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Tribute to a Bad Man is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Michael Blankfort from the short story Hanging's for the Lucky written by Jack Schaefer. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, it stars James Cagney, Don Dubbins, Stephen McNally and Irene Papas. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Robert Surtees.

Jeremy Rodock (Cagney) is a no nonsense rancher whose ruthless hold on his considerable spread of land includes hanging rustlers without trial or sentence. When young Steve Millar (Dubbins) helps Rodock in a time of need, he is offered work on the ranch. But when his Greek mistress Jocasta Constantine (Papas) attracts interest from Steve and wrangler McNulty (McNally), it forces Rodock into even darker shades of his character.

Following on from the wonderful Run for Cover the previous year, Cagney returned to the Western arena for the last time for Tribute to a Bad Man, and what a fitting picture on which to leave the West.

The film encountered problems in early production when Spencer Tracy had a sulk and walked off of the picture. So in came Cagney. Steve Millar was being played by Robert Francis, but the actor was tragically killed in a plane crash, so in stepped Dubbins. Wise's film is essentially a coming of age frontier Western, though it concerns two male characters coming of age at different places in their life. Millar is the young pup whose come West to seek employment and meaning in his life, Rodock is hard-bitten, grizzled and can't see further than his own pig-headed beliefs. Rodock will either have to change his ways, wake up and smell the coffee, or risk losing everything.

Will Rodock come through? Can an old dog be taught new psychological tricks? When he once again deals out his own brand of justice he has surely gone too far this time? It also opens up an old rivalry wound that will ultimately define all involved. What is in store for Millar? Once his eyes have been opened and he sees that cowboy life can actually be harsh, as can his young emotions. Then there is the beautiful Jocasta, a woman ashamed of her past life back in Cheyenne, forever grateful to Rodock for taking her away from that life. The age difference between the two is considerable, but their relationship is based on trust, loyalty and realism. That is until the equilibrium is upset…

Technically it's a sumptuous production, where even if the thematics of the story doesn't sound like your thing, it's a film worth spending time with just to see Surtees' Scope photography and hear Rózsa's score. The former brings the striking Colorado Rockies to life with some breath taking distinction, while the latter provides music that positively swells then swirls around the magnificent back drop. With Cagney on mesmerising form, Papas and Dubbins not letting their inexperience affect the picture (Cagney took both under his wing), and Wise stringing it together as a knowing character based tapestry, it rounds out as a darn great and beautiful Oater. 8/10

This superb western has been almost totally forgotten despite its excellent credentials. Robert Wise was the director, Miklos Rozsa did the score, it was photographed, beautifully and in Cinemascope, by Robert Surtees and the star was James Cagney at his scenery-chewing best. He plays a powerful and potentially cruel rancher who befriends a young greenhorn, (newcomer Don Dubbins). who has saved Cagney's life after he's been ambushed. Others in the fine cast include Stephen McNally, Vic Morrow and the Greek actress Irene Papas. The story may not be particularly original but the handling is exemplary and anything with Cagney in it is usually worth seeking out.

While riding his horse through the Wyoming, the Pennsylvania's youngster Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) saves the tough rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) from two horse thieves. Rodock offers a job of horse trainer to Steve and brings him to his ranch. Steve meets Jocasta Constantine (Irene papas), a young woman with a dubious past that lives with Rodock and soon he falls in unrequited love for her. Further, he learns that Rodock has a code where horse thieves are hanged by him without any trial.

Jocasta unsuccessfully tries to convince Steve to return to his family in Pennsylvania. Further, she asks Rodock to stop hanging thieves. When Rodock's foreman McNulty (Stephen McNally) flirts with Jocasta, he is fired by Rodock and plots a vengeance with Rodock's enemy, his neighbor Lars Peterson (Vic Morrow). Now the old rancher has to decide whether he will insist on his code of justice and lose Jocasta or whether he will change his behavior.

"Tribute to a Bad Man" is a western with James Cagney in the role of a vigilante in a place with no law. This feature introduces Irene Papas in the role of a woman with dubious past but also with strong personality and self-respect. Don Dubbins is the character that will change James Cagney's one with his naiveness and sense of justice. The result is a great and unknown romantic and dramatic western. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Honra à um Homem Mau" ("Honor to a Bad Man")

A tough and self-reliant rancher and landowner called Jeremy Roderick (James Cagney , though Spencer Tracy was cast, but was replaced , he complained and procrastinated about working on that location because of the altitude of working in the Rockies) will fight against anybody that attempt to rob his possessions . He's loved by a woman (Irene Papas) who lives at home and hires a cowboy called Steve Miller (Don Dubbins , though Robert Francis was originally cast but he died in a plane crash) when is originated the classic triangle . The arrogant rancher will confront rustlers and he'll carry out the hanging's law (also called Lynch's law) against those .

James Cagney's interpretation is outstanding , he plays magnificently as a proud and cruel proprietary , a merciless baron land . Irene Papas in her first movie is sweet and enjoyable , she demonstrates the excellent actress to result to be in the future with a career of successes that today continues . The third starring Don Dubbins is feeble , his career was a flop and hardy ever made films after . The original cast were Spencer Tracy and Grace Kelly , however Tracy was dismissed but had complications with director Robert Wise . Grace Kelly left the picture due her marriage to Rainiero of Monaco . Support cast is astounding : Vic Morrow (who died in accident while playing ¨twilight zone¨ by John Landis) , Stephen McNally , Royal Dano and , of course , the villain Lee Van Cleef , pre-Spaghetti Western . Robert Surtees' cinematography and Miklos Rozsa musical score are awesome , both of whom , subsequently, would make super-productions (Ben Hur , Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe...).

The motion picture was well directed by Robert Wise , author of various cinema classics . He was a successful director of all kind genres such as musical as ¨West side story¨, ¨The sound of music¨ , Sci-fi as ¨The day the earth stood still¨, ¨Star Trek : the motion picture ¨, ¨The Andromeda strain¨ , Terror as ¨The body snatchers¨ , ¨ Curse of the cat people¨, ¨Audrey Rose¨ , ¨The haunting¨ , Epic or colossal as ¨Elen of Troy¨ , wartime as ¨The desert rats¨, ¨Run silent , run deep¨ , ¨Hinderburg¨ , ¨The sand pebbles¨ and Western as ¨Blood on the moon¨, and this ¨Tribute to a bad man¨.

Stepping into the place of Spencer Tracy, James Cagney plays Jeremy Rodock in Tribute to a Bad Man. It's the story of a man in the wilds of the west where there is no law and he has to make his own to hold his own.

Of course in that kind of rugged country your character is also changed by the responsibility you have. You make a lot of enemies.

Don Dubbins is a young drifter who comes into the valley that Rodock and his spread dominate and finds a badly wounded Rodock. He administers some first aid and gets him back to his ranch. Cagney because he owes him his life, takes Dubbins in.

Cagney's got a live in mistress in Irene Papas and Dubbins goes kind of sweet on her. She's also got another admirer in one of the other ranch hands, Stephen McNally. If you think the plot is beginning to resemble Jubal which came out the same year, you're right.

Tribute to a Bad Man is the last of three Cagney westerns, The Oklahoma Kid and Run For Cover are the other two. I've never felt Cagney's urban persona is quite home on the range, but he does deliver a very good performance.

Best in the film however by far is Vic Morrow. He's the son of a rival rancher who Cagney catches stealing his horses. I can't say, but watch what he does to 'punish' him and then lets up. But Morrow's speech letting him know he's got a permanent enemy is the highlight of the film.

Without Cagney the film would be less than memorable though.

When Spencer Tracy was 'replaced' by director Robert Wise who better to step into his shoes as maverick Jeremy Rodock that James Cagney who is immensely powerful in the role. If one overlooks a tantalising appearance in a bath tub in a dreadful 'B' called 'Man from Cairo' the film under review introduced to American audiences the stunning Greek actress Irene Papas. A striking beauty who went from strength to strength and whose emotional range and power enabled her to play Antigone, Electra, Helen of Troy and Clytemenestra as well as gracing more 'commercial' ventures such as 'Zorba the Greek' and 'Z'. I suppose this could be described as a 'psychological' Western with a definite emphasis on character. Rodock has found Jocasta in a dance hall in Cheyenne and now they live as husband and wife in all but name and therein lies the problem. Good performances from Stephen McNally and Vic Morrow. The actor with the unfortunate name of Don Dubbins fared far better on the smaller screen. One might perhaps query the title. Cagney's character is a frontiersman who makes and lives by his own rules. He firmly believes that 'fear keeps men honest' and should this involve dangling the occasional horse thief from a rope then so be it. Judged by his times however does this make him 'bad'? Or perhaps the title was designed to be ironic. We will never know and quite frankly it is not worth worrying about. This absorbing Western although not a classic, is crowned by the glorious Eastmancolor cinematography of Robert Surtees with a marvellous, not too symphonic score by maestro Miklos Rozsa.

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 story of a few people in a wide, big country.

Plenty of scenery emphasises the remoteness and isolation of Rodock's valley. 200 miles from anywhere else, Rodock is the law, there being no-one else to police his horse range. Cagney gives a fine portrayal of the stern stony-heart towards those who cross him or steal his horses, who fails to comprehend Steve and Jo, the ones who represent humanitarian conscience, kindness and mercy.

Because it's partly an emblematic morality tale, we get a few too many long significant looks and widescreen shots to make it look big, but there's a good strong plotline to hold it together. It's not a shoot 'em up, just some rustling wars between neighbouring farmers who hate each other's guts, and some jealousy over the woman, but it hangs together decently enough.

The characters aren't exactly complex, but the actors all turn in better than average performances.

It's a very well-made movie, fairly simple ingredients put together by a really good cook, if very slightly ponderously.

This is a very good and very unusual film because I really didn't predict where the film would go--despite first appearances. A young Easterner comes upon Jimmy Cagney as he's being "bushwhacked"--in other words, he's been trapped by horse thieves and they are trying to shoot him. The actor's name who played the Easterner escapes me and I really don't care who he was--the film WAS a Cagney film after all. And once Cagney has been extricated from this ordeal, he and the young man become friends, of sorts.

Later, the young man decides to stay and work for Cagney at his horse ranch. However, much his new duties involve chasing down rustlers. Unfortunately, Cagney sees himself as the law and hangs the crooks without a trial. This really disturbs the young guy and Cagney's girlfriend, Irene Pappas. As a result of Cagney's brutality, both the girl and young man are prepared to leave for good. Here is where the film gets good and really heats up. Fortunately, the film does NOT take the easy way out and give us the conclusion we'd expect--ending on a very positive note.

Of the films of the later part of Cagney's career (after WHITE HEAT), this is among the very best. Worth while even if you are not a fan of the genre or Cagney--it's a very unique and watchable flick.

... and how misnamed this film is, as protagonist Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) is not a bad guy at all.

Young naive wanderer Steve Miller comes across mega-ranch owner Rodock as he is under fire from a couple of horse thieves. Miller joins Rodock in fighting off the horse thieves, who then depart. Apparently Rodock is pretty sure that his old partner, or at least his old partner's son, Lars (Vic Morrow) is behind the thievery. Rodock hires Steve as a ranch hand, who becomes instantly smitten with Rodock's mistress, Jocasta (Irene Pappas). Complications ensue.

I've watched this twice now - the first time a couple of years ago - and decided to give it another chance. I still have the same verdict. Rodock clearly states that there is no law for 200 miles in any direction. Yet Jocasta constantly rebukes Rodock for pursuing all that attempt to steal his horses and hanging them when found - that was the standard punishment for horse thieves in the old West. Rodock is without malice when he does this. It is just something he has to do or else he - and Jocasta for that matter - would be overrun by the lawless and starve to death. Yet Jocasta claims he has "hanging fever".

The only time Rodock gets emotional about dealing with the rustlers is when he sees that they have done something particularly cruel to his horses in order to cover their tracks, and comes up with a punishment that fits the crime and spares them the noose. At the conclusion of the film, I am still on team Rodock, and I'm wondering if Jocasta, if attacked by Indians, would think a couple of choruses of Kumbaya would be an effective defense. She really is that naive.

It really is a shame because Cagney is magnificent as always - he's the only reason I didn't get hopelessly bored by the entire production - and the production values are top notch with great cinematography and a magnificent score by Miklós Rózsa.

I had never heard of this western until I found it on TCM (which should be declared a national landmark). Although not in the ranks of the greatest westerns (My Darling Clementine, The Man from Laramie, The Westerner, True Grit, The Shootist, etc. Etc.) it's definitely worth a see. All the traditional elements of westerns are present - revenge, jealousy, justice, lawlessness, love, etc. Etc. Etc., and although the script may sometimes be a bit prosaic and banal, it's a good story that involves us and makes us care about the characters. It also has some absolutely gorgeous cinematography of western vistas. It is also, as others have noted, a reminder of how great an actor James Cagney was. My only complaint was the conclusion, which opts for the usual "happy ending," but that's a quibble.

This is a western without Indians, gun draws, foul language or sex. It is squeaky clean as one would expect of a film from Robert Wise, "The Sound of Music" director. Even the clothes of the lead actor James Cagney are clean.

Morality, which set the tone to early Hollywood westerns, is emphasized here: the hero gets the girl, the interlopers who attempt to pull them apart are the losers. The anti-hero, warts and all, is not allowed to appear as an anti-hero--Wise transforms him into the traditional hero at the end. Had Wise retained the Cagney character's build-up as a misfit to the end, he would have made a great film. I guess the Studio bosses and Wise preferred a conventional end to a dramatic, unusual one. How interesting it would be to see the outcome of Peterson boy's anger (doused by his mother) towards the hero--but Wise chose to close the story than drag it on.

Wise, who went on to make "The Sound of Music", chose Miklos Rozsa to provide the music. The Hungarian musician is a legend. Yet I was surprised that several bars of music were repetition of Rozsa's work in "Quo Vadis", "Ben Hur" and "King of Kings" or very similar variants.

The squeaky clean film has beautiful blue skies and white clouds that produce a picture-postcard effect(the stamp of Robert Surtees)--rarely repeated in westerns made towards the end of the century.

Irene Papas is a talented and mesmerizing actress. Her films with Michael Caccoyannis bear testimony to her remarkable abilities. Wise allows Cagney to do what he wants, but seems to have reined in Papas in her first Hollywood film. Papas is great to watch when she plays impetuous and tortured characters in other movies. Even in this tepid role, Papas imbues her character with strength and vitality. Papas and Cagney dominate the film, relegating even Lee van Cleef (playing a good guy) to the periphery.

Since, by and large, this is a forgotten film, I wasn't expecting too much when I sat down to watch it. I was stunned to find a throughly enjoyable film. Fair warning: This is not a shoot-em-up Western...it is a human drama with one fist-fight, one gun battle, one hanging, and some (well-deserved) torture of the bad guys.

Evidently, I am a bad man...because I couldn't find one thing wrong with the way the Cagney character went about his business. He was strong, fair...and brutal ONLY when he had to be. Yes, that brutality would have been unforgivable if there was a sheriff or other body of law close-by, but the movie makes the point repeatedly that there is no law for 200 miles in any direction. When there is a vacuum, or void, one must fill it. What the Cagney character does is fill that void with the mandatory strength and frontier justice required for the situation. What he did does not work in today's society, but they weren't living in today's society, so one must take the philosophy in context of the times. He was not an unfair man, or brutal for the fun of it...he was brutal in order to punish the guilty who were there to steal from him...to steal his property, his livelihood, and also those who would try to steal his woman. Personally, I think if there was a bit more justice Cagney style, we wouldn't have nearly the level of crime we do today.

Even with regard to how he treats the Irene Papas character, I didn't see great fault with the man. Yes, he put off marrying her because he had issues, but virtually every scene they had together he was showing her some sort of affection, or enjoying her company...and never in a perverted "I own you" kind of way, but you could see in his face how deeply he cared for her. The drama arises from his determination to hang those who would steal his horses from him, and the Papas character's revulsion by it. Other than that, they clearly love each other.

Robert Wise does a masterful job with the directing...this is a gorgeous film. Whether it's one of the massive Cinemascope shots, or an intimate two-shot in a barn at night, everything is just beautiful.

The acting throughout is quite good, with Irene Papas absolutely phenomenal in her central role. Cagney, with only one or two over-the-top moments, is outstanding as the tough-shell-tender-center rancher who must keep an entire world together...land, men, women, and cattle. He was an actor who could do more with a guttural sound than he could with a paragraph of dialogue. He has some brilliant moments in this film. Don Dubbins is perfectly cast as the "soft" Easterner trying to make it as a horse wrangler. At first I thought I didn't like his acting, but I think it was actually the character he was playing that I didn't like...a bit too meek for my taste...but that was the character written, so he must have done a good job if I believed it enough to not like it. My only real complaint is that there's not even close to enough screen time for Chubby Johnson, Lee Van Cleef, and Royal Dano.

The weakest part of the film is probably the script, which is decent, but not great. Fortunately, they hired top named actors for leads and support, and they infused the movie with a lot that wasn't on the page.

Overall, an enjoyable Western that is well worth a viewing. 8 out of 10 from me for the great Cagney and Papas, plus the brilliance of Robert Wise's direction.

It's spring 1875. Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) from Pennsylvania is riding through Jeremy Rodock's Valley. He comes upon horse rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) having a shootout with two horse thieves. He saves Rodock's life. There is no law in the remote valley except Jeremy Rodock's law. Jocasta Constantine (Irene Papas) is the only woman at the ranch. McNulty (Stephen McNally) is the scheming ranch hand. A ranch hand gets killed and Rodock gets the hanging fever. He and his men set off to hang the horse thieves presuming them to be the killers.

This western wants to be harsh, but it could be more brutal. It could show more violence and more guts. If it wants the morality to be murkier, it could leave the first killing unsolved. If the audience doesn't know who killed the man, it would make Rodock a more complicated character. The moral compass of this movie could be unbound. Steve's uncertainty could actually be interesting. I don't care about the romance and its accompanying complications. I love grumpy old James Cagney, but this western is not that good.

What a break for Irene Papas, who made her first movie starring opposite James Cagney in a Robert Wise film! She plays the kept woman of Jimmy, living in his house without a ring on her finger but taking care of his every need, and the object of much of his harsh words. He is, after all, playing the title character and has a lot of mean things to say and bad deeds to do before the end of the movie. It's an odd genre for him, one that he only tried once before in the early 1930s; with his thick accent, it's hard to take him seriously in a western. Plus, since he's obviously the villain and much older than the other men in the cast, Stephen McNally and Vic Morrow, it's not much fun knowing Irene will fall for someone else. I'm a Cagney fan! I don't want him to get cheated on - I was even rooting against Cameron Mitchell in Love Me or Leave Me.

But if you're not loyal to the classic bad boy and don't mind seeing him as a bad man, you can give this one a shot. It's a very simple story: bad guy abuses his woman, his staff, and his neighbors who eventually turn on him and fight for freedom. Robert Wise's direction features a lot of outdoor western scenery, and since it's in Technicolor, you feel like you're baking in the sun right alongside the cast.