Watched this movie last night not expecting much but what a pleasant surprise. It was a good story and very well done. Fred MacMurray was perfect for the role. Good supporting cast. Worth viewing. Should have a higher rating.
share[deleted]
It was a good story and I was intrigued by Face of a Fugitive's take on the law and morality. It conveyed that out in the west the law is second place to an individual's morals. Whatever they thought was right Larsen and the antagonist did, reminisent of the saying "actions speak louder than words". Yet at the end when Larsen's true identity is known it is indicated that he will be treated fairly by the law which makes Face of a Fugitive contradictory.
The practical attitude Larsen and the antagonists have which Riley lacked relates to masculinity which in Westerns usually serves as a useful element which it does for Larsen. The use of his masculinity to fight the antagonists not only solved the narrative's main conflict but also led to Larsen's redemption.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".
I agree. It also gave me a new respect for director Paul Wendkos, who I knew mostly from his TV work, as well as Alan Baxter, who theretofore I only knew from his relatively small part as a general in the Outer Limits episode "O.B.I.T." I liked Wendkos' use of low angles, such as in the bar fight and when the ranch hands are chasing MacMurray over the rooftops.
Let's take a vote: Who wants to stay and die?
Good, solid, late-1950s Hollywood western. I love it when I find one like this that I've never seen before.
shareApart from Fred MacMurray and James Coburn, I didn't know anything about the members of the cast. So I get the impression that the movie may have made as a second feature but it's certainly a good story.
share