The Fiend Who Walked the West

I must confess that I saw this movie an awful long time ago, when I was just a kid. However, it made a big impression on me and it blended genres in a way that I hadn't ever seen a film before. The story sort of reminds me of "Psycho," but set in the old west, and to a lesser degree, set in some deserted shipyards and other industrial locations. Anyhow, ever since I've been dying to see it again. Filmed in beautifully harsh and stark black and white.

Much of this film will seem familiar to anyone who's seen 1947's "Kiss of Death", which plotwise it closely resembles, and some of the theme music heard over the opening credits was borrowed from 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". That having been said, however, this film has much to recommend it on its own. Most critics disapproved of Robert Evans in the title role, but I found him very impressive: funny and likeable one minute, menacing and really frightening the next; the stuff of any true psycho. The film isn't without flaws; the direction is frankly uninspired, and several opportunities missed. But Evans (in one of his last roles before giving up acting to become a producer) remains fascinating to watch; he's very unlike any other western villain you've ever seen. Emile Meyer (as a brutal prison guard) and Stephen McNally (as a good guy for a change) offer strong supporting performances; Hugh O'Brien is his reliable self as the hero.

I can never forget this film. Unlike some critics, me and my mates found Robert Evans' performance mesmerising. In '58, it was our first experience of a horror-western and for us it worked very well. I'm not saying it's a truly great film, just that it was so radically different at the time that it remains one of my most memorable films of the 50s.

In the East-End of London, in the mid to late 50s, we teens were hooked on Americana. We knew and liked Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp in the TV series. Robert Evans was new to us and a revelation. We liked his look and his style; his performance fitted well with Rock 'n Roll, James Dean and the whole 'cool' American thing.

Fortunately, although in the UK, I have a recorder which plays NTSC tapes. I will be buying this film soon.

After being caught trying to rob a bank, a cowboy by the name of "Daniel Slade Hardy" (Hugh O'Brien) is shocked by the lengthy prison sentence he receives after refusing to testify against his colleagues. Even so, at the very least, he expects them to look after his pregnant wife and young daughter while he is serving time. His attitude changes, however, when he learns that his wife was recently visited by his former cellmate "Felix Griffin" (Robert Evans) who may have caused her to miscarry due to his strange behavior with her. That said, determined to get even with him, Nick strikes a deal with "Marshall Frank Emmett" (Stephen McNally) and "Judge Parker" (Edward Andrews) to gather evidence on some recent murders that may have been committed by Felix in exchange for a full pardon. What he doesn't count on, however, is just how wily his psychotic cellmate has become. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, by sheer coincidence, I happened to watch the 1947 movie "Kiss of Death" a couple of days earlier, and I was surprised at how similar the plot was to this picture. Sure enough, this is basically a remake of that film, but with a Western setting instead. As far as the acting is concerned, although I preferred the earlier version with Victor Mature as the main star, I must admit that I thought the ending was somewhat better. But that is just my opinion. In any case, while possibly not as good as its predecessor, this was still an enjoyable film, for the most part, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

I find it absurd to compare Robert Evans with Richard Widmark in ' Kiss of Death ' which had a similar plotline as this film. Widmark succeeded in keeping his sneer and laugh as repetitive mannerisms and the audiences loved him for it. Evans left films as an actor, and his portrayal of the crazed and perverted killer was brilliantly conceived. I have seen no other performance quite like it and that is a compliment. Slightly camp, dangerously sexy he turned the ' fiend ' into a horrifically amusing tour de force of a part. Hugh O' Brian is good and Evans twists him around his ringed finger in a game of come on, suggesting literally unspeakable desires with women. As long as he is there of course. Fixated on O'Brian he terrifies the man's wife, shoots an arrow into an old woman and except for the arrow the violence is not as brutal as critics of the time condemned it to be. Gordon Douglas the fine director conveys a lot of black humour, but the UK censor promptly gave it an X certificate ( the first adults only certificate for a Western ) and everyone seeing it due to horror promotion expected the worst. Personally I have seen an equal amount of violence and nastiness in Westerns before this one, and children with an adult could see them. For example in the applauded John Ford ' She Wore A Yellow Ribbon a man is hauled alive over a fire, screaming until he dies. Nothing in ' The Fiend Who Walked the West ' quite compares with that! Sadly this film has slipped into deliberate obscurity and I saw it recently on YouTube with French subtitles. The French brought it out on DVD years ago, and I have it proudly in my collection. ' Fiend ' is crazy, tinged with perverse sexuality and non stated desires. It is also due to Evans crazily amusing, and way, way over the top. Viewers see it with a sense of humour and do not take it seriously. As I write this I am watching ' Canyon Passage ' and have just seen a woman and child killed brutally and long distance sculping. This film could be seen by children on their own with a ' U ' certificate. Censorship can be as cruelly funny as this underrated film.