This top-drawer Western was stunningly realized by the master Anthony Mann , including his characteristic use of landscape which is visually memorable . Mann established his forte with magnificent Western almost always with James Stewart . In his beginnings he made ambitious but short-lived quality low-budget surroundings of Eagle-Lion production as ¨T-men¨ , ¨They walked by night¨ , ¨Raw deal¨ , ¨Railroaded¨ and ¨Desperate¨ . Later on , he made various Western , remarkably good , masterpieces such as ¨The furies¨ , ¨Devil's doorway¨ and ¨Man of the West¨ and several with his habitual star , James Stewart, as ¨Winchester 73¨ , ¨Bend the river¨ , ¨The far country¨ , ¨Man of the West ¨. They are characterized by roles whose determination to stick to their guns would take them to the limits of their endurance . Others in this throughly enjoyable series include ¨Tin star ¨ that is probably one of the best Western in the fifties and sixties . After the mid-50 , Mann's successes came less frequently , though directed another good Western with Victor Mature titled ¨The last frontier¨. And of course ¨The man from Laramie ¨ that turns out to be stylish , fast paced , solid , meticulous , with enjoyable look , and most powerful and well-considered . This well acted movie is gripping every step of the way . It results to be a splendid western and remains consistently agreeable . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching and it will appeal to James Stewart fans .

Hi, Plains Drifter

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 13 September 2009]

This, the last of five Westerns that Anthony Mann made with James Stewart (they also made three non-Westerns together) comes across some fifty years later as a trifle on the bland side with few thrills and a distinct lack of chemistry between Steart and Cathy O'Donnell, the nearest thing to a 'love interest' the screenplay offers. In something of a throwback to the first Mann-Stewart western, Winchester 73, Stewart is after vengeance, this time around he's looking for the man who sold repeating rifles to the Apaches as a consequence of which, Stewart's brother was one of a group of US Cavalrymen who died in a massacre. With Stewart as star, of course, it wasn't really necessary to spend money on co-stars and Arthur Kennedy, an equally fine actor, was largely wasted as the real villain - the screenplay likes to blow smoke in our eyes by portraying Alex Nicol in this role, but whilst he is a bona fide sadist and coward it is Kennedy who is ultimately revealed as a cut-rate Iago to Donald Crisp's Othello. Another fine actress, Aline McMahon is also largely wasted; watchable, certainly, but not memorable.

A raw and tough western, with some breathtaking scenery and a great Jimmy Stewart

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 15 May 2010]

I like Jimmy Stewart a lot, and like a vast majority of his movies, and when I saw that this was going to be on television I told yes I must see it. After seeing The Man from Laramie, I thought it wasn't absolutely outstanding but it was very good all the same. The story, about a man who seeks vengeance on the man who sold the guns that killed his brother, has its unfocused spots and while Cathy O'Donell looked lovely her acting wasn't that great at times, I found her somewhat bland. That said though, The Man from Laramie is beautifully made, the cinematography is crisp and the scenery is breathtaking. And George Duning's score is excellent, and the dialogue has some bite. Also there are some very good performances, Jimmy Stewart is excellent in the lead of Will Lockhart and Donald Crisp is brilliant as Alec Waggoman, who along with his sons played respectively by Arthur Kennedy and Alex Nicol dominate the action. Antony Mann's direction is tougher than most of the other psychological westerns that he directed, and here it works. Then there are some effective scenes such as when Will gets shot in the hand and the final shoot-out on the cliffs. Overall, not flawless but very satisfying western, telling of anguish and vengeance. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Thin, Wobbly Story full of Dull Cliche - Stewart Awkwardly Miscast

[thespeos · 6/10 · 11 November 2021]

Most western films of this era are dull, and this film is no exception. The acting is OK, but the story and script have some serious flaws.

Here's my breakdown:

STORY: The story is narrow and dull: man is on a vengeance quest, but gets derailed in a small cattle-baron owned town.

Man also gets the hots for a nice woman. Oh boy, this sounds original ...

The biggest problem, however, is that the film begins somewhere in the middle of time and space. The writer / director provide a sliver of context for understanding the man's purpose. Even what little it provides is horribly staged and dull, lazy, and dull.

ACTING: Jimmy Stewart and nearly the whole cast are miscast here. On occasion, Stewart is perfect for western riles, e.g.

"Who Shot Liberty Valance?" But here he's just a bad pick, but so are most other actors. Then again, you could put Clint Eastwood in the lead, but he can't offset a poorly made story.

The only good pick was MacMahon who plays a female owned ranch.

TEMPO: The pace is OK, but this film bounces around like a cannabis-infused ball of flubber. Seriously, this production crew needed the British equivalent of the "Continuity" role badly. (It also needed some originality, no, any.)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Filmed in New Mexico, this is the only grace possessed by the film, dusty as it was.

DIRECTING / WRITING: Aside from a few films, e.g. "El Cid," the team doesn't have much of a successful career (that I can see).

My guess is that if I watched all of their films I'd be disappointed as a whole.

NOTES: This is perfunctory storytelling at its finest, and an especially cliche one at that. (So much wasted time ...) Bad Native Americans, the Holy US Military, and some sweet western beef. Oy ...

Is it a good film? No.

Should you watch this once? Maybe.

Rating: 6.4.

A Classic Western

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 16 October 2004]

Will Lockhart (James Stewart) come to Coronado, a town owned by the powerful Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp), to deliver some supplies to the store Barbara Waggoman (Cathy O'Donnel) and investigate the murder of his brother, a soldier killed with his patrol by the Apaches, trying to find who is supplying rifles to the Apaches. He has a problem with Dave Waggoman (Alex Nicol) and Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy), respectively the spoiled son and right arm of Alec, but is supported by Kate Canady (Aline Macmahon), the former fiancée of Alec and owner of the Half Moon Farm.

"The Man from Laramie" is a great classic western with a tale of greed, revenge and justice. This highly recommended movie is excellent, with great performances and direction and wonderful landscapes. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'Um Certo Capitão Lockhart' ('A Certain Captain Lockhart')

one of a string of very good 50s westerns from Jimmy Stewart

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 27 February 2006]

This film is pretty typical of a string of Westerns Jimmy Stewart made in the 1950s. All of them were very good--especially for Westerns, as they rose above a very glutted and mediocre genre. In other words, most Westerns of the time were really predictable and forgettable. Stewart's films, while not exactly "great art", were something more--perhaps due to the acting or perhaps due to the excellent production values, as these films weren't just made in a sound stage or in the Hollywood Hills.

This particular film has an advantage over some of Stewart's other Westerns because it once again pairs him with Arthur Kennedy, though in this film he isn't nearly as slimy. The film concerns Jimmy looking to investigate the illegal sale of repeating rifles to the Apache as well as exact revenge for his brother's death as a result of this sale. Along the way, he meets up with the local bully, Dave Waggoman, who is both a coward and a complete jerk. Well, I don't want to spoil the suspense--let's just say that the story takes a few twists and turns along the way so that the movie is both involving and interesting. The film isn't quite as good as it could be because the story is a little weaker than some Stewart Westerns. The whole business involving Donald Crisp just seems to work itself out too well in the end. But, still this is a film well worth a look.

Man from Laramie-Go East Western Movie Lovers **

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 19 March 2011]

In fact, this film heads southward after an impressive start. There are inconsistencies here such as Arthur Kennedy killing a man for doing what he does later on.

Aline MacMahon attempts to portray a feisty woman, but let's face it, Aline, who attended my alma mater, Erasmus Hall High School, in Brooklyn is anything but the feisty type. You need someone of the caliber of Marjorie Main in the role.

As for Donald Crisp in the role of the patriarch, he is not exactly Mr. Morgan, the prize role that got him an Oscar 14 years before in the memorable "How Green Was My Valley."

William Wyler's sister-in-law, the always frail looking Kathy O'Donnell, is far too dainty in her part as the young lass who came out west with her father and instead found herself amidst quite a family. O'Donnell, who never looked better in a film, acts as if she came out of a finishing school. The part was beneath her, for she gave outstanding performances as Wilma, Harold Russell's self-sacrificing girlfriend in "The Best Years of Our Lives," and Tierza, the leprosy victim, sister of Charlton Heston, in "Ben-Hur."

James Stewart in the lead of the film again comes off as the "aw-shucks" guy. Arthur Kennedy, as always, steals the film in a complex role of a dedicated foreman to Crisp resorting to violence when things don't go his way.