He'a an actor with a great reputation, but I've always thought he was a scenery chewer and this was one of his worst performances, IMHO. His fake laugh punctuating nearly every line was grating in the extreme.
shareI think he did a great job! The movie was not that great, but he and Cooper made it believable for me.
shareTo be honest I thought Cobb was great in Man of the West: I totally disagree.
He's slightly unhinged and reminds me of Al Pacino's Tony Montana from Scarface or James Cagney's Cody Jarrett from White Heat. It's not Anthony Mann's best, but there's stuff to savour here, and Cobb's villain is one of those things. The most grating character is Sam Beasley who's a total irritant twerp.
"don't think...feeeeel"
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It must have felt strange playing Cooper's uncle when he was actually a decade younger than him.
shareNo problem for Lee J. -- he was used to that. In 1939 at age 27 he played 21-year-old William Holden's dad in GOLDEN BOY. In 1962 he played 46-year-old Glenn Ford's grandfather in FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALAPSE. The following year he was Sinatra's dad in COME BLOW YOUR HORN, although being only 4 years older than 'Ol Blue Eyes.
No need to get too hung up on the age factor, juan -- otherwise we would have Zac Efron playing all these young roles (shutter).
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I totally agree.
At times Mr. Cobb sounded like he was in a pirate movie, tacking on a 'Har har' to every line.
One can only assume that he wanted to finish the movie quickly and grab the pay check.
And the fight scene between Cooper and Lord is laughable in the extreme... almost as if it was filmed in slow motion.
Not the Western genre's finest hour by a long chalk.
Cobb had already had a severe heart attack.
shareCobb may have had a heart attack, but his performance was dreadful, this awful movie would send any sentient human being to sleep.
A great candidate for the title of worst western ever made.
worst western ever made? that's one of the most stupid things i've ever heard, i'd love to know what your top 5 westerns are.
this is a great film, the best mann western in my opinion, and who gives a *beep* which actor was older? Cobb LOOKS older thanks to the beard etc and ACTS older.
Cobb was great, his character is referred to as an alcoholic, and a madman quite a few times. I don't see anything wrong with his portrayal.
Everything is good about this film, except the mute who's a dull cliche.
"not one of Mann's best." Are you guys on crack? This movie is considered to be one of the absolute greatest westerns of all-time. Jean-Luc Godard said it redefined western and I absolutely agree.
shareThat fight scene was fantastic. It was between an aging man who hasn't done much fighting in years, and a man who speaks louder than he acts. So it should have been awkward and uncoordinated. Great stuff, and very accurately portrayed.
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i respectfully disagree with your humble opinion and especially with your trolling subject line. your reviews are usually less nit picky. considering Cobb's health concerns i'm guessing he was just thankful to be working at all and did the best he could with the limited character and dialog provided him with this script.
"only one food for the rest of my life? That's easy, cherry-flavored Pez. No question about it."
Sorry you find the subject line "trolling," I guess I knew it would be controversial but it was my honest visceral reaction to this performance. And I don't consider it "nitpicking" since he was a central figure in the story.
shareI have to agree with you, William.
shareI thought Lee J. Cobb was great (as was the movie). He came across as the monster he was supposed to be. With the movie turning from a light-hearted start to a tense ending, it's Cobb's performance that really stands out as he makes Cooper's life hell. If we didn't know his age and just watched the movie, I don't think you'd guess he was younger. Would you?
shareCobb was sometimes great, but also often a typical method ham. He probably needed a director to hold him on a tight leash. In this movie, he was definitely off in orbit somewhere.
shareI didn't know that Cobb was older than Coop until after I watched the movie, and was surprised. I thought he performed extremely well as his character was supposed to be depicted.
shareI didn't have a problem with Cobb playing an uncle despite his age. He looked older as he was 'made up' and frequently played older parts despite his age. My biggest objection was his toupee. I've seen him in other parts and he was very bald in real life. His toupee in this movie was obvious. No matter how dirty or hot, his hair looked the same. In reality, it would have been matted, dirty, greasy, etc. It looked none of those.
shareLee J. Cobb gets a thumbs-up from me for his performance in this film. Even if he didn't, I would find a more respectful way to state that than the OP.
shareCobb gave the best performance in the film, he's as delightfully over-the-top as Pacino in Scarface - behaving like a man of volatile temperament almost constantly drunk as a skunk. And did have quieter moments, too, where the compelling gravity of his character was displayed in a different manner. He was great.
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