Dakota (1945)

best movie i've ever seen.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's really interesting to look at some of these old movies from the 40s and 50s. They had a directness and economy of style and language that is lacking in so many movies and TV series these days.Modern screen writers could learn a lot from watching them. Note, if you will, that few have the same writer and director - a fact that makes them far, far better than the vast majority of writer/director movies these days, certainly at least as far as story goes.Dakota is typical John Wayne fare. John Wayne plays John Wayne and we love him for it. We know who the good and bad guys are and the script is not without its subtleties. We know who's going to win but not always who the casualties may be.A (relatively) young Walter Brennan plays, er, Walter Brennan - yes, and that's why we love him! - and the whole thing is packaged in an economy. bite-sized package, ideal Saturday morning fare and, of course, a must for anyone who loves Westerns and John Wayne.Side note - the plot does, in part, include 'fields of wheat;, a phrase that will resonate (possibly in an ironic way) with viewers in the UK in 2018!

. . . Vera Hruba Ralston brings DAKOTA to vivid life, acting circles around her co-stars Walter Brennan and John Wayne, in many critics' opinions. If Ms. Ralston had been the mistress of a Major Axis Figure, such as Hitler or Mussolini, American Movie Studio Heads might have felt that she was carrying too much personal baggage for her supporting players such as Brennan and Wayne to lug (this dichotomy is literally pictured on-screen here in DAKOTA'S first scene). But just as this opening incident of DAKOTA illustrates, Ms. Ralston is particularly adept at jettisoning excess carry-ons in favor of winging it Au Naturel. That's right, Vera's portrayal of "Chicago Sandy" is so convincing that she hardly needs to be tricked out in period costumes, make-up, and wigs. One can just as easily picture Chicago Sandy as a working gal, brazenly baring everything as she murmurs Sweet Nothings into a john's ear. With such a star turn by Ms. Ralston, viewers may not even notice as the Dakotas are burned down to cinders around her, including the City of Fargo and all of the wheat farmers' homes, along with their crops. Wayne's bumbling may have gotten most of Fargo's population killed, but at least no one is wood-chipped to death in DAKOTA, as America exclaims, "Hubba, Hubba, Hruba!"

John Wayne plays a gambler that comes to the aid of wheat farmers being swindled by crooked land grabbers. This is a fast paced 82 minute Republic Pictures movie with an obvious low budget look. A pretty good shoot 'em up though. Other stars include Ward Bond, Walter Brennan and Nick Stewart. Was not impressed with Wayne's love interest Vera Ralston. Burning of the wheat fields is dramatic. And of course The Duke saves the day.

Why, oh why, must film makers make a movie so dark? Sometimes I think they must have gotten a great deal on filters, and felt that they had to use them all on this one film. Some of the shots in this one are so dark that one is hard pressed to tell the good guys from the bad guys.Darkness is sometimes used to hide poor (read: cheap) special effects in a "B" movie, and I guess that's to be expected; But there was no reason for Dakota (1945) to be under exposed. I couldn't tell if it was a good movie or not because I couldn't see half of it.