Terreur à l'ouest

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.

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.

I was never sure about either James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart being in westerns but "The Oklahoma Kid" is not too bad. It has a brief running time, a fair measure of action and incident, the music is perfectly tolerable and at least Cagney and Bogart have a proper one on one confrontation at the end. I bought this film on video in the early 1990s and I enjoyed it then. Cagney is a "Robin Hood" type of hero who hides his true identity behind the name "The Oklahoma Kid." Bogart is a killer and dishonest businessman who wants to turn the local town into a place of sin, corruption and degradation. Cagney stated in his memoirs that he added little bits of dialogue in order to relive his boredom! What he included certainly does the film no harm.

You won't find this film on many "best westerns" lists, and it seems to be regarded mostly as an oddity, a rare chance to see Cagney and Bogart in cowboy hats. And I'll admit that it's a simple story and not one of those huge productions with outstanding cinematography (although it uses its outdoors scenes to good effect). However, I was utterly charmed by it. Mostly because of Cagney, who is simply superb.

When you have two all-time great actors, you need to make good use of them, and this movie does. Cagney is full of energy and seems to be having fun with this outlaw with a heart of gold role, and making us have fun with him. With his interpretation, he elevates this film. Bogart, in a supporting role, is humorless, cold and evil. He is not given as much to do as Cagney, but he has great presence whenever he is on screen. They may not be in their typical gangster roles, but the Old West setting allows them to do their thing. Only with horses. And cowboy hats.

We do get an Oklahoma land rush scene, certainly not as spectacular as the one we got eight years previously in Cimarron, and some nice stunts when Cagney (or his double) is riding a horse through the desolated hills in pursuit of a stagecoach. We also see him singing, and not that badly, and even singing a lullaby to a baby in Spanish. Unusually for a classic western, he also gives a speech calling the "purchase" of Indian lands a theft.

The story was simple but quite nice, with family ties between the characters to make it poignant and a fight for the soul of a new city, between those who believe in law and order and those like Bogart's character who can only thrive in corruption and degradation. With Cagney, as the Oklahoma Kid, in the middle, certainly not evil but too anarchic and cynical to be on the side of law and order.

All in all, this was not such a great movie, but it was so much fun and had such good pacing and energy that I loved it.

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.