Quand la poudre parle

Even with technicolor and location shooting, the remake of the classic western Law and Order with Walter Huston pales in comparison. Ronald Reagan just isn't Walter Huston, he doesn't create the singleminded purpose of Huston's Frame Johnson. Reagan's forte is affability, it doesn't translate well here.

Frame Johnson and his two brothers, played by Alex Nicol and Russell Johnson, leave Tombstone where Johnson is marshal because Johnson is tired of it. They go to Contention, but the problems of lawlessness are rampant there. Corrupt sheriff Barry Kelley and town boss Preston Foster pretty much run things their way. The decent citizens call on Reagan and the brothers to help out. Brother Alex Nicol does and is killed. You can figure the rest out.

The film does have the always lovely presence of Dorothy Malone, three years away from her Oscar in Written on the Wind. Dorothy was first noticed as the bookstore proprietess who catches Humphrey Bogart's eye in The Big Sleep. She did mostly westerns after that, usually as the nice girl in gingham that the hero gets. Good thing someone saw she had more going for her than that. Here she's a reluctant saloon owner, her old man left her the place and she runs it to earn a living. Girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do.

And of course you would have to be blind and ignorant of any kind of western history not to notice the obvious parallels between this film and any and all films with Wyatt Earp as the central character.

Yes this is a classic Western tale of 'good guys' vs 'bad guys' which Hollywood loves to recycle. Ronald Reagan (Frame Johnson) gives a fine performance as a Cincinnatus type sheriff who is called upon to quell a lawless town. The supporting cast includes the crooked and bought town sheriff (Barry Elder) and the all-powerful town leader (Preston Foster). Dorothy Malone (Jeannie) and Ruth Hampton (Maria Durling) provide the suffering women-in-waiting roles very well. Russell Johnson (Jimmy Johnson) comes off well as the hot-headed, quick to action younger brother of Reagan. The movie has plenty of color, great location shots, fight scenes and tough talking bad guys. Dennis Weaver (Frank Durling) and Jack Kelley (Jed) make the most of their screen time. This movie stands on its own and I recommend it for anyone wanting so see Reagan give a fine performance.

It would be easy to poke fun at a Western that features the red-white-and blue tie President Reagan and the Gilligan's Island Professor, Russell Johnson, but both men turn in believable and thought-provoking performances.

The Johnson brothers (Reagan, Johnson, and Alex Nicol) move to a town, appropriately named "Contention" (love that name!), as retired lawmen tired of shooting it out with bad guys and hoping for a peaceful existence. As is customary in Westerns, evil runs the town, and guess who eventually has to wield a 6-gun to clean things up. The positive ethics of supporting law and order with a non-violent approach serves Reagan surprisingly well; he plays the role with earnest conviction. Johnson, as his brazen and impulsive younger brother, is a polar opposite and good balance to study the nature of both men. When the latter involves himself with the sister of the head honcho bad guy, the stage is set for good and evil to encounter one another in classic Western tradition.

A better than average horse opera with a well presented message. Good for Saturday afternoon viewing.

I am a western fanatic with over 200 top western titles in my personal collection, many of which are in my IMDb database. This film made in 1953 is very enjoyable to watch. If you are a fan of Westerns you will absolutely want to watch this film. Law and Order reminds me of the Stewart-Mann Westerns of the same era with the same attention to detail and plot development.Juran like Anthony Mann brings out the best in his actors. Ronald Reagan is tough and believable, the color adds to the excellent filming, and the acting is quite good. Dorthy Malone is very beautiful and charming. Apart from a bit of predictability this film combines, action, horse riding, gun fights, and a beautiful girl into a good enjoyable film.

DB

Too many critics sneer at Ronald Reagan's career in films. THey obviously didn't see this film. Law and Order is a solid western made in the era when westerns were made well. The script is tight, with plenty of action, but not weighted down with too much gratuitous violence that marks most of Eastwood's films. Reagan's performance as Frame Johnson is natural and believable. His skill in the saddle is displayed several times. He comes across tough and determined, yet has scruples. THe supporting cast boasts such veterans as Russell Johnson (who appears in many sci-fi films of the fifties) and Preston Foster and Dorothy Malone. Nathan Juran directed many films and television programs and was good at maximizing the low budget that Universal gave him for this effort. Another good western starring Reagan is Last Outpost (1951). Law and Order is definitely worth seeing - If Reagan had made more films of this caliber, he might not have gone into politics.