The Worst Film Ever

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

"The Furies" is re-visited here. This time, Barbara Stanwyck plays the venal wife, while Edward G. Robinson makes a good fist of the Walter Huston role. Glenn Ford offers a character study as the reluctant man of action. Aside from May Wynn's oddly amateurish interpretation, the rest of the cast provides solid support. Miss Wynn's voice seems to be dubbed and she is none too flatteringly photographed. Director Rudolph Maté fills the CinemaScope screen adequately, making good use of some real locations. A fair bit of action helps to ignite interest in the over-talkative screenplay, even though the staging of these action interludes often leaves something to be desired. It seems to proceed in sudden spurts and is neither as suspenseful nor as tension-tingling as it might have been in more expert hands. Max Steiner has contributed a characteristically rich music score.

I cannot believe anyone does not consider this film a classic. What is interesting is how despite the title it is the women who are the really strong characters. It starts with Barbara Stanwyck. Martha Wilkison is the most evil, immoral character that she ever played and that includes Lily Powers ("Baby Face"), Martha Ivers ("The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers) and even Phyllis Dietrichson ("Double Indemnity" (Interesting enough also with Edward G. Robinson)), the way she has both Lee (Robinson) and Cole (Brian Keith) wrapped around her finger (But not her daughter Judith (Dianne Foster)). But even beyond her, it is Caroline (May Wynn)and then Judith who have John Parrish (Glenn Ford) wrapped around their fingers, as does Elena (Lita Milan) with Cole. Spoilers ahead: You really see what Judith is about when (Spoilers ahead). 1: She tells off both Parrish and Lee, then she rides along with them, as they get ready for the final showdown against Cole & Martha. 2: The end of the film, when Judith asks Parrish to run her father's ranch, and Parrish says about her father finally getting his ranch, you can tell by the look, it will not be under Lee's terms (Or even Parrish's), rather, it will be Judith as the real power running things (Although she is not evil like her mother). For any western film fan it is a must (Particularly if they are a Stanwyck fan).

In many ways, this is a very typical sort of western. One of the most common themes in films, if not THE most common, was the idea of a boss who wanted to use his bully-boy tactics to drive out all the ranchers. Here in "The Violent Men" we have such an amoral and ambitious man (Edward G. Robinson). What makes it a little different is that one of the local ranchers (Glenn Ford) has a fiancée and her family who are strongly encouraging him not to fight this injustice but to sell out cheaply and move back East. What also makes this different is the strange love triangle going on in the household of the boss-man. Together, these subplots manage to breath some life into a very, very tired and overused plot.Although Ford is quite willing to walk away from this fight and take a very poor offer from the boss-man, eventually he is just pushed too far. When one of his own men is killed, Ford reluctantly goes to war with this band of cut-throats.The chief punk working for Robinson is Matlock (Richard Jaeckel). Jaeckel played this sort of gun-crazy punk in approximately 46923 films (give or take 6). What would have been surprising would have been if Jaeckel had played a level-headed nice guy! Eventually, it all culminates in an all-out war--with some interesting twists. Still, despite this, it really is just a well made version of the same old thing you've probably seen dozens of times before...and will see dozens of times again.By the way, as far as the casting goes, this is an odd film. You don't expect to see Robinson out West nor can you really picture Barbara Stanwyck playing his wife. And, oddly, it's very hard to picture Brian Keith as Robinson's brother. As for Ford, he's pretty adept at such a film role.

This is the classic western. The good, Glenn Ford, the dashing hero, the ex-soldier, the man who would not hold a gun again. He eventually has to stand up the the evil land baron, Edward G. Robinson, who owns most of the valley and wants it all. Then,there's Barbara Stanwyck, the real ruler of the roost. Edward G. Robinson's wife, who will allow no one to get in her way, even making Edward G. Robinson look weak. She is so evil that everyone else pales next to her blind ambition and ruthlessness to rule the valley and everyone in it. The gleam in her eye as she sees people face death for her is unnerving. It is worth waiting for.Throw in a young Brian Keith and a few others and you have a drama that stands on its own. With the requisite stampedes, shoot-outs, ambushes and close-ups of hard riding cowboys and you have a heck of a western.Without giving anything away, there are enough twists and turns within to make this not just a standard cowboy shoot-em-up.