No Coração do Oeste

Dick Powell plays his usual sarcastic self in this nice little RKO western about an Army undercover officer investigating a series of gold shipment robberies along with the murder of two soldiers.

He gets embroiled with film noir queen Jane Greer as the manipulative seductress who is up to no good. She trades a lot of quick, snappy one-liners with Powell and of course they fall in love. Good dialog.

Agnes Moorehead appears as the gold mine owner who is romantically involved with the Army Captain of the investigation, Tom Powers.

We also get Raymond Burr as the corrupt but wimpy town lawyer who's involved on the periphery of the robberies that's taking place. Burr was a good heavy for about 10 years before he became PERRY MASON. Too bad he doesn't get to play that kind of character, here. But even as a wimp, he's still sleazy.

Nice fistfight scene between Powell and Gunn Williams, who plays one of Geer's henchmen thugs here. He doesn't get to say much other than look mean, but then the role doesn't call for much of that, either.

Also notable for the appearance of Burl Ives as the singing hotel clerk who at first, gets on Powell's nerves but later becomes an important ally in his investigation.

And at 80 minutes, the film moves along quite smoothly with no awkward moments or wasted screen time. The whole thing ends before ya know it.

Gets a 6½ out of 10 for good story and decent action.

Sidney Lanfield was one of those very competent, but unsung directors who knew what they were about and could make a good western. The plot gets a bit tangled here and there; its an oater with a Raymond Chandler style wisecracking detective, but with boots on. And who better than Dick Powell to out-sass the bad guys. The young Jane Greer somehow pulls off a world-weary saloon owner named "Charlie". She was always astonishing and for 1947 runs circles around all the male characters including Powell. There's a good, well-staged fist fight between Powell and Guinn Williams, some Arizona landscapes worthy of John Ford and the uncredited Burl Ives as a sort of chorus to the action and philosophical hotel keeper. Olin Howland shows up as a cook with attitude. Raymond Burr as a craven lawyer and Regis Toomey makes his required appearance. Also, Agnes Moorhead as a nice lady for a change. A western with a twist. You almost expect the dudes in the saloon to be drinking martini's.

This excellent Western is really a tough film noir cleverly set in the Old West. The dialogue is sublime, so razor sharp that the actors probably had to bandage their hands after reading the script. And there are interesting little details as well; for instance, the way Dick Powell condescendingly pats attractive women on the arm (the way you might a pet) to let them know who's really in control. (Or so he'd like to think.) Toss in a first rate supporting cast that includes Raymond Burr, Burl Ives, and Agnes Moorehead - all generously given their scenes to shine - and you've got one heck of a movie.

On the surface, Dick Powell, as the undercover military officer trying to solve a series of gold robberies, is an unlikely leading man. He's more commanding here than many square-jawed actors, and when the film is over it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

This is one of those extremely satisfying movies where nothing seems forced or labored. It has that effortless fluidity and clearness of purpose that makes it just as entertaining today as I'm sure it was 50 years ago.

In most ways, "Station West" plays like a B-western...which happens to have an A, or perhaps A- cast. It also reminds me of another Dick Powell film, "Murder My Sweet" (1944)...though instead of Powell playing a cynical and mouthy detective he plays a cynical and mouthy detective...in the old west.

When the film begins, undercover agent 'Haven' arrives in town and his cover is that of a hard-bitten jerk. Soon he picks a fight with the biggest and meanest guy in town...and after besting him, he's given entree into the local gang. And what sort of mischief is the gang up to? They're behind gold robberies...robbing not only the stage but the US Cavalry, when they killed two soldiers.

This movie has most things you'd see in a B, though I really liked seeing Powell in the lead instead of the usual B heros such as Roy Rogers or Hopaling Cassidy. On hand to support him are the likes of Jane Greer, Agnes Morehead and Burl Ives. Nothing really that special here, but a very good western with a very exciting leading man.

In the Films of Dick Powell, it's pointed out that Powell had done a western only twice before in his musical period. Cowboy from Brooklyn and Riding High had modern western settings.

Only Station West was done during Powell's time as a noir star and he brings the genre west with him. Done in the obligatory black and white photography, Station West is a moody atmospheric thriller.

It's not a mystery because you pretty much know who the bad guys are early on. But it does show Powell's dogged determination to find out who committed a gold robbery in which two soldiers were killed while guarding the shipment.

Powell gets good support from Jane Greer as town saloon owner, Agnes Moorehead as a mine owner, and Raymond Burr as a shyster attorney. Burr is a revelation. Usually the villains he did before doing Perry Mason are pretty strong characters. He's quite the weakling here.

Powell never made another western feature film, but his Four Star Productions produced Zane Grey Theatre in the Fifties on television and Powell himself appeared in many of the half hour stories.