moonspinner55 Review of The Tall T

The Tall T (1957)

Intense western with good characterization, but a sour undermining...

[6/10 · 8 March 2009]

Former cowboy-turned-rancher Randolph Scott loses his horse in a bet and hitches a ride back home with a private coach carrying the daughter of a wealthy businessman and her sniveling new husband; of course they run afoul of bloodthirsty crooks who, upon learning of the woman's background, hold the travelers for ransom. Revered western director Budd Boetticher, working from a script by Burt Kennedy via Elmore Leonard's original story, creates great tension and excitement during the suspenseful final stages. Unfortunately, Boetticher and Kennedy get the picture off to an ugly start with the murder (off screen) of an innocent widower and his little boy--and also a friendly coach driver--their bodies ditched in a well. There is nothing more despicable than introducing characters simply as an excuse to have story-victims...and just because Boetticher doesn't show their killings doesn't make him more noble. These people never even get a chance to defend themselves, to fight back, and nobody mentions them again. Scott, alternately smiling and scowling, is a contemplative hero, and magnetic Richard Boone gets to display different shades to his gang-leader. Still, the film is unapologetic in the worst way; it's brutal all right, but the indifference of the general handling is tough to shake off. **1/2 from ****