A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Tension simmers between two brothers and a businessman working on a cattle drive together as the older brother and businessman compete for the affections of a woman accompanying them in this semi-comedic western. Clark Gable and Robert Ryan are both fine as the vying lovers in question, however, it is Jane Russell who truly makes the film as the mutual object of their affection. She has a knack for taking off her boots in public and bathing wherever and whenever possible - habits that cause quite a stir given the social mores of the day. At the film's most comical, a hotel clerk puts on his glasses to get a better look at Russell's legs until Russell calls him out on it, while her singing of traditional songs in her bathtub (oddly taken along on the cattle drive) are memorable. One of the songs also provides the source of the film's title. Russell additionally has an unforgettable scene in which her bathing in a local river is interrupted by a frog thrown in the water! Russell aside though, there is not very much to distinguish 'The Tall Men' as a unique western and it is consequently a rather flat viewing experience whenever Russell is not on screen. The love triangle stuff is extremely by the numbers, and while there are some spectacular shots of the cattle drivers leading their herd through dangerous and mountainous areas, they are few are far between. The film does look very good though, photographed in CinemaScope with bright, rich colours all round, and shot on location in Mexico, director Raoul Walsh admittedly gets all that he can from the picturesque locations.

Raoul Walsh didn't feel very comfortable when filming in Cinemascope and you can tell that in this story that, nevertheless, has some pleasant western elements and Jane Russell's body (and feet) standing out among several well-shot action sequences. You have seen it all better in other films such as "Red river" but the film is never boring and some moments- the cattle and the horses crossing a river, for instance- seem so close to reality that they make you miss those times when computer generated elements on screen just didn't exist. The plot solidly emphasizes some conservative attitudes towards life and shows them within a clear, fair scope: Clark Gable's character has fought enough and has earned a well-deserved retirement. He feels he has the right to have a home of his own and enjoy a new life without violence. Classic Hollywood film-makers, and Walsh is a fine example of them, knew how to entertain all sort of audiences. That is why, in spite of some flaws which mostly have to do with too many unexciting characters, I guess you won't be disappointed after seeing "The tall men".

Set in the Montana Territory of 1866, brothers Ben (Clark Gable) and Clint (Cameron Mitchell) Allison find themselves talked into a cattle drive from Texas back to Boomtown, after robbing high roller Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan) in his own saloon. Ryan's character is the taller of the two main stars, but it's not enough to win the heart of Nella Turner (Jane Russell), after she see saws her way between the two through much of the story. Russell of course steals any scene in which she's featured, and with the help of a provocative wardrobe, one is constantly reminded of her best assets.Constantly on the lookout for tidbits from an earlier era, I was as shocked as the Allison Brothers when the stable guy wanted to charge them sixteen dollars for two horses overnight. I don't think I've seen another Western where the charge was more than two bucks. What made that especially onerous was when Nella was quoted a dollar fifty a night, nine dollars for the week at a ritzy hotel in San Antone. Kind of makes you wonder what the horses got that humans didn't! Amid the tension of the romantic triangle, I got a kick out of the comic relief elements in the story, all wonderfully understated, and usually involving Russell's character. The best included the cutting of the girdle scene, her drenching river crossing, and brother Clint's frog in the bucket. Curiously, even though they were brothers, I found it intriguing how Clint sounded more and more Mexican as the story progressed.I can empathize with other reviewers on this board who felt the film was a bit on the long side. Considering that the cattle drive was fifteen hundred miles, that would have taken at least two months in real time, and probably longer. This was the only time I ever saw in a movie where they had to hoist the wagons down over rock cliffs, something I would never have considered. So what do you leave out, the Jayhawkers or Red Cloud?By the time the story's over, Nella's big dreams and Ben's small ones find a way to converge in the most minor of twist endings. It was interesting too how the words to Nella's 'Tall Man' song always seemed to fit the occasion; I wonder if she had one for Prairie Dog Creek?

Great 1955 Western with plenty of horses and cattle traveling across great Western scenery and veteran super stars. Clark Cable,(Col.Ben Allison),"Band of Angels", is bound and determined to travel his cattle through Indian Country and a strong minded woman Jane Russell,(Nella Turner),"The Born Losers", who takes baths in her tub and taunts the men who look in her direction or even swimming in a brook. Robert Ryan, (Nathan Stark),"The Iceman Cometh" plays a tricky character that Col. Ben has to watch carefully and they get themselves into some difficult situations. Great film to enjoy from the 1950's with plenty of action, comedy, drama and romance. Jane Russell gives great female charm in almost every scene. Enjoy