A Lei do Mais Forte

Bet you didn't think two urban gangsters could put over a cowboy picture, did you? Not only that, make it so believable that it was entertaining - very much so, in fact. Well, surprise, surprise.This was a good picture with a very good storyline. Well done in all departments.Cagney plays the good-bad guy and Bogart, in a pre-Sam Spade role, plays the bad-bad guy.One of the interchangeable Lane sisters (in this case Rosemary)is the love interest.

Long story short; somebody done somebody wrong, with fistfights and gunplay and double-crosses and all the elements that make westerns so greatly entertaining. If you haven't seen it and like good westerns, do it.There is more than enough to like here. This movie was shown on 'old reliable'TCM just the other night. I don't think it's available in any format so you'll have to wait until they show it again and tape it.

No sequel, though. One oater with two crooked mobsters is enough. And they should have issued Cagney a different hat.

Oklahoma Kid, The (1939)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

When Warner decided to throw James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart into a Western it got headlines in 1939 and it continues to do so today among film buffs. The idea of Cagney and Bogart in a Western will always draw new people to this film but it's a shame the headlines have gotten in the way of the fact that this is an extremely good movie. The film takes place as Oklahoma is giving away free land where a father (Hugh Sothern) and son (Harvey Stephens) plans on building a city that can do good. Unfortunately for them a bad guy (Bogart) ends up getting is hands on the territory and soon the new city is full of gambling and murder. When the father is falsely accused of murder and a mob kills him, his secret son known as The Oklahoma Kid (Cagney) shows up to seek vengeance against the bad guys. The Western genre was full of revenge films even by 1939 but this one here comes off incredibly fresh for many reasons but the main one is that the movie is rather dark and doesn't pull any punches. I really think this is one of the most underrated and overlooked films from Hollywood's Golden Era and again I think the main reason is because of the two legends in a genre they aren't known for. Yes, it does take a couple minutes to get use to seeing them but after that they sink into their roles so perfectly that you'll forget who you're watching and really get sucked up in the story. I think the second half of the film works extremely well because of how dark it is and because the high drama is on full impact due to some strong direction by Bacon. The mob/hanging scene is perfectly done and there's an even better sequence with Cagney stalking one of the killers through the desert. All of this leads up to a very satisfying ending that packs a nice little punch. You'd never know Cagney wasn't a Western star by seeing him here because he's so terrific in the part. Yes, he doesn't go all out with a country voice but that doesn't matter because I enjoyed how low key he played the part instead of his normal fast-talking. I thought he was very menacing here by not saying too many words and I thought you could believe his character at every step through the picture. Bogart is also very good and extremely cold in his role. Apparently he and Cagney didn't get along too well here due to a comment Bogart made but that bitterness certainly carries over to the film and helps. Rosemary Lane is good as the love interest and Donald Crisp gets a lot of good scenes as the honest Judge. All in all, this is a very impressive little gem that continues to get new viewers but I think it's should be better known as a good film instead of just a film with two stars you wouldn't expect.

Interesting western with an offbeat Warner Bros. cast that's more at home in a gangster picture than a cowboy shoot-'em-up. Humphrey Bogart plays the villain, a stagecoach robber turned corrupt saloon owner. He wears a black hat so we know he's no good. James Cagney plays the cocky anti-hero, as quick with his guns as he is with his fists. He also shows how good he is with babies and even gets to sing! Rosemary Lane is the pretty girl who can't resist Cagney's charms. Donald Crisp is her father. Ward Bond, Harvey Stephens, Edward Pawley, and Charles Middleton are among the others in the cast. There's drama, humor, action, and romance. Yeah, it's admittedly a corny movie but pretty entertaining, especially for fans of the two leads. This won't be confused for a John Ford western but it's fun for what it is.

It's 1893. President Grover Cleveland proclaims the purchase of the Cherokee Strip from the Indians. It leads to a wild land rush and banditry. Whip McCord (Humphrey Bogart) and his gang rob a stagecoach transporting the Indian money. Jim "The Oklahoma Kid" Kincaid (James Cagney) follows them and robs them in turn. At a settler shindig, the Kid takes a liking to Jane Hardwick (Rosemary Lane) even though she's arm in arm with Ned Kincaid. McCord wants his money back but The Kid has other ideas. McCord cheats to steal a land stake and convinces the John Kincaid to exchange it for concessions in the new town of Tulsa.

This has Cagney and Bogie having some fun playing bad guys in a western. It's great when they are man to man facing off against each other. It should be that simple but it doesn't happen enough. This should really only about them two. There really is no need for anybody else. There are still a few great moments with the two screen legends and that's enough.

The Oklahoma Kid is a curio, more fun to think about than actually see. It is a western with James Cagney as a cowboy and Humphrey Bogart his black-clad nemesis. There is some humor in it, but it was made too early to be consciously campy; and as it was produced by Warner Brothers it has a fast, urban pace, but alas lacks the sophistication its dynamic star duo need to elevate it to clasic status, or even make it a good movie. It is not, by the way, a comedy, and is played straight much of the time. Neither star is at home on the range, and Cagney looks silly in a cowboy hat. On the other hand James Wong Howe's photography has some stunning compositions, and has about it, in its contrasting use of black and gray, a twilight quality that is very appealing but, like so much in this movie, not too appropriate for a western.