Peor que el hombre

Sidney Lanfield was one of those very competent, but unsung directors who knew what they were about and could make a good western. The plot gets a bit tangled here and there; its an oater with a Raymond Chandler style wisecracking detective, but with boots on. And who better than Dick Powell to out-sass the bad guys. The young Jane Greer somehow pulls off a world-weary saloon owner named "Charlie". She was always astonishing and for 1947 runs circles around all the male characters including Powell. There's a good, well-staged fist fight between Powell and Guinn Williams, some Arizona landscapes worthy of John Ford and the uncredited Burl Ives as a sort of chorus to the action and philosophical hotel keeper. Olin Howland shows up as a cook with attitude. Raymond Burr as a craven lawyer and Regis Toomey makes his required appearance. Also, Agnes Moorhead as a nice lady for a change. A western with a twist. You almost expect the dudes in the saloon to be drinking martini's.

Dick Powell was a musical comedy star in the 30's who in 1944 made a dramatic career change when he switched to hard-boiled private eye/cop roles. Station West, his only western, is basically this character in a western setting. Make no mistake, Station West is a good western.

Powell plays an undercover army officer trying to find out who murdered two soldiers while stealing a gold shipment (No not the Gold Diggers of 1933). Along the way he meets Jane Greer as a business like saloon owner who may not be what she seems to be.

One of the best moments in the film is the knock down drag out fight Powell has with Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, playing a villain this time around. At first, after Powell knocks him down in the saloon, Williams utters a classic line: "You're too small to have made such a big mistake".

Other notables in the cast include Raymond Burr as a cowardly lawyer, Agnes Moorehead as Powell's "contact", Tom Powers as the army commander, Powell regular Regis Toomey as an undercover agent and an unbilled Burl Ives as a guitar strumming hotel clerk.

The black and white photography is excellent, particularly in the outdoor scenes. Station West raises the question as to why Powell didn't make more westerns. This was a good one.

Good scenic Western that applies the 40's private eye premise to a frontier setting. Powell does his 40's hard case number effectively, while Greer does her slinky spider woman bit. In fact, you have to look twice to make sure this isn't a Spade or a Marlowe. Powell's an undercover investigator on the trail of whoever knocked over an army shipment and killed the guards. In town are a lot of suspicious characters, including Greer and Burr, but suspicion isn't enough.

Some good touches, especially the Sedona, AZ, locations, scenically filmed in b&w and lending an atmospheric note. And catch the middle-age romance between Powers and Moorehead, not exactly a staple of standard Westerns, especially for perennial spinster Moorehead. Also, there's nervous lawyer Burr, about as far away from lawyer Perry Mason as it gets. But what I really like is the way the movie works Burl Ives and his catchy tune into the narrative. It's very smoothly and pleasantly done.

I don't know that there's anything special here, although the story ends on an unconventionally downbeat note. In passing-- I gather from TCM that director Lanfield gave Greer a bad time because she wasn't the preferred Marlene Dietrich. Too bad because Greer manages in one package to be both conniving and poignant, no mean acting trick.

This excellent Western is really a tough film noir cleverly set in the Old West. The dialogue is sublime, so razor sharp that the actors probably had to bandage their hands after reading the script. And there are interesting little details as well; for instance, the way Dick Powell condescendingly pats attractive women on the arm (the way you might a pet) to let them know who's really in control. (Or so he'd like to think.) Toss in a first rate supporting cast that includes Raymond Burr, Burl Ives, and Agnes Moorehead - all generously given their scenes to shine - and you've got one heck of a movie.

On the surface, Dick Powell, as the undercover military officer trying to solve a series of gold robberies, is an unlikely leading man. He's more commanding here than many square-jawed actors, and when the film is over it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

This is one of those extremely satisfying movies where nothing seems forced or labored. It has that effortless fluidity and clearness of purpose that makes it just as entertaining today as I'm sure it was 50 years ago.

Dick Powell, a favorite actor of the Noir genre, stars as military intelligence officer Haven, a smart aleck undercover investigator looking into the deaths of two soldiers. Everything appears, on the surface, to be fairly cut and dried, but a good script and excellent acting creates the moody atmosphere necessary to turn this unassuming western town into a darker place where things are not always as they seem. The plot is tight and the viewer should be prepared to pay attention lest she or he miss important plot points. Greer's performance is flawless, and even the actors who have few lines or quick cameos (Burr's performance comes to mind here), fully invest in their characters.

The filming is rather innovative for the time, with realistic hand-held shots peeking through tree branches, at saddle level, or in the case of the aforementioned fight scene, employing angles that join Powell and Williams as they brawl on the dusty bar-lit road. Lanfield invites the viewer into the scene, creating a first person viewpoint that is entirely intimate.

There are a few flaws in the writing, but on the whole, viewing Stations West is an excellent way to spend 80 minutes. Very entertaining!