Angel and the Badman (1947)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The "badman" in this movie is Quirt Evans. Since he is played by John Wayne, we wonder, "Just how bad can he be?" I mean, has John Wayne ever played a badman in the movies? It turns out, much as we suspected, that for all the talk about his being a badman, it seems to be just that, talk. Apparently, he once worked as a lawman for Wyatt Earp. Then he became a cattleman for a while. But one day, Wall Ennis, the man who raised Quirt like a father, was shot down by Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot) while another man grabbed his hand as he was going for his gun. That's when Quirt sold his herd and began plaguing Laredo, hoping to goad him into a gunfight in front of witnesses. For example, when Laredo and his gang rustle some cattle, killing all the cowboys who were herding them, Quirt and his boys bonk Laredo's gang over the head, knocking them off their horses. Then Quirt's gang takes off with the cattle and presumably sells them. I guess the idea is that the cattle were already stolen, so what Quirt did was not really so bad.Before that however, at the beginning of the movie, Quirt beats Laredo to some land he wanted. Laredo's gang chases him until he collapses from exhaustion and a gunshot wound. A couple of Quakers help him get to a telegraph station to make the claim and then take him in so that he can convalesce. One Quaker in particular, Penny (Gail Russell), is the "angel" in this movie.Dr. Mangram (Tom Powers) comes over to take the bullet out. He makes a snide remark about the way the wicked always seem to be able to survive gunshot wounds while the godly succumb to infection, and Penny's father chastises him, saying, "You so-called atheists. You always feel so compelled to stretch your godlessness." With this brief exchange, the movie expresses its attitude toward atheists. First, the atheist is rude and churlish, entering the house of a family he knows to be devout and mocking their religion. For a long time in the movies, atheists were never allowed to be congenial and easygoing, as in reality, many of them are. Movie atheists had to let everyone know just how much they despised religion. Second, this movie was made at a time when a lot of people believed that there really was no such thing as an atheist, that their denial of God's existence was a self-deluding pretense. Hence the use of the term "so-called."Another feature of the stereotypical movie atheist is the emphasis on reality and logic, at the expense of sentiment and feeling. Mangram says to Penny's mother, "You can carry this head-in-sand attitude just so far in the world of reality." She replies, "We assure you that you will finally realize that realism untempered by sentiments of humanity is really just a mean, hard, cold outlook on life." She is right, of course. But that is precisely the sort of thing David Hume might have said. In reality, atheists have as much sentiment as anyone else, but movie atheists tend to lack these feelings.Anyway, Quirt and Penny fall in love. She is willing to follow him anywhere, but he is not sure he wants to be tied down. So this struggle goes on throughout the movie, while she acquaints him with the views of the Society of Friends, such as that a person can harm only himself, even if he appears to harm someone else. One day, she gets him to leave his gun behind while they go for a ride. As this is shortly after the cattle rustling incident, Laredo and his boys show up and give chase until the wagon goes over a cliff and into the water. Penny almost drowns. Quirt gets her back to the house and Dr. Mangram is sent for. When it looks as though Penny is likely to die, Quirt decides to kill Laredo.Right after he rides off, Penny comes to. She seems to be completely well. Mangram is stunned. "I can't understand it," he says. "I can't understand it at all. There must be some logical, scientific explanation. I am too old to start believing in miracles." And thus does the movie refute the atheist.A common feature of the Western is the gunslinger with a guilty past. He wants to hang up his guns, but there is one last thing he must do. Another recurring feature involves revenge. The hero relentlessly pursues his goal of getting his revenge against a man who killed someone he loved. But when the moment arrives, he renounces his revenge. However, the man he was pursuing somehow gets what is coming to him anyway.And so it is with "Angel and the Badman." Quirt rides into town and calls out Laredo, who is in the saloon with the sidekick who helped him gun down Wall Ennis. Suddenly, Penny's parents ride into town in a wagon with Penny in the back. She gets Quirt to hand her his gun. Just then, Laredo and his companion step out into the street. Quirt turns around unarmed. And then Marshall McClintock (Harry Carey), who has been threatening to hang Quirt and Laredo throughout the movie, shoots Laredo and his friend, killing them both. Quirt tells McClintock that from now on he is a farmer.It is worth noting that, although Penny and her family would have been disappointed with Quirt if he had killed Laredo, they are just fine with the way McClintock killed Laredo instead. In other words, pacifists manage survive in a violent world, because someone else is willing to do the killing for them.

If you are a Christian, of whatever denomination, Gail Russell as Penelope Worth, is the woman you go down on your knees to pray to God for. I am not trying to convert anyone here. I like John Wayne films, from the stern and relentless Red River and The Searchers, to his more relaxed oaters of later years, such as Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Exquisite is not an adjective I would normally apply to a John Wayne film but this I would to this. The gunslinger tamed by the Quaker gal whom any man who had any faith and prayer in him would pray mightily for in his life. There have been some beguiling heroines on the silver screen but in my book none so eminently the woman a man should, literally, be blessed with. My compliments to the script, direction and to the leads for such exquisite portrayal.

Angel and The Badman is a quaint romantic western with a predictable story, but in this case it really works. The film is a perfect blend of an extremely ruthless gunslinger being tamed by the highly moral Quakers. Opposites attract, as the lovely and sweet Quaker girl Penelope Worth, ( Gail Russell ) falls in love with badman Quirt Evans, ( John Wayne ) who tries to resist the tempting gentle beauty for awhile . His rough past follows him though, with the persistent single-minded older sheriff, Wistful McClintock ( Harry Carey ) who was always determined to bring Quirt Evans to justice. But he's not the only nemesis in Quirt's criminal past. As the story builds, it ends superbly with the tender Quaker girl, finally asserting herself, convincing the badman to hang up his weapons for good. Gail Russell excels in her performance, proving to be a very versatile actress. Along with an interesting cast of characters, all finely played by a good first-rate cast, this film is surprisingly impressive. The message of the opposition to violence, is a different and refreshing change for a John Wayne movie. John Wayne was such an important star for Republic Pictures, that they allowed him to produce this film. Although not a classic, the results are still enjoyable and worth a look.

After years of running our main character a cowboy played by none other than the Duke decides that it's time to lay low for awhile,, after being shot,, he is taken in by a Quaker woman, who he eventualliy falls for,, he has to keep his past from her so he doesn't lose her,, he also has to hope that his past doesn't catch up to him , as one of his former partners is hanging around waiting for his speedy recovery. this movie shows a very different side of John Wayne that you don't get to see very often,, a quite reserved kind of solitude, instead of the gun toting,, angry man we see most of the time. Harry Carey also is very wonderful in this picture as is Gail Russel.. not a bad western at all as there is some action sequences and the Duke returns to form near the end of the movie.