The Law and Jake Wade (1958)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

An awesome rugged Western masterfully directed by John Sturges including good main cast and agreeable secondary actors in which Marshal Taylor tangles with nasty bandit Widmark over a buried loot . It deals with outlaw Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) getaways from prison with the help of a lawman with a dark past called Jake Wade , because once Clint did the same for him . Jake left Clint just after , but Clint finds him back and forces Jake by kidnapping his girlfriend called Peggy (Patricia Owens) to lead him to a loot Jake buried one year ago when he abandoned Clint . Hollister and his sidekicks (Robert Middleton, DeForest Kelley , Henry Silva) tie Jake and survey to no escape . Then Peggy learns all too quickly about Jake's dark past . When they arrive in the ghost little town where Jake hid the money, they have to fight off a bunch of marauding Indians .This exciting as well as robust Western contains tension-filled , juicy atmosphere , thrills , suspense , gun-play and an impressive final on a dead little town which was one of filmmaker Sturges's best moments . Magnificent western from the John Sturges/Richard Widmark team and their second collaboration , after ¨Backlash¨ and considered one of their best . Colour , music , scenarios , landscapes all marks well in this thrilling story about a compulsive outlaw who contends his old friend as well as his nemesis . It describes a long journey in which there are extreme characters combined with psychological observations and enriched by eventual ambiguity and a tense picture about dishonesty and badness . This particular Western only starred by a few characters contains an interesting screenplay by William Bowers based on the novel by novel Marvin H. Albert . By that time (1958) the picture was considered quite strong , tough , surprisingly violent ; today is deemed a classic film . And seems to be a great influence of wide range such as violence , a hard battle of wits among gunslingers and scenarios . The two stars , Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark , make nice adversaries . They are accompanied by a good support cast such as Robert Middleton , Henry Silva , Burt Douglas , Eddie Firestone and intimate ¨Bones¨ DeForest Kelley of Star Trek . Filmed in Cinemascope in colorful cinematography by Robert Surtees who gets to take from nature the maximum impacts as deserts , valleys , mountains , being wonderfully photographed . Being filmed on location in Alabama Hills , Lone Pine, Death Valley National Park,California, USA . Breathtaking background scenarios , dramatic close-up along with shining illuminations , all of them perfectly mingled with a tale full of violence , tension , intrigue and shoot'em up .This top-drawer Western drama was compellingly produced by William Hawkes and stunningly realized by the master John Sturges , infusing the traditional Western with psychological confusion , including his characteristic use of landscape with wonderful use of Natural Parks which is visually memorable . Sturges established his forte with magnificent Westerns almost always plenty of action , violence , and splendid outdoors . Sturges began his directing career at Columbia Pictures, where from 1946-49 he he worked on "12-day wonders" ("B" pictures shot on a 12-day schedule). From there he moved on to MGM where he filmed more "B" pictures, albeit on a larger budget . He established an independent production company in 1959, releasing through United Artists. From 1960-67 he worked under contract for United Artists. His first major hit was the western Dog Day at Black Rock (1955) , which he shot in just three weeks, wrapping up virtually every scene in a single take . He specialized in robust action pictures, particularly westerns. He excelled at bringing to life tautly written stories about tough characters facing difficult circumstances . Throughout his career he regularly alternated hits with misses . He has also been criticized for his lack of stylistic trademarks , though his best films remain exciting to watch . Sturges was expert on all kind of genres , but especially warlike such as : ¨Great Escape¨, ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ and ¨Eagle has landed¨ and Western such as ¨Last train of Gun Hill¨, ¨Magnificent Seven¨, ¨Backlash¨, ¨Law and Jake Webb¨, ¨Joe Kidd¨ and Chino¨, among others . This high-level and Western will appeal to Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark fans .

Let's face it, Robert Taylor is an awful actor. It just seems like somebody needed to fill this role quickly and grabbed a paunchy old stage hand from sweeping the floor, saying you'll do ! The guy just can't act ! How did he get by for so long in Hollywood with no talent, when there were other superb actors around like Spencer Tracy , Kirk Douglas, Richard Widmark etc... Robert Taylor must have read many scripts turned down by the proper actors of Hollywood just to get work.He is actually billed as the lead in this movie ! Even John Wayne on a bad day could act this man under the table. The definition of a Superstar is the star that carries the movie. Without Richard Widmark's presence billed as second lead, this movie would have fallen completely flat. Is this movie really directed by the same man who made "Bad day at Black Rock" and "The Great Escape" ? John Sturges must have been having an off day. Although he didn't have much to work with. The poor script and leading man to name but two. In Bad day at Black rock you have of course the master and arguably the best screen actor there has even been , Spencer Tracy. In this movie you have Robert (the statue) Taylor. Without a good leading man a movie is sunk before it begins.John Sturges should have been more like William Wyler in his approach to directing Robert Taylor. To at least coax a mediocre performance from the man, rather than this exhibition of rocking horse excellence. Nice to see Dr McCoy though, playing yet another heavy, he is a very good actor, obviously, although he never liked beaming down to planets.

Jake Wade, a former thief and gunman is now the town marshal. Out of a need to clear a debt, he breaks a former accomplice of his, Clint Hollister, out of jail, and almost immediately starts to regret it. It seems that Wade hid some monetary spoils out in the hills and Hollister wants his hands on it. So along with his gang, Hollister forces Wade and his fiancée to go out searching for the cash. But not only is there conflict within the group, there is the small matter of the deadly Comanche to worry about as well.The Law And Jake Wade comes with some pretty solid Western credentials from the off. Directed by John Sturges (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral/The Magnificent Seven), starring Richard Widmark (Warlock/The Alamo), Robert Taylor (Saddle The Wind) and photographed by Robert Surtees (Oklahoma!/Escape from Fort Bravo). Widmark is on prime bad guy form as Hollister, and Taylor, who was often accused of being stiff, is perfect foil playing sedate off of Widmark's borderline evil. The cinematography is luscious from Surtees, both Death Valley and The Alabama Hills in California are as imposing as they are beautiful, with Sturges framing his blurry good vs bad characters amongst them to great effect. What action there is {this is primarily a talky picture in reality} is handled adroitly by the wily Stugess, with a Comanche attack on our protagonists in a ghost town, particularly exciting. It's very rare to see arrows and spears glide so gracefully on their path to pain as we do here, all crisply enveloped in MGM's choice of Metrocolor.But really it's with the story itself that the film lifts its being to rank with the better genre offerings. William Bowers' screenplay, adapting from the Marvin H. Albert novel, on the surface looks like a standard good guy-bad guy dovetail piece, but things are purposely left unanswered to fully form the issues (yes you read it right). Is it for nothing that Wade, our law man, the "good" guy, is all in black throughout the piece? With Hollister all shiny in denim blue! Why is the money out buried in the hills after all this time? And come the finale you should be forced into a rethink about the law and all its little peccadilloes. There really is more on offer here if you give it your undivided attention. Some minor itches aside {Patricia Owens love interest looks lost for example}, The Law And Jake Wade is a fine genre piece that deserves better than being called a weekend time filler. 8/10

The plot of this western, while not unusual, is reasonably well done. However, the love interest has very little to do. The scenery is excellently photographed, but the Indian attack is ridiculous. It makes no sense that the Indians did not burn the place. It was a ghost town, the wood was old and dry, and there was no one there but the people the Indians apparently were after.The best part is the handling of Jake Wade (Robert Taylor) after he's caught and being transported to the place where the money is buried. The rest of the movie is fairly dull.Altogether, a reasonable western, but it could have been a lot better.gaynor wild