Powerful

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Burt Lancaster started his career in the late forties starring in films noirs like "The Killers" or "Sorry, Wrong Number", and then in the early fifties became an action hero in swashbuckling adventures like "The Flame and the Arrow" and in Westerns like this one. There are similarities between the plot and that of "The Man from Laramie", another Western from the fifties. Both films feature a power-struggle within the family of an elderly, wealthy rancher. In each case the old man has a single son of his own, and has adopted his trusted ranch foreman as a virtual second son. In both films the old man's biological son is a dissolute, worthless character. The main difference lies in the personalities of the adopted sons. In "The Man from Laramie" the adopted son, Vic, initially seems like a decent character, but eventually turns out to be as villainous as his adoptive brother Dave; the real hero of that film is a stranger, the titular Man from Laramie. In "Vengeance Valley" the adopted son initially seems like a cad, but later turns out to be the film's hero. In 19th century Colorado, a young woman named Lily Fasken gives birth to an illegitimate child, and refuses to identify the father. Her brothers Hub and Dick believe that the culprit is Owen Daybright, the adopted son of a wealthy cattleman named Arch Strobie. Hub and Dick know that Owen has given their sister $500 to take care of the baby and come looking for him, hoping to force him to marry Lily. What they don't know is that the real father is Strobie's real son Lee, who is already married. The film then explores the complications arising from this situation and from Lee's attempts to cheat his own father over a cattle deal. The film's main faults are the poor quality of the colour, which appears dull and washed-out, and of the sound, which is sometimes muffled. It lacks the power of the really great fifties Westerns like "Shane", "The Big Country" or, for that matter, "The Man from Laramie" itself, which has a similar plot but a greater depth of characterisation and is an excellent film as opposed to a merely good one. Those points apart, however, "Vengeance Valley" is a very watchable Western with an exciting plot. Lancaster was perhaps not yet the great actor he was to become later in his career, but he makes an attractive and sympathetic hero as Owen, and he makes this a very decent example of a "second division" Western. 7/10

Luke Short wrote the western novel upon which this movie directed by Richard Thorpe is based. It tells the story of an aging Cattle man (Roy Collins) who's own ambitious son (Robert Walker) has grown envious and resentful of his step brother Owen (Burt Lancaster) for receiving the praise of his father and the love of his wife. (Joanne Dru) So much so, each day he secretly schemes to cheat his father out of what he believes is his rightful due. Indeed, with the help of brothers Hub and Dick Faskken (John Ireland/Hugh O'Brian) and heavy, Herb Backett (Ted de Corsia) the trio plan something much more deadly. The movie is filled with beautiful landscapes, enormous herds of cattle and exciting cowboy action. The movie is standard fare for the 1950's and yet exciting enough to entertain todays modern audiences. This is early Lancaster who gives a powerful performance and is easily enhanced with a good cast. Give a notice to heavy Hugh O'Brian who in a decade's time will become TV's Marshal Wyatt Earp. With little effort, this movie has become a western Classic. ****

Director Richard Thorpe's 'Cain and Abel' western "Vengeance Valley" concerns life and death on a cattle ranch. When Colorado ranch foreman Owen Daybright (Burt Lancaster of "Brute Force") and foster brother Lee Strobie (Robert Walker of "Strangers on a Train") ride back into town from watching over their cattle for the winter, they run into the local doctor at the saloon. He tells them that an unmarried woman, Lily Fasken (Sally Forrest of "Mystery Street"), has had a baby boy. Actually, Lee had an affair with Lily, a former restaurant waitress, but he wants nobody to know about it, particularly his new wife. Owen visits Lily's house on behalf of Lee and brings $500 as well as a bag of provisions. Later, Lee tells his father he lost the money playing poker. Not only does Owen find Lee's wife Jen (Joanne Dru of "Red River") at Lily's place but also Lily's pugnacious rifle-toting brother Dick (Hugh O'Brien of "The Shootist") who is itching to plug the gent who impregnated his sister. Dick wants to know the identity of the father, but Owen refers him to Lily. Dick believes Owen is the dad, but Jen tells him to leave Own alone. Later, Dick confronts Owen at the saloon.Sheriff Con Alvis (Jim Hayward of "Bitter Creek") gets the drop on Dick. Owen warns Dick he had better use his rifle the next time they meet. Owen and Lee head back to the Strobie ranch and confer with Lee's invalid father, Arch (Ray Collins of "Citizen Kane"), who is elated to see them. Lee leaves them alone to see his wife Jen. After Lee's departure, Owen threatens to leave and start out on his own. Arch persuades Owen to stay. During their conversation, we learn that Arch befriended Owen about 15 years ago. Arch has relied on Owen to train Lee to take over operation of the ranch. Moreover, Arch has relied on Owen to help him.About a week later, Sheriff Alvis watches as Dick's brother Hub Fasken (John Ireland of "River River") gets off the train. Hub informs Alvis he has come to kill a man. A widow woman, Mrs. Burke (Grayce Mills of "Harvey"), takes Lily in ranch. Hub checks in with his younger sister, but she tells him not to worry about her. Not long afterward, Owen and Hewie (Carleton Carpenter of "Summer Stock") show up at Mrs. Burke's place to prepare her cattle for the big drive. Meantime, Dick and Hub get the drop on Hewie, and catch Owen when he leaves the house. Hub and Owen swap blows, but Lily intervenes with her shotgun. The next time Owen sees Dick and Hub, the two are sweating it out in the hoosegow. Eventually, Jen discovers in a round-about way that Lee is the father of Lily's baby boy. This kind of infidelity had to be treated with caution in the 1950s because it was still consider unsavory subject matter by the Production Code Administration. Indeed, the doctor in the saloon refused to deliver the baby because the father wasn't present. When Lee confronts Jen about the affair, he finds her nursing a battered Owen who has just slugged it out with Hub. Like Owen, Jen is prepared to leave the Strobie ranch, but Owen dissuades her.Owen warns Lee about Dick and Hub. He suggests Lee vamoose with Jen, but Lee insists Owen simply wants the entire ranch for himself. The bad blood between the two men only worsens. Lee persuades his father he can handle the ranch and asks to be half-owner. An overjoyed Arch agrees. Nevertheless, he mentions that he plans to let Owen have the other half after his death. Hewie informs Owen and Lee that somebody has stolen some of their cattle and horses. The trail leads them to Herb Backett's place. Naturally, Backett (Ted de Corsia of "The Killing") lies that he knows nothing about rustled cattle. Owen beats the truth out of him, during a brief but bloody fight. Lee tries to smooth over the fracas with Backett. He agrees to buy back the cattle. Secretly, Lee is concocting a plan to kill Owen and he uses Backett. Once again Lee accuses Owen of cheating on him with Jen, but he recants those words before the big cattle drive. Lee makes friends with Backett because he needs him to help him. He wants Backett to provide Dick and Hub with the necessary authorization to join the big drive without Owen finding out anything.Later, Lee sells his father's herd of 3000 head to a Texas cattleman, Dave Allard (Glen Strange of "House of Dracula"), and this move surprises Owen. As it turns out, Owen suspects that Lee is determined to cheat his father out of money. After the two herds are merged, Hewie warns Owen that the Fashen brothers are among Lee's crew. Lee changes his mind about the sale to Allard and requests that Owen accompany him so he can inform Allard that the deal is off. What Lee plans to do is set up Owen so the Fashen can ambush Owen. They bushwhack Oren, but help arrives not long after the villains Owen pinned down with rifle fire. Hewie forms a posse after they hear rifle fire. Owen suffer from a nick on the sleeve. Hewie and the others thunder onto the scene and blast the two brothers. Owen pursues Lee on horseback. Lee's horse caves in under him and he tumbles into the river. Owen challenges Lee to draw. Owen is faster and kills Lee. When he returns to the ranch, Owen explains to Arch what happened, but Arch already knew what Lee was worthless. When Arch wants to tell Jen, Owen intervenes and says he wants will break the news to Jen himself. "Vengeance Valley" is a sturdy, atmospheric western as well as Lancaster's first foray into the genre.

Feckless cowboy, married but also semi-secretly the father of an infant born to an unwed neighbor girl, allows his foster-brother to take the rap when the vengeful brother of the tight-lipped lass comes to town packing heat. Oater opens with a laughably clichéd narration by a Jimmy Stewart sound-alike informing us this is a yarn about "cow country and cow punchers, cattle, and men. Worn leather, saddles, blisters and branding irons!" Unfortunately, it turns out to be a rather wan, dim horse-opera, with Robert Walker's rotter one-dimensionally written and portrayed (he whips a horse that won't let him ride, a signal to us that his wife--who only has one Sunday dress--is miserable at home). Burt Lancaster, occasionally unshaven and cat-like in his movements, broods sexily and is the only reason to watch the picture. *1/2 from ****