Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Admirable film.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

What a disappointing film! I only watched it for 2 reasons: (1) Gary Cooper; and (2) IMDb score >7. Getting right into my basic criteria for movie watching:1. Do I believe the story? What story? What kind of story could you expect from a title "Man of the West". May as well have been called "Generic Western Studio Prodution #27,586". Is there a story in all of this? Famous guy under contract (to the studio), sexy lady with some revealing shots (for the "golden age"). A goofball, a foil, some recollections of a past that was thrown together -- reformed bad guy unexpectedly reunited with his old gang, led by his "uncle" who has a soft spot for him? How convenient that the train robbery -- supposedly "in the middle of nowhere" -- occurred so close to home! This is the worst of the "golden age": Just throw something together with a sexy lady and make the tall famous actor appear in it. Let's see -- some guns, a robbery, a secret past -- just throw that in a pot, turn up the heat, stir -- 2. Do I care about the story? No story to care about, so -- ABSOLUTELY NOT!3. Do I believe the characters?A bunch of characters, none of which is particularly interesting or compelling.4. Do I care about the characters?I must admit, one character is more agreeable to look at than the others. Otherwise, who cares? I can't believe I watched the whole thing.Thank God the "golden age" ended! Without a doubt, it produced some great films, but the formulaic storyline & script were just too tempting for the good of the art form!

Intelligent, heartfelt Western / character study has an interesting tale to tell about a man who looks forward, intent on what his next phase in life will be, but finds that he will be utterly unable to escape the stigma of his past (a common enough theme in the Western genre). A rock solid ensemble of actors fill out a bare minimum of principal cast members, which helps to give "Man of the West" a somewhat intimate feel while at the same time making it somewhat epic. The California scenery is beautiful (naturally) and the widescreen photography is as impressive as one will ever see in this sort of thing. Leigh Harline's music is also wonderful. But the glue that holds it all together is a nuanced, low key performance by legendary actor Gary Cooper as the man who is conflicted in thought and emotion, as fate interrupts his journey.He plays Link Jones, a man travelling by train to hire a schoolteacher, and who incidentally is a former outlaw trying to forget his shady past. Unfortunately, a group of bandits attempts to rob the train, and it moves on, leaving Jones and two others stranded in its wake. His two new acquaintances are Billie Ellis (Julie London), a singer who just so happens was trained as a teacher, and the garrulous Sam Beasley (an amiable Arthur O'Connell). After a bit of walking, they come upon an isolated farmhouse where Jones says he spent his younger days. He thinks they will find shelter here, but instead he finds his old gang, led by the blustery Dock Tobin (Lee J. Cobb), the unconventional father figure of Jones's past. Tobins' gang contains the mute Trout (Royal Dano), the slow-witted Ponch (Robert J. Wilke), and the aggressive, depraved Coaley (an eerily effective Jack Lord). Jones reluctantly agrees to rejoin this bunch of men, but you can be certain he's not happy about the arrangement."Man of the West", during its release, didn't attract that much attention despite the efforts of the great Western director Anthony Mann; it took the complimentary words of French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (a critic at the time) to help it start to attain a classic status. Mann does an excellent job with the storytelling (the script is by Reginald Rose, based on a novel by Will C. Brown), and gets fine performances out of Cooper and Cobb. In reality, Cobb was 10 years *younger* than Cooper, but he's reasonably convincing as the ill-intentioned mentor. Wilke, Dano, and John Dehner as Claude are very watchable, although it's a shame that Dano's character is mute given what a memorable voice the actor had. Lord is perfectly despicable playing a man who's a real piece of work (he forces Billie to strip at one point).The finale could have used a bit more tension, but otherwise this works pretty well. It doesn't miss an opportunity for comedy as we see how Jones reacts to seeing, and riding on, a train, a new experience to him. Western lovers should find it to be satisfactory.Seven out of 10.

Anthony Mann directed this surprisingly tough (for its era) and gritty western about an ex-outlaw (Gary Cooper) who, along with a card-sharp and a pretty woman, is left stranded after gun-toting thieves rob a train, only to end up taking refuge with the bloodthirsty gang--his former partners, led by his uncle. Screenwriter Reginald Rose, adapting Will C. Brown's book "The Border Jumpers" (a better title!), appears to have been given free reign in regards to the adult content of the story, and some of the sequences--particularly a nasty one wherein knife-wielding Jack Lord commands Julie London to strip in front of the men--are unsettling. Cooper is too old for the lead, and his budding relationship with London seems to bloom off-screen (at first she's a wise, jaded cookie, but too soon becomes the proverbial lovestruck female, turned soft by her victimization). Ernest Haller's cinematography is excellent, as is Leigh Harline's score, but the picture is almost overwhelmed by its own unpleasantness, and by Lee J. Cobb's growling, snarling performance as Cooper's grizzled relative. ** from ****

When you watch an Anthony Mann western you always know it is going to be something special and different from usual. He was not really a director that applied to usual rules and the particular genre elements of the westerns from its era to his movies. This was not only just the case with his westerns by the way, since he also did a bunch of whole different movies but he is best known for his work in the western genre.Anthony Mann westerns are often more realistic with its characters, story and emotions but at the same time they also manage to be very entertaining ones. Not that this movie is all fun but it still has a sort of adventurous approach and feeling to it all. That also means that the movie has a pleasant pace, which helps to make this movie a very good watch.The story in itself is being kept quite simple. The story provides the movie with plenty of room to let the characters make and tell the story. It's a story that progresses along with its characters. The characters really play the central role in this movie and are what keeps this movie going and progressing so interesting. It's an intriguing to watch due to this effective approach.Lots of people thought that Gary Cooper was miscast in this, mostly due to his age, but in truth he simply was great in this movie and he did not feel out of place or anything in it. I always enjoy seeing Lee J. Cobb in a movie as well but it was a bit silly though how he looked in this movie and at times played his character more like an old pirate, rather than an old tough outlaw.Anthony Mann westerns don't come across as particularly expensive ones, mostly because they are often set in the open or indoors, at an obvious studio but nevertheless his movies are always great looking ones. And with this it just doesn't seem to matter whether his movies are in color or black & white.Another nice, bit of different, little western from Anthony Mann.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/