I was tempted to give this movie a "6", but one thing saved it -- it's different...not the typical Western.
That doesn't mean that it doesn't have problems. First off, I don't buy that tattoos look exactly like birthmarks. Second, much later in the film, the landscape is swarming with Mexicans hunting Ladd and his charge...but they sneak through. It's a lot to swallow. And, the "Mexican father" gives up way too easily to make a happy ending.
On the positive side, Ladd was a good actor and is good here. Mona Freeman was decent as the future love interest. Charles Bickford, a very good actor, didn't get much screen time; that was a disappointment. Robert Keith was, to be honest, too villainous, making his part seem like a caricature. Joseph Calleia as the "Mexican father"...a little stereotypical, as well. Peter Hansen as the son...he is satisfactory. Selena Royle, apparently once the lover of Spencer Tracy...is fine as the mother. Tom Tully, whom I remembered well from "The Caine Muitiny" is along as a ranch hand, as is Milburn Stone (Doc from "Gunsmoke)...but I didn't recognize him at all.
This is a film that could use some restoration. It was filmed in various places in central Arizona, and it's gorgeous scenery.
It's okay to pass some time, but this is not one of the great Westerns.
That doesn't mean that it doesn't have problems. First off, I don't buy that tattoos look exactly like birthmarks. Second, much later in the film, the landscape is swarming with Mexicans hunting Ladd and his charge...but they sneak through. It's a lot to swallow. And, the "Mexican father" gives up way too easily to make a happy ending.
On the positive side, Ladd was a good actor and is good here. Mona Freeman was decent as the future love interest. Charles Bickford, a very good actor, didn't get much screen time; that was a disappointment. Robert Keith was, to be honest, too villainous, making his part seem like a caricature. Joseph Calleia as the "Mexican father"...a little stereotypical, as well. Peter Hansen as the son...he is satisfactory. Selena Royle, apparently once the lover of Spencer Tracy...is fine as the mother. Tom Tully, whom I remembered well from "The Caine Muitiny" is along as a ranch hand, as is Milburn Stone (Doc from "Gunsmoke)...but I didn't recognize him at all.
This is a film that could use some restoration. It was filmed in various places in central Arizona, and it's gorgeous scenery.
It's okay to pass some time, but this is not one of the great Westerns.