MovieChat Forums > The Last Sunset (1961) Discussion > The sheriff was a douche.

The sheriff was a douche.

posted 10 years ago by themadride
4 replies | jump to latest

Pardon my language, but the Sheriff was ENTIRELY unlikable.

I don't really have a problem with the plot or what happened, but I can't be happy with the film's outcome with the sheriff in the position he ends up in.

The entire time, from his bad mouthing Douglas in front of the woman and trying to goad him into a fight to giving away his 5th of the heard, he was just disgusting.

And then for him to end up with the lady, presumably all the wealth, killing Douglas, and then raising his daughter...

Well, it's just stomach churning. And not because of what happened, but because of the way the sheriff was presented to the viewer. I feel like they thought we should like him - as much as Douglas - but I just could not.

[–] VirtualMark 10 years ago

Yeah he was a nob, I didn't like him at all. I was hoping he'd get killed at the end, but unfortunately not.

Mr. Laurio, never trust a beautiful woman. Especially one who's interested in you.

[–] themadride 10 years ago

I'm used to dark endings. I actually quite like them, but usually they aren't presented as good.

What gets me is how the movie presents the ending like it's a happy ending. That is what set bad with me.

[–] VirtualMark 10 years ago

Yeah, it was a bit of an odd movie though. The thought had crossed my mind earlier in the movie that the girl could be his daughter, but I dismissed it as they were attracted to each other and the mother would have said something. Surely she wouldn't let them get attracted to each other without saying a word? Especially since it was obvious that the girl liked him.

So as it went on, I just assumed that she can't be his daughter, then by the end it turns out that she is after all. I thought it to be a bit dumb, and a bit gross. Chances are he'd thought about having sex with her at least a few dozen times by then. Disgusting.

And yeah, the sheriff was really annoying all through the movie, which ended in a bit of an anticlimax. Again - I saw his suicide coming, and even imagined the last line "his gun wasn't even loaded". Honestly, a good few minutes before it ended I thought of that line and hoped that it wouldn't go that way.

I would have loved it if he'd killed the sheriff earlier in the movie. I thought that he was going to get back together with his ex, but she suddenly went off him and fell for the sheriff. It was a bit of a let-down really.

Mr. Laurio, never trust a beautiful woman. Especially one who's interested in you.

[–] hammer4 9 years ago

From the beginning to near the end of the film, Hudson's lawman character is depicted as a sincere, dutiful and straight arrow lawman. After all, O'Malley is a criminal and Hudson is charged with arresting him and bringing him to justice. He basically treats him as such, which is understandable.

Towards the end however, Stribling's attitude towards O'Malley changes. A certain camaraderie has developed between them with grudging respect and Stribling now has conflicting feelings.

The Stribling character is actually more complex than it would appear and I'd hardly categorize him as a "douche". Granted, the Douglas role is much more flashier and colorful, and the audience tends to identify more with him.