Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty Good

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Years ago a Thai friend of mine asked me who Jimmy Cagney was. I'm not sure which Cagney film I showed him (definitely not this one), and after it was over my friend said, "Do Americans think that is good acting?" Now, every time I watch a Jimmy Cagney film I think back to that comment, and frankly, most of the time I conclude that Cagney is not a great, nor even a very good actor. Yet, there was something special about him. Perhaps a screen presence which superseded acting. Unfortunately, by 1956, an old Jimmy Cagney (aged 57, though he seems older) no longer had that screen presence (probably a major reason this film lost money). I'm 64. I don't know ANYONE who walks like that, moves like that, talks like that; it's not real. At this point in his career, Cagney was seemingly becoming a caricature of himself.But actually, this is a good film...just a poor choice for the lead. Somehow, Cagney on a horse just doesn't sit right...so to speak. It's one of those sorta "big" Westerns, with spectacular scenery, a decent story, and some good actors. So if you're watching this for Jimmy Cagney, you may be disappointed. If you're watching this just as a Western, you'll probably enjoy it despite Jimmy Cagney...and it is a cut above most Westerns.The plot is mostly pretty interesting. A man has a streak of cruelty in him that leads him to want to hang anyone who steals from him. Just why a much younger Irene Papas (in her American debut) would be so attracted to him...well, that's a hole in the plot. Along comes a young cowboy-to-be (Don Dubbins) who develops romantic feelings for Papas, father/son feelings for Cagney...until he learns more about who Cagney really is (in terms of behavior).Don Dubbins is very good here as the young man, although I guess I would never have seen him as a future lead actor (and he wasn't). Stephen McNally plays the really bad guy well. Irene Papas, despite the illogical aspect of her character, does nicely here. Vic Morrow is overrated as a young man beginning to move toward the wrong side of things; he thought he was James Dean...he wasn't.I'm glad I watched this film. Once. Cagney's career was winding down...and perhaps that was good. Because it's much better to enjoy his earlier films, such as "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

This is a fine Western-era movie and you will not be disappointed if you watch it. It's a good story and a very fine script with realistic dialog and character development.James Cagney was in only a couple of Westerns so far as I know, this being one of them, and after seeing 'Tribute To A Bad Man' I wish he had been in more of them. He makes a very appealing and authentic Western character. Don Dubbins, who plays the part of the young Pennsylvania grocery clerk who 'went West', is really good too, and plays his role in earnest. Irene Papas did a very good job at her part, but did not stand out quite as much as did the other leads. In fairness to her, I don't think her role gave her the chance to.The movie's plot is pretty well covered elsewhere, so I'll discuss other things. For one - this is a gorgeous movie - awesome scenery, and scenes beautifully set up and filmed. In many scenes it's a treat for the eyes, and there's plenty of good story to go with the visuals.The movie opens in one of those beautiful scenes, with Don Dubbins riding along on his horse as his voice-over gives us a quick intro into who he is and the adventure he is about to encounter. It ends with one of my favorite movie endings. In another fine scenic, as Dubbins rides off into the distance he says in voice-over (and here comes the spoiler) "I never saw Mr. Rodock again, and I never saw Jocasta again. But I carried them with me wherever I went, and I loved them both my whole life long." Dubbins' delivers these lines perfectly.This is a really enjoyable movie. Guys, your wife or girlfriend will sit and watch it with you and she'll enjoy it too. Give this one a watching next time it comes on and you will not be disappointed.

Robert Wise does a commendable job of keeping a strong cast under control in his western saga about a tough horse rancher (JAMES CAGNEY) who believes in swift justice whenever his horses are stolen or his ranch hands are murdered. He's ready with a hangman's knot and exerts control over everyone around him. Eventually, he's softened by the love of a woman (IRENE PAPAS) who comes to respect him when he spares the lives of three men he's bent on punishing--although he does treat them brutally for what they've done to his horses.It's an interesting yarn with strong characters, but the plot isn't as strong as the characters who inhabit it. STEPHEN McNALLY is a nasty ranch hand determined to avenge Cagney for firing him and coming between him and Irene Papas. VIC MORROW does a standout job as a nearby rancher's son upon whom Cagney thrusts some strong punishment.It's photographed in gorgeous Technicolor with its Widescreen lenses capturing magnificent landscapes. Miklos Rozsa's score is often given a muted treatment beneath the more intimate scenes and only occasionally veers into stronger flourishes for the darker moments. In other words, it's not one of his more memorable scores but the main theme has a robust flavor to it.Cagney and Papas carry most of the weight as far as performances go, but DON DUBBINS (who looks like a Robert Redford clone in a boyishly handsome sort of way), does a standout job as the young ranch hand who saves Cagney's life and is rewarded with a job as a wrangler who comes to detest the brutality of the vigilante justice.Summing up: A compelling western yarn that benefits from strong performances.

A Wyoming horse breeder (James Cagney) is callous in his treatment of rustlers... He hangs them from his trees in the Colorado Rockies and forces horse thieves to march barefoot over rocky terrain...Into the wild frontier of the 1870s rides Don Dubbins, a young grocery clerk from Pennsylvania, who stays to grow up under Cagney's tutelage...Dubbins seeks the love of Irene Papas (completely wasted in her first Hollywood debut), a woman Cagney has befriended, but learns she really loves the older man... Through their relationship the 'bad man with bad teeth, broken bones, a double hernia and lice' learns that justice should be tempered with mercy and reveals a warm heart that few suspected he had...Beautifully photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor and with a sweeping musical score by Miklos Rozsa, "Tribute to a Bad Man" is a convincing picture of life in the Old West...