Simply A Masterpiece

I wanted to but couldn't!

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

. . . THE BODY SNATCHER well knows, the going rate for a corpse in 1831 Scotland was "ten pounds" ( or $30.11 U.S.). Adjusted for inflation, that amounts to around $41.27 during 1868, when THE NAKED SPUR takes place. So as you watch Brig. Gen. Jimmy burying Bob's "five thousand buck corpse" toward the end of THE NAKED SPUR, you can figure that's an exaggeration of well over $4,900 (or $1.4 million, in 2018 dollars). If anyone is sporting a body to rival Esther Williams' famed MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID among the cast of THE NAKED SPUR, it's surely FREAKY FRIDAY's mom (whose closest thing to a shower scene comes when she plays musical cans in a cave with Gen. Jimmy). The best thing about soggy "Ben's" burial on the not-so-lone prairie (presumably he has "Jesse" for a grave-mate) is that it saves "Lena" and "Howie" the ordeal of a trip back to Kansas. As any survivor of even ONE trek to the Bun Flour State can tell you, the punch line to all the best jokes is "I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas any more!"

The collaboration between James Stewart and Anthony Mann is comparative to the collaboration between John Wayne and John Ford, the things that both pairs have in common are that both did mostly westerns and other genres, and both collaborations produced classic masterpieces that have stood the test of time. In "The Naked Spur" which is the 3rd of 8 films between Stewart and Mann, and in this movie Stewart plays a bounty hunter named Howard Kemp who is after an outlaw named Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan) who is responsible for the murder of a US Marshal. Along the way Kemp meets an old man named Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell, in his second to last film role) who helps him to go after Vandergroat, and while they're going on a trail that they believe will lead them to the outlaw and their reward for bringing them to the police. On that trail the two men meet a soldier named Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker), then Vandergroat is found and his girlfriend (Janet Leigh) comes to his rescue which then they go with Kemp and his partners to go to turn Vandergroat in as soon as they get to Abilene, Kansas. Even though the movie has a very small cast Mann and his screenwriters Sam Wolfe and Harold Jack Bloom really do a good job of allowing us to get to know each of the 5 main characters with very effective character development during the course of the movie. I'm not surprised that Jimmy Stewart would play the protagonist role, which like John Wayne, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and many others Stewart like the other actors that I just mentioned wouldn't have the guts to play the role of a villain because it was against their beliefs system which is totally understandable. Along with Stewart's the performances in the movie are top notch, of which Robert Ryan was totally menacing in his character, and Janet Leigh was the most likable person in the movie because she was the person who could expose the emotions of the other characters around her. though this isn't the best movie that Anthony Mann ever directed it is pretty close to the number 1 spot out of all three of the films I've seen that were directed by him. This isn't a masterpiece but it is a great film and arguably one of the best westerns of all time.

This sharp, tense western has a rip-roaring premise that fascinatingly juxtaposes the claustrophobic psychology of a chamber piece with the wide-open expanses of a wild America.James Stewart plays a man on a mission, and that mission is to drag outlaw Robert Ryan back to civilization so that he can cash in on the bounty. On his way, he is accidentally assisted by Ralph Meeker, as a morally suspect ex-soldier, and Millard Mitchell, as a crusty gold prospector. Since the two men help, they want a share of the bounty too. Robert Ryan realizes that he can play the greed of each man off the other, planting suspicions in their heads and causing them to fight among each other, thereby increasing his chances of escaping. To top it off, Janet Leigh is along for the ride as Ryan's girlfriend, so there's the added tension that one woman in a group of keyed up guys alone in the wilderness naturally adds to any scenario.The cast is ace, and the chemistry between all of the actors is palpable. Ryan is one of my favorite actors, and his unique, giggly spin on the typical western villain gives the film some added punch. Meeker is also terrific as the macho alpha male who undresses Leigh with his eyes for the entirety of the film. And Jimmy Stewart is of course excellent in an against-type role as the would-be hero who has too many masculine insecurities plaguing him to be truly heroic.I don't much like how the film ended and wish the filmmakers had found something better to do with Janet Leigh, but this was the early 1950s, so one can't be too surprised by the role she's given.Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom were nominated for the Best Story and Screenplay Academy Award, which they lost to Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, and Richard Breen for "Titanic." Grade: A

True, some of the themes and conflicts presented in this movie are very well-worn, and while Janet Leigh looks absolutely gorgeous I couldn't help thinking that this gorgeous presence jarred just a bit seeing as the film in its tone is very tough and melodramatic with themes of greed and bitterness and the rest of the characters intentionally pitiful. That said, Mann directs very assuredly, James Stewart is wonderfully ferocious and Robert Ryan is very charismatic in a more convoluted role. The film looks great, with wonderful sets, scenery, costumes and photography, the music adds to the mood of each scene without feeling too intrusive, the dialogue is excellent and the story even with the well-worn themes and such is very compelling. Overall, a marvellous film. 8/10 Bethany Cox