Man of the West **** (1958, Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J Cobb, Arthur O’Connell, Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano, Robert J Wilke) – Classic Movie Review 6493

Director Anthony Mann’s first-class 1958 Western stars Gary Cooper as gunman Link Jones who is trying to go straight but allows himself to be pressured into just one more bank job by his erstwhile former outlaw cronies, led by nasty patriarch Dock Tobin (Lee J Cobb).

Based on the novel The Border Jumpers by Will C Brown, it is an admirably robust and intelligent yarn, and Mann directs forcefully and imaginatively in his last Western outing, which is also one of his finest.

Cobb and Cooper at their best keep the tension rising impressively, while finely etched minor characters receive top-quality support performing.

Also in the cast are Julie London, Arthur O’Connell, Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano, Robert J Wilke, Dick Elliott, Frank Ferguson, Tom London, Tina Menard, Emory Parnell, Chuck Roberson, Guy Wilkerson, Jack Williams and Joe Dominguez.

It is written by Reginald Rose, shot by Ernest Haller, produced by Walter M Mirisch, scored by Leigh Harline and designed Hilyard M Brown.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6493

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