It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Westerns of the 50's are the best and to be missed if not for the fact we can see them again via rentals, DVD's and TCM entertainment. They had the quality movie stars, great plot points, good subject matter, were educational and tugged at all our emotions. Throw in horses, good and bad guys, love interest, dust, posse's and some shootings and we are off! Fonda comes through as a veteran of the time who survived using his abilities, guts, savvy and experience but gets dealt a life blow which he doesn't recover from until this movie. Its a believable story and will pull you in. Then there is the new sheriff who wants to do good and right but doesn't know what that is. That be Perkins. Put him together with Fonda and the story takes hold. The Wild West was unexplored times and territories and there are no end to the stories that came out of it. This be one of them. Good solid entertainment from start to finish with one of the best endings around. Feel good is so thick you can cut it with a knife. That's good directing. Enjoy a nice meal while watching along with a tasty drink too. Saddle up

This is a fairly basic Western. The story line here is the veteran helping the young lawman learn to be a lawman who lives long enough to do a good job.Fonda is the veteran, and Perkins is the young lawman.Neville Brand is the bully, of course, who wants to be in charge.A couple of subplot romances.It's what Mann does with an ordinary script that makes this a triumph. The story is well paced, and exciting, and ends with a showdown scene that has got to be on any serious top ten of all time list. The camera angles and the dialog would make even modern "in your face" directors envious. It is a showcase demonstration that should be in every "Film Director" class.

It is incredible what time does to movies or what time does to you and you change your taste in movies. I always had something against "The Tin Star", perhaps because it was not in color and had no James Stewart. But nowadays black and white is so much better than color and Henry Fonda is such a great actor. Fonda here is Morg Hickman, a bounty hunter, but a much nicer character than Howard Kemp (James Stewart in "The Naked Spur"). Hickman is more at peace with himself than Kemp, up to the point that he is able to to do a good deed and help the young sheriff Ben Owens( Tony Perkins) face what could be a suicidal task. He is also not racist like most of the people in town who avoid Nona Mayfield (Betsy Palmer) because she was married to an Indian. Whatever was ugly in Kemp, looks hopeful and correct in Hickman. Like Mann telling us he wants to be more optimistic. Very good western, could it be an afterthought in "The Naked Spur"?

A solid entertaining movie different from earlier Mann films like Winchester 73,Bend of the River, Far Country The Naked Spur, Man from Laramie etc. Morg Hickman(Fonda) is never in any serious on screen danger,or in great physical pain here, so deduct one star for that. Jimmy Stewart would never have gotten off this easy. Early Tony Perkins role as a rookie sheriff who's got everything to learn but has the right teacher in Hickman. This film predates Face of a Fugitive, a 1959 film with Fred McMurray & Lin McCarthy has similar theme of older experienced outlaw teaching a novice sheriff. Gold star here to TS. Some other random thoughts. John McIntire(Winchester 73 and The Far Country) in a rare role as a noble country doctor who makes housecalls. Betsy Palmer- What's Her Line? She's a beautiful widow with an overactive half breed son. A young Robert Blake (Treasure of Sierra Madre) would have been less annoying as her son but I guess he was too big for the part. Lee Van Cleef sans moustache appears as a doctor's worst nightmare patient.I liked Fonda's relaxed demeanor and the gravitas he brings to the tale. Just needed him to be in real danger at some point to be a real Mann flick.