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The Tin Star
(1957),
Director: Anthony Mann, rated Approved
"In the able
hands of Henry Fonda and Tony Perkins THE TIN STAR shines like
gold!"
- Cecil B. DeMille
  Starring:
Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer, Michel Ray, Neville
Brand, John McIntire, Mary Webster, Lee Van Cleef, Peter Baldwin, Howard
Petrie
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"Learn what to stay
out of. If you step into a fight, make sure you're the better
man. Paste this in your hat: a gun's only a tool. You can master
a gun if you got the knack. Harder to learn men." -
Morg Hickman
Why watch this? This
is perhaps Anthony Mann's most underrated Oater.
Plot Summary:
A cynical, experienced bounty hunter, Morg Hickman, rides into a
small town with a dead outlaw, facing disdain from the residents
while trying to collect his reward. He reluctantly mentors the
inexperienced new acting sheriff, Ben Owens, teaching him the
critical skills required to survive and manage the town's
volatile elements. As a local threat grows, the two men form an
unlikely partnership to bring order to the town, with Hickman
providing the seasoned expertise that the young lawman
desperately lacks.
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Dad's Preview:
Every good film needs a solid hook. I get that there are
a million old Westerns from the good ol' days (back when
a movie ticket was a dollar) and you might think,
"C'mon, they're all the same." They are not. This film is
built around a soft-spoken, wandering gunman, who stops
at a troubled town to hand over a wanted man's corpse
and collect his bounty. Few actors could pull this role
off like Henry Fonda. When he delivers his lines, you
listen. He exudes wisdom, caution, and patience. Then he
reluctantly takes a liking to a young, immature sheriff,
a widowed mother and her son. Like it or not, he becomes
a part of what's coming. This story is easy to watch, as
it caters to Western clichés, yet it stands out, thanks
to good acting and an engaging plot. I also enjoy gruff
actor Neville Brand as the town's confident bad guy...
so menacing. |
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William Perlberg,
George Seaton;
Paramount Pictures |
