Plot: A Bounty hunter (Fonda) helps a Small Town Sheriff (Perkins) and a
Lonely Widow
Pros: An
excellent Liberal "Town Western". Well acted and cast, especially by
John McIntyre as the
Wise Ol' Doc
and Brand/Van Cleef as Villains. All these old pros do a very good job with some
familiar material. Mann's greatness at action scenes still amazes me.
Cons: (1) I don't like "Town Westerns" in general (2) the movie was very low budget (3) the story was VERY familiar and cobbled together from other Westerns. We get all the familiar scenes: the sheriff facing down a lynch mob, the old hand teaching the young guy how to be sheriff, the girlfriend not wanting to be a widow, the little sermons on racial tolerance and respect for the law, the lonely widow meets wandering hero and wants him to settle down, etc.
And of course, since this is a 50s Western, the town-people (except for our heroes) have to be shown as rather unlikable. Obsessed with money, cowardly, alternately hot-headed or cruelly indifferent, tolerant of bigotry, suspicious and rude toward outsiders, and generally incapable of anything positive without some strong sheriff, mayor, or hero type protecting them and guiding them. However, Tin Star's treatment of the townspeople is fairly subtle compared to some other 50s movies most of which follow the "High Noon" template.
Summary: An excellent telling of a familiar story.Rating **1/2
Cons: (1) I don't like "Town Westerns" in general (2) the movie was very low budget (3) the story was VERY familiar and cobbled together from other Westerns. We get all the familiar scenes: the sheriff facing down a lynch mob, the old hand teaching the young guy how to be sheriff, the girlfriend not wanting to be a widow, the little sermons on racial tolerance and respect for the law, the lonely widow meets wandering hero and wants him to settle down, etc.
And of course, since this is a 50s Western, the town-people (except for our heroes) have to be shown as rather unlikable. Obsessed with money, cowardly, alternately hot-headed or cruelly indifferent, tolerant of bigotry, suspicious and rude toward outsiders, and generally incapable of anything positive without some strong sheriff, mayor, or hero type protecting them and guiding them. However, Tin Star's treatment of the townspeople is fairly subtle compared to some other 50s movies most of which follow the "High Noon" template.
Summary: An excellent telling of a familiar story.Rating **1/2
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