Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Absolutely Fantastic

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"The Proud Ones" (1956) is a town-Western where practically the entire story takes place within the confines of a Western town set, like "Rio Bravo," which came out three years later. At 94 minutes, "The Proud Ones" is more streamlined than the overlong "Rio Bravo," not that it makes it better (it doesn't).Robert Ryan plays the righteous sheriff in a thankless job, the beautiful Virginia Mayo is his babe, Robert Middleton plays the villainous saloon owner and Jeffrey Hunter the young buck who signs on as deputy at a dangerous time, even though the sheriff killed his father and the tensions thereof.This is a decent Western with Ryan shining in the main role, but it's hampered by some "yeah, right" dramatics. For instance, Hunter's macho posturing early on (which may be the writer's fault), his character's unnecessary rough handling of Sally while he's wounded in bed (Why sure!) (I think Hunter's a stud enough to get practically any woman he wants any time he wants without resorting to nigh forcible rape), and his stubborn refusal to see evidence that Chico pulled a gun after a shootout (it just doesn't ring true).Writing like this makes "The Proud Ones" seem more like a TV show than a theatrical film, but, then again, maybe that's just the lame way they wrote screenplays in the 50s, I don't know.Still, it's got a lot to make it worthwhile, particularly the strong cast.GRADE: C+

This is a good Western, well worth watching. It has a good cast and some unique plot elements.Here are some of its good points:Robert Ryan is solid as usual. This is one of his better roles. Nice supporting cast. Interesting role by Walter Brennan. He was well prepared for his part as "Stumpy" in Rio Bravo a few years after this.Interesting portrayal of a cattle trail "boomtown". I can't recall seeing this done better, especially the economic aspects.Interesting twist on the "honest Sheriff", with the blurred vision. About time somebody got a concussion after being knocked on the head with the butt of pistol.Very different to see the "good guys" shooting men in the back, assuming they are about to turn with a hidden firearm in hand.Jeffrey Hunter's character is quite good, overcoming the resentment about his father's death. Kind of shocking when Ryan tells him bluntly that his father was a no good gun slinging bum.I love Civil War tie-ins and there is a very brief one, when Walter Brennan says the town hasn't been this busy since the boys came home from the war.Prominent Mexican character, which I also like, although he was a stereotype bandido.Here is what kept it from being better:Hot female lead Virginia Mayo is wasted as a typical Western female love interest, with nothing to do but warn her man to be careful.No locations. The whole thing was filmed in Burbank.Like I said, some interesting twists and color added to the basic "High Noon" plot, but not enough star power to make it stand out like a "Rio Bravo".

I was surprised at how strong this film played out for one I'd never heard of before. I guess that puts me with the majority of reviewers on this board in support of "The Proud Ones". What puts the film at odds with a lot of early Westerns is the apparent age of it's star, Robert Ryan, who looks even older than his actual age of forty seven at the time of the picture's release. It isn't unusual to find Western films where the hero feels past his prime at thirty five, as in Gregory Peck's "The Gunfighter", one of my all time favorites by the way. After watching this one, I like to compare and contrast Ryan's forceful performance with the one he did in 1971's "Lawman", where he portrayed a town sheriff who knew the difference between right and wrong, but was willing to compromise in favor of the local town boss. He didn't have the lead in that picture, but he had some memorable scenes with it's star, Burt Lancaster.Here, Ryan carries the picture all the way, with help from young Jeffrey Hunter's Thad Anderson, who see saws his way through the picture attempting to establish credibility regarding Marshal Cass Silver's (Ryan) role in the death of his father. Silver never sugar coats it for Thad, he shot the elder Anderson in a 'him or me' situation, and had no problem alluding to his victim as scum, one of the hired hands of 'Honest' John Barrett (Robert Middleton), villain of the piece. Thad hires on as a jailer, then as a deputy to help the marshal clean up Flat Rock before the final curtain comes down.For fans of Westerns, there's no escaping the similarities to 1952's "High Noon", though without the tension of a pre-determined showdown. Cass Silver is about ready to hang up his badge, while his main squeeze Sally (Virginia Mayo) tries desperately to convince her man that it's time to leave town and start a new life elsewhere. The main theme holding the story together is the lawman's need to see the present job through, even if it means an uncertain, possibly fatal end. It's what gives the film's title it's meaning, and what drives the honorable man to an honorable conclusion.Aside from the story, I was intrigued by a number of elements the picture had to offer, like it's apparent fixation on gunshot wounds to the head. Badman Pike (Ken Clark) got it in the head during the stable shootout, as well as jailer Jake. Which is even more unusual, considering that Walter Brennan by this time should have earned the right not to go out in such a bloody manner. Even Ryan's character took an early graze to the temple, which set up his problem with blurred vision and possible blindness. That's something I've seen only one other time, in the 1965 spaghetti Western "Minnesota Clay", where Cameron Mitchell's character begins to rely on the direction of sound when he starts to lose his sight.One other thing, how unusual is it to see Jeffrey Hunter limping around from a leg wound instead of Walter Brennan? It's something you notice right away, if you can get beyond Brennan's oversize handlebar mustache - you think that was real?

The quintessential thinking western. The man wronged (Ryan), the dependable woman in his life (Mayo), the young man searching for the truth(?) (Hunter). A good western with the normal hallmarks of this genre. Good storyline, actors who can actually act (Jeff Hunter's best acting display since "The Searchers") and importantly in any move or TV programme , great, haunting soundtrack. The whistling of this gives this western depth and feeling. The other actors, including the head villain, all play their parts with a modicum of effort, enhancing this film.The various shootouts are well handled, with Ryan's worsening disability becoming more obvious, as an example the shootout in the barn. Hunter's young man changes as the movie progresses in now not wanting to kill a semi blind man and also realising that perhaps the sherrif is right but his search for the truth of his father will out.The final confrontation in the saloon followed by the the haunting soundtrack makes for a memorable western.