Barricade

Jack London's Sea Wolf (1941) is remade here into an undistinguished oater. Nonetheless, Massey is effective as the tyrannical mine boss, loudly lording it over his hapless men in a role tailor made for the actor's powerful presence. A rather subdued Dane Clark, however, is again playing second fiddle to John Garfield in a role Garfield had in the much more expensive original. But, pity a poor well-scrubbed Ruth Roman who looks utterly lost in an ill-defined eye-candy role.

What's notable in this remake is the absence of an intellectual counterweight to the tyrant's Nietzschean view of humankind. What there is in this version is divided between the sometimes philosophical comments of Milburn (Douglas) plus those of the Judge (Farley). In the original, it was actor Alexander Knox who went toe to toe with the tyrannical Edward G. Robinson. Likely, the producers figured a sagebrush opera was not the place for intellectual debate, which nonetheless sparked the original.

Speaking of the production, it does a good job of making a budget effort appear bigger than it is. Despite appearances, the production never leaves greater LA, making good use of Vasquez Rocks and Bronson Canyon.Then there's that wagon crash that's no stock footage and a real stunner. Still and all, the drama never really gels, while the script and direction remain lackluster, at best. And considering the Jack London roots, that's a genuine disappointment.

This movie seems to have fallen through the cracks, in the sense that, of all the conventional westerns made around that time, this isn't one of them, and nobody seems to have found anything much to say about it.

It's supposedly a remake of "The Sea Wolf" (I haven't seen that) from the same source novel by Jack London.

A fairly evil joker (played by Raymond Massey) runs a gold mine like it's the prison work camp from "Cool Hand Luke". But there's no slow-burning, cool-talkin' anti-heroes here - Massey is the most dynamic character in the film, most of the men in his charge are a dim mob, and everybody is flawed in one way or another.

One man comes to town looking like the hero, but he's on the run from prison, not notably moral or likeable, and he gets beaten to a pulp by either the major heel, or the minor ones, on a regular basis throughout the picture.

There's a disgraced former judge who Massey keeps around apparently for personal amusement, who talks of faith and morals, but is a slave to the bottle.

And there's a well-spoken nosey gent, who also talks a good game but has a bad leg, and is even victimised by the comedy relief. The comedy relief, by the way, isn't funny, but is one of the more memorably slimy characterisations to turn up in a Western before the spaghetti westerns of a later period. Even the female love interest is on the run from prison.

Weird movie, due to the unusual perspective in which the most hateful character in the flick is also presented as clearly the most interesting, dynamic, and in some ways, admirable character.

"Barricade" is probably worth more attention than it's had, for all its flaws, including some weak acting among the featured characters, and some of the more memorably lousy fight scenes in Hollywood history.

Never really heard of director Peter Godfrey before, and his CV doesn't really include anything that would pointer you towards this, let alone what to expect out of "Barricade". If it comes up on TV, and you're not violently allergic to westerns, you might want to give it a look.

"Barricade" is an unusual remake of "The Sea Wolf". Why? Because it's set in the desert in the old west! Despite the change of scenery and a few plot changes, the film manages to keep the spirit of the novel and entertain.

Bob Peters (Dane Clark) is a man on the run from the law. Oddly, this makes him an attractive prospective employee for Boss Kruger (Raymond Massey), a guy who seems to love hiring folks with a dirty past. Now this isn't because he wants to form a criminal gang nor is he a big fan of rehabilitation. Instead, he likes having something to hold over his employees' heads...so if they don't do exactly as he demands he can turn them over to the Sheriff or sic the other workers on him! To put it succinctly, the Boss is a sadist...and he often toys with his workers like a spider toying with its prey! What's in store for Bob and the rest? See the film.

This is a very tough western...much meaner and tougher than most. There are no pretty boys, folks singing nor the usual formulas you see in such pictures. Instead, it's more a character study of evil...and because of that, it makes for an exciting and well acted film.

An anti tyranny allegory from a Jack London novel by way of Bill Sackheim and all wrapped up in a western. Don't know 'bout you but that's not how I like my political allegories. Or my westerns, come to think of it. Makes for some heavy, stiff passages with lots of Shakespeare quoting, Wise Sayings ("Some men can't live without integrity") and cardboard characters who are either pure or pure evil. Still, there are a couple things that elevate this film a bit above the mediocrity line, chief among them Raymond Massey's fine performance as a power mad, sadistic psycho, kind of a combination Macbeth and Hitler (he's given a German last name). Indeed, Massey is such a good bad guy that I'm surprised he didn't do more of these villainous turns instead of the faintly dull Doc Gillespie/Abe Lincoln stuff. Give it a generous C plus, mostly for Massie.

"Barricade" is most noteworthy for the villainous performance of Raymond Massey, who clearly relishes his role as a vile manipulator of men with no moral compass at all. Mr. Massey's "Boss Kruger" lures wanted men (that is, wanted by the law) into his private hell-hole in the middle of the desert, with promises of good wages to do some mining work, and keeps them there as virtual slaves and prisoners.

Though a true B- western, this film features a script that is fast-moving, and not completely predictable. There is a brief Shakespeare-quoting duel, for example. And, rather unusually, Massey keeps a painting of England's King Richard III, who he idolizes, in his office.

A couple of other noteworthy oddities: In hindsight, there is not single character in this film who we can truly sympathize with, not a hero of any kind. Even Dane Clark, as the nominal protagonist, though likable, is not a text-book Western hero. Weirder still is that the cast features, not 1, but 2 jockey-sized actors (that is to say, slightly freakishly undersized), as members of Massey's dysfunctional workforce. One plays the drunken pastor cum judge, and the other a sleazy turncoat with a slightly theatrical manner.

Ruth Roman is achingly gorgeous throughout; yet, in another oddity, the director and producer clearly made a decision to have not one bit of sexual suggestion in the movie. Though she is the only female in an isolated nest of male vipers, not one makes a lavicious play for her. Very interesting, very different.

If you like Westerns, then you can do worse than this. Keep your eyes on Massey and Roman, and you will be reasonably entertained for the little more than an hour it takes to watch this one.