Runtime: 83 minutes
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Starring: Alan Ladd, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado, Claire Kelly, Kent Smith
From: MGM
A Western version of The Asphalt Jungle? Sure, why not. I can't compare the two as The Asphalt Jungle has not been seen by me (although that will change later in the year). The plot intrigued me so this was seen last night on Turner Classic Movies. On its own, this tale was fine. Two men-played by Alan Ladd and Ernest Borgnine-are released from prison; the film has a negative viewpoint of law enforcement-a sheriff is a real dick and so are the wardens of the prison. Ladd's character informs his pal of a lucrative gold ore deposit in a mine that he only knows about. A scheme is concocted to mine this ore without anyone else discovering. Of course there are complications, and of course each man has a romantic entanglement. That was fine with me as Claire Kelly delivered a fine performance and Katy Jurado was the highlight of the entire film.
While not a must-see Western, it was an interesting tale that naturally has noir overtones due to it being an official remake of the tale told in The Asphalt Jungle novel. It has a requisite amount of drama & action, along with some kudos that I'll give for the positive portrayal of Hispanic people, Mexicans in general. This includes the explosive finale's setting at the town's annual Mexican fiesta. All that plus some hard-boiled dialogue meant that it was a fine way to spend less than 90 minutes on an early Friday evening.
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