थे ब्रावादोस

This is an interesting Western which, as is often the case in this genre, is a tale of revenge. This time, however, there are a few ironical twists. Under the solid hand of director Henry King, this film takes further the point made in OXBOW INCIDENT in 1943, about lynching.

In this case, you have the main character, Jim Douglas (Peck) seeking revenge for the rape and brutal murder of his wife. Peck, in one of his finest performances, portrays a generally balanced and good man driven somewhat over the edge by a desire for revenge. The four "baddies" are all played with considerable zest by Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva, Lee van Cleef and Salmi. The weakest part of the film is Joan Collins. Tough for me to understand why and how she got this role.

Silva, portraying an Indian, correctly identifies Douglas as a hunter. It is Douglas' sad failing that he gets the wrong culprits, and even more so that he thought the real rapist and murderer a good man, who would not hurt anyone.

Douglas ends the film with a tormented conscience for killing three men who were innocent of his charges, but he receives great applause from the local community, grateful to see the town rid of a gang of thieves. The irony of the situation is put across without any moralizing, which adds to the film's virtues.

There are a few unnecessary touches along the way, such as Boyd raping an abductee, but by and large it is a tightly told story, helped by very good cinematography.

The Bravados (1958)

Unlike John Wayne Westerns (especially the John Ford ones), a lot of Westerns from the 1950 like the Anthony Mann films are a little edgy and psychological. This one, starring a laconic Gregory Peck, is big and beautiful and classic, and it has some of that darkness to it that makes it more contemporary.

To be sure, it's still a product of the clichés of the genre. A loner is on the trail of some bad guys, and for much of the movie he hunts them down across some astonishing landscape. A woman from his past gets in the middle of it, at times, and the townspeople aren't sure what to make of him.

Peck is a great lead, and he's got a strong, if predictable, supporting cast. The woman in question is a young Joan Collins, more famous for her "Dynasty" years. Also of note is the sets and lighting--if sets is the right word. There are so many gorgeous scenes, both in town and in the wilderness, and they are filmed with such great light, it's actually worth watching just to watch. And many of the night scenes are filmed with a bold darkness, the color stripped down and everything hard to discern. This isn't actually Technicolor, but a new competitor, DeLuxe, and the restoration (at least on the Netflix streaming version) is superb.

If you like Westerns, this is one not to miss. If you don't, I think it's still really enjoyable, and might just get you looking for more. The director here, Henry King, is a Hollywood stalwart who took his hand at almost everything (from 1915 into the 1960s). And so you see a pro at work here, working within the genre, but intelligently.

This late Henry King movie is one of his most under-rated films. It's a revenge western, powerfully scripted by Philip Yordan and directed with commendable restraint by King. Gregory Peck, (at his most stoic), is the rancher bent on bringing to justice the four men he believes raped and killed his wife. The men are a leering Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Henry Silva and an over-excitable Lee Van Cleef. Joan Collins, by this time entrenched in her first American sojourn, is in there, too, but she's the weakest thing in the film. There is a crisis of conscience and a spiritual reawakening to be reckoned with and the film does pose some interesting questions of morality but there's tension and the pleasures that come from a good western, as well. One for rediscovery.

It's very odd that Gregory Peck is not often associated with Westerns--even though many of his best movies stand among the finest examples of the genre. Considering the number of Westerns he made, most of them were highly successful and entertaining. Remember, this is the same man who starred in THE BIG COUNTRY, THE GUNFIGHTER and YELLOW SKY--yet he is more commonly seen as an actor in contemporary dramas. THE BRAVADOS is yet another in a long string of hits, as it somehow manages to transcend a genre that often seems derivative.

In this film, Peck plays a complex character--neither a villain nor a hero. He has been on a relentless pursuit to kill the men who he is convinced killed his wife--and like Captain Ahab, he won't give up or consider and options other than their deaths. Along the way, he stumbles up a young and very beautiful Joan Collins--in one of her better screen roles.

I really don't want to tell you more, as it would spoil the plot, but rest assured it is masterfully made like other Peck Westerns and one not to be missed.

Gregory Peck is the show in "The Bravados". His performance reminds me of John Wayne in "The Searchers". In both cases the eyes tell the story. Wayne's were full of hate for the Comanches that defiled his niece. Peck's intense eyes are equally important to this film. In the words of one character, Peck has the "eyes of the hunter".

Like Wayne in "The Searchers" Peck is a man with a quest. Jim Douglas is out for revenge against the murderers of his wife. This single-minded mission brings him to the town of Santa Rita, where the four men he has been chasing are scheduled to hang for another killing. The men escape with a hostage and the chase resumes. Nothing will stop Douglas this time. In his mind the four men deserve no pity and they get none. The law failed to hang them, and now it's his turn.

The casting in this film is interesting. The four low lifes pursued by Peck include three pretty good actors, Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva and Lee Van Cleef. Of the three, Henry Silva's character is the most interesting. He plays Lujan, an Indian. Lujan and Peck share something. They lock eyes at the beginning when Peck visits the four men in jail. It is he who sees the eyes of the hunter. He may not know why Peck hunts them, but he recognizes him as a hunter.

Ultimately, Peck becomes a hero to the citizens of Santa Rita, but heroism comes with a price. In this case Peck sacrifices his humanity. In their end there is potential salvation for Peck from a surprising source.

Except for Lujan, the film provides little reason to sympathize with the four badmen. They have been sentenced to be hanged for a murder in Santa Rita. Steven Boyd ruthlessly shoots an old prospector. Later, he rapes their hostage. Even Joan Collins' character who earlier in the film has urged Peck to give up his relentless quest now urges him to track the surviving killers down and kill them.

There is no question about the morality in this film. There is something incomplete in Peck's character. He is empty inside, because the chase seems to be over. The law has apparently done his job for him. He has little to say to anyone when he arrives in Santa Rita, including his old friend Josefa (Collins). His eyes are full of hate, but otherwise he is hardly alive. He tells Josefa that he loved his wife. "I still do," he says. He has left his little girl behind to chase the killers. Near the end when he sees the little girl she hides behind her nanny. She hardly knows her father. The jail break and the ensuing chase seem to temporarily energize him. He becomes the leader of the possee. Ultimately, he rides off alone to extract his revenge. The energy is misleading. Peck knows what he must do and he does it without emotion. He has sacrificed his humanity at the altar of revenge.

This film is not for everyone. It is a bit intense, and Peck's character isn't very warm and fuzzy. "The Bravados" is a humorless film about a serious subject. Revenge isn't pretty and the price is too high. Peck really delivers with a great performance and the plot is definitely creative. The often told story of the man seeking revenge has seldom been told so well.