The Iron Sheriff

Sterling Hayden plays a sheriff in the West whose son is accused to holding up the stage and murdering the driver. So many facts seem to point to this being true but what makes it so tough is that the sheriff needs to testify against his own kid! However, despite this, he spends his time trying to prove that, perhaps, this is still a mistake and some other person is actually responsible.

I watched this movie for one reason--Sterling Hayden. He was an amazingly talented and underrated actor who managed to bring a lot of toughness and realism to the parts he played--why he's pretty much forgotten today is beyond me. I am not just talking about his roles in bigger films like "The Asphalt Jungle", "The Killing" or "Dr. Strangelove"--but even his appearances in seemingly smaller films where he managed to make ordinary material seem extraordinary. However, this is a rare case where no matter the talents of Hayden, the film was a lifeless mess--thanks to a confusing and overly wordy script. It should have been a lot better and they should have trusted the actors to have been able to make the film work without all the needless twists and turns.

A Detective/Courtroom Drama set in the Old West with Sterling Hayden Leading the Proceedings on a Mission to Discover the Real Killer. His Son has been Accused of Robbing a Stage and Shooting the Driver. He is in Jail and On Trial when the Movie Begins and the Running Time is Spent on Uncovering what really happened.

Most B-Westerns aren't as Talky or Concerned with Sleuthing, but this one sure is. A pretty Good Cast of Familiar TV Faces and John Dehner Standing Out as the Boy's Attorney. There are Numerous Town Folks who are Suspect and the Movie is Different enough to Warrant Attention.

Things Twist and Turn quite a bit and there are Riding and Gunplay in the End with Hayden the Sheriff Almost Losing It. Certainly Worth a Watch for its Unique Take on Standard Western Movie Stuff and the Game Cast and Story are Interestingly Off Beat.

Iron Sheriff differs from most oaters or horse operas that feature wordless passages like long horse chases or showdowns performed under melodramatic music. I was reminded of western paperbacks I'd read in youth that, unlike those broad western film formulas, turned out to be thickly populated with characters with ambiguities, tics, or backstories. Instead of the films' standard linear revenge narrative, these novels' plots often involved confusion, discovery, and makeshift alliances. Correspondingly, this film's often-short scenes cut quickly to other settings and scenes.

Other posters are right that Iron Sheriff resembles a mystery--it uses a standard mystery-genre technique by introducing the actual culprit early and briefly but in the midst of distracting action, multiple characters, and a changing scene. Other posters are also correct that the extensive supporting cast is a prime attraction--another testament to the stable of talent developed by the late studio system.

Title actor Sterling Hayden looks great as ever but moves through the script on cruise control. After I identified the Sheriff's son Benjie as Darryl Hickman, elder brother of Dwayne Hickman of Dobie Gillis, my wife one-upped by identifying Kathi Nolan, the actress playing Benjie's girlfriend, as the future Kate McCoy, who would clang the triangle to summon The Real McCoys to dinner. Another treat is John Dehner, who dignified everything he appeared in.

The Iron Sheriff is directed by Sidney Salkow and written by Seeleg Lester. It stars Sterling Hayden, Constance Ford, John Dehner and Kent Taylor. Music is by Emil Newman and cinematography by Kenneth Peach.

As his son languishes in jail charged with the robbery and murder of a stagecoach driver, Sheriff Sam Galt (Hayden), in spite of the evidence suggesting otherwise, tries to prove his son's innocence whilst adhering to his duty to the law.

A compact black and white Western that is more about dialogue and character interactions than it is about action. Essentially a detective mystery, film puts Hayden's world weary lawman front and center as he battles family loyalty and that of his official duty and integrity. He's pretty much on his own in this town since almost everyone believes his son to be guilty, whilst simultaneously the town questions his ability to be Sheriff while under such duress. The suspects are many to keep the mystery element strong, the court case is well staged (John Dehner excellent), the following of a silver dollar clue is neatly written and the big reveal is a genuine surprise.

It's not big on production value and it certainly isn't one for the action seekers, but it's well thought out and Hayden fans get a good turn from him as his character finds himself emotionally conflicted. 7/10

I'll watch anything with Sterling Hayden in it, even the stuff he isn't so good in and the terrible stuff that he's the best thing in, just because when he's good he's wonderful and because he's one of my great heroes, not in the movies, but in life. I expected The Iron Sheriff to be one of the many less than good little pictures Hayden did during the mid-Fifties. As a Western, that's just what it is -- less than good. Cheap look, cheap sets, cheap costumes, poor action sequences (what little there are of them). In a world where Lonesome Dove and Deadwood exist, this is the kind of Western it's really hard to sit through. Except: it's actually got a pretty good plot angle, and the way it works out is interesting and believable (for the most part). It's much more of a murder mystery than a Western, perhaps no surprise coming from the pen of longtime Perry Mason writer Seeleg Lester. Hayden is the titular sheriff, dead set on proving his son innocent of murder. But the more he looks, the more evidence he finds of his son's guilt. Ultimately he has to face the age-old dilemma, choosing between love and honor. The film works out the story well and fairly satisfyingly, plot-wise, though the film-making is nothing to write home about. The script and some performances by people I normally don't care for much in movies (and whom I reevaluated after this) -- people like Mort Mills and Constance Ford -- make this one far more interesting and worth catching than I'd expected. It's one of Hayden's least impressive jobs, no matter how much I admire him. But the picture is sort of okay. Especially if you like a good detective story.