User reviews

Run for Cover is directed by Nicholas Ray and adapted to screenplay by Winston Miller from a story by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch. It stars James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Grant Withers, Jack Lambert, Ray Teal and Ernest Borgnine. A Technicolor/VistaVison production, with music by Howard Jackson and cinematography by Daniel Fapp.

When Matt Dow (Cagney) and Davey Bishop (Derek) meet up they quickly become friends, but events conspire to see them wrongly suspected of robbing the train heading for Madison. Hunted down by a Madison posse, Bishop, a Madison resident, is severely injured and Dow taken to town for possible lynching. What unfolds is the truth comes out and the two men end up working as the law in town, but there is many more secrets to be unearthed in this part of New Mexico...

Nicholas Ray brings a meditative state to the picture, ensuring the thematics of surrogate families, generation conflicts, mob justice and the corruption of youth, are all delicately handled by the great director, even dealing in Freudian textures for the key character relationship. There's a whiff of High Noon in how Matt will inevitably have to stand alone, and he will also have to fight inner turmoil about injustices and cope with disappointments as things refuse to go to plan under Madison's glaring sun. But this is a skilled character piece able to stand on its own terms.

As a looker the film is quite simply stunning. Filmed out of Durango, Silverton and Aztec (the latter providing the finale set in the Aztec Ruins), the scenery is breath taking, Ray and Fapp surrounding the story with an imposing beauty that is hard to take your eyes from. Cast are led superbly by a restrained and reflective Cagney, who can say so much with just one glance of his eyes, and while Lindfors as Cagney's love interest is a bit wooden, she's at least given some decent scripting to work with. Elsewhere nobody fails in bringing their respective characters to life.

Absolutely lovely Oater, one that may not break new ground with its formula of plotting, but comes out roaring regardless. It makes you wish Cagney had made more Westerns, Nicholas Ray also, while Fapp's photography here is alone worthy enough to consider catching this on any potential Blu-ray release. 7.5/10

Run For Cover was the second of three westerns that James Cagney made and in my mind it is easily the best of them. The Cagney of Yorkville is left way behind in a way he wasn't in The Oklahoma Kid.

Cagney is a recently pardoned prisoner who spent six years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He meets up with young John Derek on the trail and the two hit it off. But unfortunately they are mistaken by some panicky railroad employees as members of a local gang and get a sack of money thrown down at them. Then its further compounded by a trigger happy sheriff played by Roy Teal who shoots them both down, seriously wounding Derek.

Derek is bitter as the result of permanent injuries to his leg, but the townspeople warm up to Cagney and replace Teal with him as sheriff. But Derek isn't up to the job of deputy in a few senses of the word.

Derek did his mending on the farm of Jean Hersholt where there's a lovely Swedish farmer's daughter in Viveca Lindfors. She and Cagney hit it off quite well. In fact this was the farewell screen role for Jean Hersholt.

Grant Withers makes a fine sinister outlaw leader with Ernest Borgnine as a very sly second in command. Their robbery scheme sets up the whole inevitable climax between Cagney and Derek.

Cagney was a far better westerner in Run For Cover than in any of his other two westerns. I like very much the way director Nicholas Ray built up his two leads and there's good development of the secondary characters, always the mark of a good film.

Nicholas Ray will be remembered for "The Lusty Men," "Johnny Guitar," "Run for Cover," and "The True Story of Jesse James."

With a slight echo of "High Noon," the film is Cagney's first Western, shot in stunning Technicolor and VistaVision, since Lloyd Bacon's "Oklahoma Kid" in 1939...

Cagney was beginning to show his age, but his performance is colorful as always... It is interesting to remark that Grant Withers whom Cagney had supported in his film debut ("Sinner's Holiday," 1930) and his third movie ("Other Men's Women", 1931) is in his support as Gentry....

Released from a six-year prison term for a crime he did not commit, Cagney goes West, where he meets John Derek...

Riding along, they innocently become involved in a train robbery and are later ambushed by a posse... Derek's leg is smashed and is taken to Viveca Lindfors' farm where she nurses him and falls in love with Cagney...

The townsfolk offer Cagney the tin star, and he appoints Derek (who is now a cripple), as his deputy...

Derek's bitterness over his bad accident separates the two men in different directions and soon are seen on opposite side in a fight involving Grant Withers' widely known gang and a group of Indians...

A rather diverse cast was assembled for this fairly standard western. Cagney plays a loner, traveling towards a town in which he hopes to put down stakes when he runs into hotshot young 'un Derek. The two strike up a tenuous camaraderie and happen upon a passing train whose engineers mistake them for robbers. Soon the townspeople and the sheriff are of the same mind and a posse comes out to shoot Cagney and Derek for a crime they didn't commit! Cagney is grazed in the scuffle, but Derek is near death and has a badly mangled leg. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Cagney stays on at a farm on the outskirts of town to look after Derek. The farm, run by old-world Swede Hersholt and his single daughter Lindfors, begins to grow on Cagney and he decides to stay in town despite the mentality of the citizens and eventually rises to Sheriff. Lindfors also begins to grow on Cagney and, after Derek is well enough to limp around, they fall in love. Things get sticky, however, when the local bank is held up and Cagney must confront the same attitude from the townsfolk as he encountered when he met them (and Derek proves to be a less able Deputy than Cagney had hoped.) What is a rather typical western storyline is given a small boost by the skill of the director and the beautiful (and surprisingly lush and varied) New Mexican scenery. Cagney gives a solid performance and is well-matched by the energetic and sometimes intense Derek. (Derek is a full six inches taller than Cagney, so he's hunched over in various scenes and Cagney is elevated in order to play down the height differential. One scene in the jail, however, has Cagney looking downright diminutive in relation to the townsmen who are one small step up, yet tower over him.) The always tan and handsome Derek provides a small hint of the teen angst that director Ray would give full attention to in his later "Rebel Without a Cause". Lindfors is attractive and creative in her thankless role, with perhaps a bit too much hand-wringing and hysteria in her voice. Also, on her fourth husband in real life, she is hardly typecast as the repressed and virginal farm daughter! Folks who've been curious to know who in the world Hersholt was from his yearly humanitarian award given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can get a healthy taste of him here. He brings a dry, but wry and understated quality to the stern, old-fashioned father. Borgnine is effective in a very small role as an outlaw. There's a very corny title song that gets the attention right off the bat, but things turn serious soon after. It's a simple, but diverting western with a mild surprise or two along the way.

Wandering gunman Matt Dow (James Cagney) meets hot-headed young man Davey Bishop (John Derek) on the way to a small ranching town. They get mistaken for train robbers, and a posse seriously injures Davey. Once their identities are properly established, Davey is left to convalesce with Swedish farmer Swenson (Jean Hersholt) and his daughter Helga (Viveca Lindfors). Matt sticks around to mentor Davey, and Helga falls for the older man. The townsfolk hire Matt to be their new sheriff, and Matt chooses Davey to be his deputy, but trouble is on the horizon.

I liked this western despite its faults, which include some script implausibilities and a flabby final act. It was really nice seeing Cagney in something new to me, as there are now only three of his movies that I have not seen. He's a little thick around the middle but he still has screen presence in spades, and he seems natural in the western setting for a change. John Derek is someone I would never call a favorite, but he fit his role well. Lindfors was lovely and low key. One of the best things about this movie is the spectacular Colorado location cinematography, with director Ray making the most of the VistaVision format.

This was the last film of character actor Jean Hersholt, he of the eponymous Humanitarian Oscar. I was also moved by the appearance of early 1930's leading man Grant Withers. His major studio stardom was short-lived and he later moved over to Republic Pictures, mainly thanks to lifelong friend John Wayne. By 1955, Withers was in ill health, and despite only being 50, he looked a good 15 years older here. Here he has a small role as a bandit leader and shares his one big scene with Cagney. Cagney had made his film debut in 1930 in Sinners' Holiday in support of Withers, who was a leading man at the time.

The story of a man apart who brought faith to a youth , love to a woman, justice to land . At the beginning takes place a trilling start when a man called Matt Dow (James Cagney) and his newcomer pal Davey Bishop (John Derek) are mistaken as two train robbers . Dow , who has a few secrets of his own , clears his name and ends up as the new sheriff and he appoints Davey as his deputy . Matt romances a foreign woman named Helga Swenson (Viveca Lindfors) and settles in to a peaceful existence only to find that the boy grows restive . The boy is crippled by a bullet provoking his fury and bitter slide into badness .

This odd little film seems to be an offbeat Western , though also packs conventional scenes . It contains a superficially conventional script , drama , snappy scenes , action , thrills and shootouts . The characters are well constructed , the talks are fluid , concise and expressive and address special attention to gestures , glances and movements ; however , some excessive familiar touches cannot overcome a little boring screenplay . It lacks the baroque , bizarre excesses of Johnny Guitar , Nicholas Ray's first Western . At the end takes place the usual dispute between protagonists , James Cagney and John Derek , both of them share a mythical confrontation . Good acting by James Gagney as an ex-con becoming sheriff who tries to curb his own anger at the injustices he has suffered ; this is the second of three westerns that Cagney made , his first western was "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939) and his third and final one was "Tribute To A Bad Man" (1956). His embittered young as well as antagonistic companion was middlingly played by John Derek . The support cast is pretty good , being magnificent played by a group of splendid secondaries such as Ray Teal , Ernest Borgnine , Denver Pyle , Grant Whiters , Jack Lambert and final film of Jean Hersholt. Colorful cinematography by Daniel L Fapp , though rereleased in black-and-white and an alright remastering being necessary . Producers acknowledge with thanks the cooperation of the department of Interior National Park Service for the scenes photographed in the Aztec ruins , National Monument Aztec , New Mexico .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Nicholas Ray , though some moments results to be tiring and slow-moving . Nicholas has a sensitive handling of actors and provides an exact compositional sense . Ray is a classic director , his films deal with a deep description of civilized societies , he believes that corruption is an essential part of it , that society punishes sincerity , innocence and love, vengeance and greed determine the behavior of people. Other ordinary themes is the gulf between generations : the older and the youngest . Nicholas Ray is concerned adolescence and youth, to which he devotes a later work , just like "Rebel without a Cause", 1955 . He denounces violence in American society and shows the rough face of frustration and sexual repression . As the great and stylish filmmaker Nicholas Ray working at the peak of his powers in Knock on Any Door with Humphrey Bogart and again John Derek . Other successes of this master filmmaker shooting all kinds of genres are the followings : Wartime such as Flying Leathernecks , Bitter victory , Noir : Party Girl , Wetern : Johnny Guitar , The True Story of Jesse James , Adventure : The Savage Innocents , Wind Across the Everglades and the epics : 55 Days at Peking ,Kings of Kings .

Not a terribly deep western, but a satisfying one that makes some decent social commentary. Unfortunately, this is a VistaVision film, but the copy I saw was in Academy ratio. So I can't comment too much on the cinematography... I'll just say I didn't see anything there that hinted at greatness. I'm not the world's biggest Cagney fan, however I liked his performance here as a man of upstanding integrity. This might also be the film's biggest weakness, the protagonist is a little too perfect. But he's a hero that's enjoyable to watch interact with those around him, especially those of lesser character. The supporting roles by John Derek and Viveca Lindfors are unremarkable but solid. The movie keeps things moving at a steady pace, maybe too steady but quite watchable. There are a couple of interesting surprises as well. There are certainly better westerns out there, but you could do a whole lot worse.

Run for Cover (1955)

The first reason to see this is the simple fact it's a Nicholas Ray movie. Ray didn't direct many movies, but among those few are some of the best--or at least my favorites--in the whole history of Hollywood. "They Live by Night" and "In a Lonely Place" are moving and interesting masterpieces, and "Johnny Guitar" is completely bizarre and original and a wild ride. Only slightly less interesting to me but more iconic is "Rebel without a Cause," made the same year as this one.

"Run for Cover" is an awkward fit, a Western by a director of mostly urban dramas. James Cagney isn't really cast wrong, per se, because he's presented as an outsider in this typical rough frontier town, but he comes off a little superficial, using his razor fast approach as an end rather than a means. And I think this is because the story is weak. It sounds good on paper, but it unfolds a little obviously, with some filler and some seemingly requisite but boring views of beautiful landscapes. There are gunfights, a run-in with Indians, and deception. It's a story without emotional subtlety and Ray is best a peeling back layers in human interaction, not just showing the action.

Even the interesting Viveca Lindfors (who originally led me to the movie after seeing her in "Backfire," is oddly stiff, doubly odd because she's a Swedish immigrant playing a Swedish immigrant. You get the feeling she was never a poor farmer back home.

I don't mean to pile on criticisms, but it's worth saying that the direction isn't good, either. The filming is dull, there are a couple of odd moments like when a big log suddenly appears in the river to save someone, and sometimes the cuts don't match one to the next. I'm guessing there's a deeper story to the awkwardness here, but all we have is the awkwardness.

Not that it's a disaster. I watched the whole thing, and the key theme of being honorable even when being misunderstood is good. And a really nasty deception (or plain old ingratitude) is pulled off right before our eyes, more than once.. The filming location seems to be Colorado rather than California or Arizona (as many Westerns are), and that gives it a different feel. And there is a short section (out of nowhere) shot in an ancient Indian ruin in New Mexico, with good atmospherics. Plug your ears to some of the overdone music, and let the plot ride off a little on its own and there's a good chance you'll like a lot of this movie.

"Run for cover" occupies a curious place in Nicholas Ray's brilliant filmography.Sandwiched between "Johnny Guitar" and "Rebel without a cause,it suffered accordingly.They say Ray himself disliked it.And however,in "Run for cover" he opened up as he never did before.

In "knock on any door" ,Ray had already displayed a "father" -"son" relationship between Bogart and John Derek (who takes on here roughly the same kind of part he played at the beginning of the fifties).Ray would reach his peak with the following work ("Rebel" ) where Plato wanted Jim to be his dad and began to think of a new family with his pal and Judy.

Davey is a tragic character .He seems to be born under a bad sign ,he is known to have a very bad reputation wherever he goes.It's obvious in the scene of the train:whereas Matt (Cagney) wants to give the money back to the town,Davey is thinking of the life he could lead if this loot were his.

Matt knows that Davey needs someone to become a man .Alone he would walk on crutches .His leg is a transparent metaphor.Maybe he thinks of a new family he would rebuild with Helga (Viceca Lindfords).The relationship between the mature man and the Swede is full of tenderness and human warmth,a permanent feature in Ray's canon (see the lovers of "they live by night" and the teenagers in " Rebel without a cause".Like Jeff in "lusty man",Matt had a raw deal and he wants to make the best of the years which he's still got to live.Jeff will help Wes become a man in the cruel world of rodeo,but it's a different matter with Davey Bishop (what a surname!).

It's remarkable that violence appears twice after scenes depicting children: the first time when Matt is making a wooden gun for a boy ;the second time in the church as a choir of little boys and girls is singing a canticle to praise the Lord.

"Rebel without a cause" is probably Ray's most underrated work.Davey remains his most moving character ;without any mawkishness ,the director paints the picture of the rebel with a cause,who cannot understand why he should work for eight dollars a week when there's plenty of money to take.

The last line is my favorite in any Ray movie.In its own special way,it preserves the viewer from despair.

RUN FOR COVER, starring James Cagney, was directed by Nicholas Ray the same year he made "Rebel without a Cause". Some typical Ray motifs are present (surrogate father->son relationship, unrest caused by social injustice and prejudice, mob mentality), but it's more conventional than e.g. "Johnny Guitar". Still, it's well-paced, well-acted, even by John Derek, and very well photographed (by Daniel Fapp) - with an agreeable, typically Steiner-esque score by Howard Jackson. Certainly worth a look.

A rather maddening western. Apparently Paramount went all out for an oater, filming in gorgeous southwestern Colorado and Aztec ruins of northwestern New Mexico. In short, there's plenty of scenic eye candy, while if there's a studio set anywhere, I couldn't spot it. Then too, there's A-list Cagney, maybe on the aging downgrade, but still Cagney. Seems he's trying to rehabilitate young man Derek from both a leg wound and a checkered past. As the new town sheriff facing a band of outlaws, an unreliable deputy Derek, and a pack of town ruffians, he's got his work cut out.

As I see it, there's a problem with the screenplay—it's too loose and lacking in focus, rambling from one incident to the next in no particular order. Thus, neither tension nor suspense builds over time nor into the rather poorly staged climax. I suspect Paramount was trying to cater to Cagney's starring presence since he's in about every scene. He's his usual commanding self. However, that's part of the problem since Derek lacks the presence needed to create chemistry with the older, compelling man. Thus, their scenes together appear lop-sided in the extreme, and the heart of the movie fails to gel.

I guess the studio figured young Derek's wayward role was apt material for brilliant director Nick Ray, who's specialty was troubled youth, i.e. They Live By Night (1948), Knock On Any Door (1949). Then too, Ray would soon triumph in the following year's iconic youth film, Rebel Without A Cause (1955). Unfortunately, I don't see any of his usual brilliance here, and I suspect he was neutralized by the rambling script and an A-list star. Though myopic editing may have figured, as it does in the river swim which strangely lacks any sequential coherence.

All in all, the 93-minutes amounts to a disappointment given the production values and talent involved. In my view, the best parts are those lushly vivid scenes from Colorado's Rockies and rivers.

An overlooked western genre gem, this Cagney led film features a combo of Borgnine and Cagney with a younger Jon Derek (of Bo Derek fame) all of whom combine to help a briskly plotted story come to life on the stunning backdrop of the Colorado Rockies. Cagney fans will undoubtedly have some difficulty accepting their favorite gangster as a Sherrif But Cagney performs seamlessly and by mid movie it's likely that even the most hardened Public Enemy fans will have accepted the trade of a six gun for the tommy gun. One wonders if Cagney couldn't have done more in this genre. Love, romance, gunslingers and Gorgeous vistas combine to make this movie a solid must see.

This film is a criminally underrated old western. The acting, story, and cinematography are all great and it was extremely enjoyable to watch. This is one of James Cagney's later films but he is still full of energy and this is up there with his best performances. The movie has a lot of great lessons and themes about not jumping to conclusions, not trying to find the easy way out in life, and dealing with one's past. The cinematography is also spectacular throughout the entire film and I love the setting in the mountains. The story is suspenseful at times, emotional, and scattered with great action scenes. Overall this movie is a must-see for classic western fans and those who just like good films.

Jimmy Cagney offered us three westerns during his career: OKLAHOMA KID, TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN and RUN FOR COVER. I don't remember OKLAHOMA KID, but TRIBUTE... was a damn good western, proposing something quite different - story, characters, and I would say that this western is exactly the same, but not the same story though. But some characters relations seem to be close, if you compare both westerns. The relation between Cagney and Don Dubbins in TRIBUTE is not so far from the one between Cagney and John Derek here; not exactlly the same, but close. Mature man and a young one. Here, Cagney considers Derek as some kind of surrogate son. Yes, I usually nearly confound TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN and RUN FOR COVER, and not because of Jimmy Cagney in the cast.