I stumbled into this by not changing channels after watching another movie. I was engaged within 5 minutes by the not-quite-formula everything - dialog, setup, even acting. I don't want oversell it. It's competent and interesting, partly for surprisingly good dialog occasionally, for a "western". I would call it a skillful addition to the short list of actually adult westerns. It could reasonably be called a skillful addition to the short list of actually adult westerns.
There's an exchange that serves as a good example of how the movie succeeds. At one point Mary Wells (Grahame) and Clay Phillips (Sterling) get to the moment that any film buff knows must come, where she confronts him about his attitude towards her past, we get this exchange:
MARY: Well, why don't you just say it.
CLAY: Okay, it's said.
There's a lot of that, economy of dialog and action where lesser writers would drag in familiar stuff from the standard inventory.
Other reviewers have analyzed plenty that's good. I mainly wanted to toss in another high rating for it.
There's an exchange that serves as a good example of how the movie succeeds. At one point Mary Wells (Grahame) and Clay Phillips (Sterling) get to the moment that any film buff knows must come, where she confronts him about his attitude towards her past, we get this exchange:
MARY: Well, why don't you just say it.
CLAY: Okay, it's said.
There's a lot of that, economy of dialog and action where lesser writers would drag in familiar stuff from the standard inventory.
Other reviewers have analyzed plenty that's good. I mainly wanted to toss in another high rating for it.