The Law and Jake Wade

Any movie that adds significantly to my lexicon is tops in my book. Richard Widmark is so good at being so bad. He doesn't do it any better than in this movie. And ever since I've seen this move (many years ago) I always say, "More of that doin' without thinking'" whenever I do something mindless and/or stupid. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean!

I read the comment about Robert Taylor being a bad actor. He is rather stiff, but it doesn't seem to bother me. I had a friend say the same thing about Tony Curtis. I guess it is a subjective thing. Either it bothers you or it doesn't. All I really had to say was in the first paragraph. The rest was necessary to fulfill submission guidelines. What's wrong with a short review. Sometimes less is more!

An awesome rugged Western masterfully directed by John Sturges including good main cast and agreeable secondary actors in which Marshal Taylor tangles with nasty bandit Widmark over a buried loot . It deals with outlaw Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) getaways from prison with the help of a lawman with a dark past called Jake Wade , because once Clint did the same for him . Jake left Clint just after , but Clint finds him back and forces Jake by kidnapping his girlfriend called Peggy (Patricia Owens) to lead him to a loot Jake buried one year ago when he abandoned Clint . Hollister and his sidekicks (Robert Middleton, DeForest Kelley , Henry Silva) tie Jake and survey to no escape . Then Peggy learns all too quickly about Jake's dark past . When they arrive in the ghost little town where Jake hid the money, they have to fight off a bunch of marauding Indians .

This exciting as well as robust Western contains tension-filled , juicy atmosphere , thrills , suspense , gun-play and an impressive final on a dead little town which was one of filmmaker Sturges's best moments . Magnificent western from the John Sturges/Richard Widmark team and their second collaboration , after ¨Backlash¨ and considered one of their best . Colour , music , scenarios , landscapes all marks well in this thrilling story about a compulsive outlaw who contends his old friend as well as his nemesis . It describes a long journey in which there are extreme characters combined with psychological observations and enriched by eventual ambiguity and a tense picture about dishonesty and badness . This particular Western only starred by a few characters contains an interesting screenplay by William Bowers based on the novel by novel Marvin H. Albert . By that time (1958) the picture was considered quite strong , tough , surprisingly violent ; today is deemed a classic film . And seems to be a great influence of wide range such as violence , a hard battle of wits among gunslingers and scenarios . The two stars , Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark , make nice adversaries . They are accompanied by a good support cast such as Robert Middleton , Henry Silva , Burt Douglas , Eddie Firestone and intimate ¨Bones¨ DeForest Kelley of Star Trek . Filmed in Cinemascope in colorful cinematography by Robert Surtees who gets to take from nature the maximum impacts as deserts , valleys , mountains , being wonderfully photographed . Being filmed on location in Alabama Hills , Lone Pine, Death Valley National Park,California, USA . Breathtaking background scenarios , dramatic close-up along with shining illuminations , all of them perfectly mingled with a tale full of violence , tension , intrigue and shoot'em up .

This top-drawer Western drama was compellingly produced by William Hawkes and stunningly realized by the master John Sturges , infusing the traditional Western with psychological confusion , including his characteristic use of landscape with wonderful use of Natural Parks which is visually memorable . Sturges established his forte with magnificent Westerns almost always plenty of action , violence , and splendid outdoors . Sturges began his directing career at Columbia Pictures, where from 1946-49 he he worked on "12-day wonders" ("B" pictures shot on a 12-day schedule). From there he moved on to MGM where he filmed more "B" pictures, albeit on a larger budget . He established an independent production company in 1959, releasing through United Artists. From 1960-67 he worked under contract for United Artists. His first major hit was the western Dog Day at Black Rock (1955) , which he shot in just three weeks, wrapping up virtually every scene in a single take . He specialized in robust action pictures, particularly westerns. He excelled at bringing to life tautly written stories about tough characters facing difficult circumstances . Throughout his career he regularly alternated hits with misses . He has also been criticized for his lack of stylistic trademarks , though his best films remain exciting to watch . Sturges was expert on all kind of genres , but especially warlike such as : ¨Great Escape¨, ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ and ¨Eagle has landed¨ and Western such as ¨Last train of Gun Hill¨, ¨Magnificent Seven¨, ¨Backlash¨, ¨Law and Jake Webb¨, ¨Joe Kidd¨ and Chino¨, among others . This high-level and Western will appeal to Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark fans .

Jake Wade (Robert Taylor) breaks his partner Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) out of jail. Jake had buried their loot and refuses to reveal the location to Clint. Jake is actually the new Marshall of another small town married to wife Peggy (Patricia Owens). Clint and his new crew catch up to Jake, and he wants the loot.

It's a good if not great western. Robert Taylor is on the decline and he's a diminishing leading man. This one is all Richard Widmark. He is chewing up the movie the whole way through. He has all the swagger in the world. This has a fight with Indians. There is final shootout between the two leads in an abandoned town. It's all here.

Some of the best westerns of the Fifties and Sixties were directed by director John Sturges. Sturges's films combined that rare blend of action for the kiddies with adult problems and issues.

Here the problem is a debt owed or at least that's what Marshal Jake Wade feels towards Clint Hollister. Before Jake broke with the Hollister, it seems that Hollister saved him from a hangman's noose back when he ran with Hollister's gang. Jake hears about Hollister being arrested and sentenced to be hanged so he rides a piece and breaks him from jail.

That squares it as far as the Marshal is concerned, but the outlaw leader has other ideas. Seems Jake ran off with the proceeds from the last job. No good deed goes unpunished in this life. Hollister re-unites with his gang and they kidnap the Marshal and his fiancée and force him to lead them to the money.

You have to watch the film for the rest of this. If you're any kind of a fan of westerns, I think you'll know how this turns out.

Robert Taylor plays the upright Marshal Jake Wade who could have let the whole thing slide and let outlaw Richard Widmark hang, but he feels a debt. It's a good part for Taylor as he was winding down his contract at MGM. Unfortunately Taylor doesn't figure that Widmark owed him something for running off with the loot. The two leads play well off each other.

Rounding out the cast is Patricia Owens who is your typical crinoline western woman and the rest of Widmark's gang which included DeForest Kelley, Robert Middleton, and Henry Silva among others.

Nice Saturday afternoon fare for all fans of the American western, like me.

In his second Western of 1958, after "Saddle the Wind," Taylor again is a reformed outlaw who has deserted Widmark's gang, taking along the proceed from a bank robbery...

Taylor becomes a highly respected marshal of a small New Mexico town... He discovers that his old gang leader Widmark faces hanging nearly on a murder charge...

Since Taylor owes his companion an ancient favor, he decides to help him escape from jail, but lives to regret it...

Widmark kidnaps Taylor and his sweetheart Patricia Owens and he and his four confederates (Robert Middleton; Henry Silva; DeForest Kelley and Burt Douglas) force them across the Sierras to a deserted ghost town where Taylor has hidden a buried loot...

Taylor and Owens attempt to escape but Widmark drives them into the town to recover the money... The Comanches were there on their backs... A well-staged Indian raid follows plus the final showdown..

With good shots of the High Sierras and Death Valley, "Law and Jake Wade" is a good standard Western filled with irony dialog and sardonic humor, enjoyable throughout, but with no outstanding merits...