The Silent Man

Prime early William S. Hart western. Although it lacks the elaborate and fantastic structure of Hart's HELL'S HINGES, the prints of this survive better. The story is nothing surprising to someone familiar with western films, but it is told with a simplicity and honesty that lift it far above ordinary Saturday Oater fare.

Silent Man, The (1917)

*** (out of 4)

'Silent' Budd Marr (William S. Hart) risks his life locating some gold in the desert but his pain finally pays off when he hits it rich. He goes into town where he ends up entering a poker game with a crooked man known as Handsome Jack Pressley (Robert McKim). Soon Budd is cheated out of his money and ends up on the run where he swears vengeance. This Western really turned out to be a pretty good gem and it contains pretty much everything I've come to expect from a Hart film. For starters, we have Hart playing the greatest guy in the world as he does nothing wrong and would stop at nothing to protect a lady. In this case that lady turns out to be played by Vola Vale who in the film is the woman of Pressley but of course she falls in love with Budd. Also on hand here is the overwhelming preaching of God, the good things in life and how one should live. Normally a lot of preaching in a film will make the viewer grow tired but Hart, the director, actually does a very good job at mixing all these moral lessons into the story and he keeps everything entertaining by throwing in some nice action scenes. There's one classic sequence that really stands out and that during the crooked poker game when all hell breaks loose. Hart directs this sequence very well and from here on out we really want to see his character get his revenge. Hart, the actor, turns in a fine performance playing this character perfectly. Vale is good as his love interest and McKim makes for a wonderful snake. Griffith regular George Nichols plays an elderly preacher and does fine work as well. All in all this is a nice little gem that deserves to be better known as all the elements mix well together and in the end this here is certainly worth checking out.