Proiettile in canna

A very interesting, intimate film that takes place entirely on a farm in a remote wilderness, which surely kept production budget considerations modest. The opening of the film was a bit weird, starting with a seascape shoreline and then various evidence traces of a plane crash, and a conflict, that eventually leads to (FINALLY!) two men fighting it out in the rugged terrain, one of which escapes the other.

All of it is smothered by an overbearing and highly detailed Dmitri Tiomkin score that fills the soundtrack like thick-pile, wall-to-wall carpeting. I found myself feeling very sorry for the music copyists who had to copy out all those notes from the VERY busy and restless hand of expatriate Russian Mr. Tiomkin.

The two conflicting men meet a young woman alone in a remote farm, and romance, however improbable, eventually ensues. As well as a delicate balancing act of three-way conflict.

As it happens, Los Angeles where I live is currently being inundated by heavy rains, so the picture with all it's stormy weather was a perfect match for an evening at home. The film is a solid blend of outdoor landscape and indoor drama.

The ending seems very contrived and doesn't quite make sense, but at least it appears to be a happy one. But it is likely the worst aspect of this film. Nevertheless, "A Bullet is Waiting" definitely held my interest and the acting was quite good. Good title!

With that title one would expect either a western, a p.i./cop dark streets noir,or a war drama. Well it's in the West on a sheep ranch and Rory Calhoun is the protagonist. Jean Simmons is there to provide the standard romantic figure but is way too sophisticated to be believed as a outland waif. Stephen McNally like his contemporary Charles McGraw just looks of villainy so its surprising when he carries a badge while Mr. Ahearne like his screen daughter just looks out of place. So one gets a character study instead of a shootalot as the title implies. The actors do the script,the director sees his slide continuing,and the viewer wonders why the title wasn't used by Randolph Scott for one of his Ranown epics.

What a waste of Jean Simmons. This silly little western about an escaped con played by Rory Calhoun and a sheltered young woman played by Jean Simmons has so many false notes, that it is a cacophony of silliness.

We are supposed to believe the cop is the bad guy (and he Is), and that Calhoun is a misunderstoon escaped con who is actually the protagonist (which he is). And of course, we already know that Simmons is supposed to fall for Calhoun. The plot is about as predicable as Spring arriving after Winter. There really is no suspense or twists; the movie just sits there like chocolate that's been left out in the sun too long. It looks good, but if you try to eat it, you will get sick. The same holds true for viewers of this film.

A lawman and a fugitive, fight it out in the countryside with the lawman being overcome by an injured ankle, allowing the fugitive to get the upper hand. The lawman is Stephen McNally, an actor whose face was usually reserved for playing villains and the fugitive, Rory Calhoun who has been one of my favourites since I was a boy. A 6ft 3inch giant of a man, Calhoun was ideally suited for playing heroes as he was extremely good looking also and here he's supposed to be the bad guy. But is he?

The two come across a young woman living alone in a cabin, Jean Simmons, looking more beautiful than I ever remember before. She takes them in under an element of duress but slowly starts to become attracted to Calhoun and vice versa, in fact they have great chemistry and the sexual tension is palpable.

McNally is constantly trying to regain the upper hand and it eventually comes to a head but not before we are treated to a surprisingly well crafted scene of dialogue about philosophy that seems out of place in a pseudo western like this but I thought it raised the level above the usual melodrama.

Directed by John Farrow with a nice score by Dimitri Tiomkin, the film is beautifully shot in technicolour and the acting, joined at the end by Brian Aherne as Jean's father, is rather good. It shows Calhoun in a different light to his westerns and actually allows a showcase to display a wider acting range than usual for him.

An interesting lost movie I found only on YouTube with a gorgeous print copy so I'm rating it an 8 out of 10. Jean Simmons at her most stunning is worth seeing alone.

An Accused Murderer Escaping Flawed Justice, a Tin-Badge with a One-Track-Mind (bringing in the killer of his brother), a Lovely, Sophisticated Virgin in Isolation with Her Father in a Cabin Far-Away from Crime, Corruption, and Humanities Sins.

The Cabin and the Surrounds are the Only Setting where Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun, and Steve McNally are Forced by a Downed Aircraft to Lodge, Wait-Out a Passage-Wrecking Storm, and the Sparks, Well-Known to the Well-Read, begin Subtle but Escalate in a Pre-Determined Cadence Until the Soul-Searching, Romance, and Revenge Stop and All is Sorted Out by the Steady, Philosophizing Hand of the Father/Professor Returning from a Short-Trip.

All is Tied Oh-So-Neatly in a Bow for the Easily Entertained Emerging Ultra-Conservative Citizens of the War-Winner America Passively Led to Pasteur, like Simmon's Herd of Sheep.

Doubting there were Many Interesting Conversations in the Lobby about the Film's Combination of the Preconditioning Dialog Amidst a Raging Romance Kindled by Calhoun's Rough-Neck Merging with Simmons Button-Downed Persona. An Oil and Water Mix of Intellectual Grounding and Sheep-Herder Practicality.

It's All Rather Rote and Handled Unremarkable by Director John Farrow. Solid No-Nonsense Characters Delivered by A-List Actors. The High-Lights are Jean Simmons Stunning Beauty Packed in Blue-Jeans, the also Stunning Technicolor Cinematography, The Low-Light is DimitrI Tiomkin's Intrusive, Relentless Score that Never Stops for a Breather.

John Farrow's Directorial Career, with a Wide-Range of Competency and a Few Real-Gems was Winding Down and this isn't One-of-His-Best, but is Held-Together with Solid Framing, an Occasional Interest, and Not-Much in the Way of Something New, it's All a Rather Old-Hat Easy-as-You-Go Post-War Sedative.

Worth a Watch.