Brothers Dan and Neil Hammond return to Texas after the Civil War. Ambitious Dan turns to rustling and then shady land deals to build an empire. Being held for a murder, he is rescued from a lynch mob by Neil, who is now the Marshal, but there is eventually a falling out between the brothers, good triumphing over evil.
Les cavaliers sans gloire, Fluch der Verlorenen, Horizontes del Oeste, Dan il terribile, Le Traître du Texas, Império do Pavor, 西域枭雄传, Горизонты запада, 서부의 지평선, Horitzons de l’oest
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Thanks to the power of Technicolor, Robert Ryan's outlaws have the brightest shirts in the Wild West (I saw seafoam green, midnight purple and lilac in one scene alone).
wouldn't have expected budd boetticher to combine a western and a gangster film together to create this incredible illustration of capitalist pathology, very much in the vein of walsh's the roaring twenties or hawks' scarface -- how a man starts at the bottom and through his own luck and advantages becomes the financial tyrant of the exact kind that he was once abused by -- "it's because i'm building an empire. and when i'm on the top, sam, people will swear i've done nothing wrong -- nothing wrong at all."
the fear of economic precarity, the consolidation of property, the entrenchment of political corruption, and the explicit acknowledgement of how the american civil war created the circumstances which allowed for…
Few directors have led as colourful a life as Budd Boetticher, a man known for his passion not only for filmmaking but also for life itself, especially bullfighting. Born Oscar Boetticher Jr, his name seemed to predestine him for cinematic greatness, something that didn't translate into awards or fame, but in the love from a small band of die-hard Western fans who discovered a series of films he did for various studios that weren't considered anything special back in the 1950's. Rightly regarded as classics nowadays, the reappraisal of Budd's films saw some really good remastering done to the original prints, with my Indicator Blu Rays sparkling, before The Criterion Collection gave five of the films their own treatment in…
There are certain things I generally look for when I'm looking to purchase a Western for my collection, and lately it has been director's names as much as the Hollywood stars attached to a production that's drawn me in. Since my proper Western obsession began, it's been guys like Budd Boetticher, Edwin L. Marin, Henry King, and Henry Hathaway that have become my new pathway towards older films, and although some of these have been harder to find than others, most of them have been well worth the time and money I've spent to acquire them. This Boetticher film has the added incentive of Robert Ryan, one of my favourite actors, and the lovely Julie Adams, truly one of those…
Robert Ryan in a Budd Boetticher western, it has to be good. Well... it's all right.
Confederate soldiers Dan Hammond (Robert Ryan), his brother Neil (Rock Hudson), and friend "Tiny" (James Arness) return to their home town of Austin after the Civil War. Neil and Tiny are happy to be returning to the simple things in life. Dan is thinking bigger. Much bigger. Now how does one go about making it big? Hmmmm...
Boetticher takes elements of film noir (returning vet) and the gangster pic (big shot in town) and transports them to the western. The set-up is terrific, but the execution falls short. This becomes more pronounced in the final act of the film.
Ryan dominates the picture and…
A Budd Boetticher Western with a good cast, not to mention striking cinematography and use of Technicolor. But it just doesn't hold together, due to simplistically-drawn characters and themes that don't get fully developed or are dropped along the way.
Two brothers - Dan (Robert Ryan) and the younger Neil (Rock Hudson) return home to Texas after serving for the Confederacy in the Civil War. But it turns out they have different goals. Neil longs for the simple life, helping their aging parents on the family ranch. But Dan is ambitious, eager to make it big by any means possible, with a noticeable streak of amorality. He sets hi sights on the growing town of Austin, where Northern banks and…
Capitalist psychopathy in the midst of a compromised Reconstruction. Terrifyingly brisk, a descent into evil so swift that it feels all too possible, as if breathing the air in this country for long enough is the only necessary trigger. A distinctly American tragedy. The way Dan Hammond talks about "his empire" sends chills down my spine.
Seen on my computer
Como siempre en Boetticher, estamos ante una obra de perfección geométrica, de conocer ya no solo el espacio cinematográfico, sino también una cierta manera de conseguir que todo parezca factible. De los seis westerns que hizo para la Universal-International es posible que sea el mejor, al menos en su planteamiento. Como siempre en las películas que rodó en ese estudio, el último tercio se precipita demasiado rápido, queda alguna historia cogida con pelos (el triángulo amoroso entre los dos hermanos y Sally) y todo lo político-histórico reducido a una acción algo tonta. Un problema que se hace extensible a muchas otras de la serie de la UIP.
La película, a pesar de tener mucho del western tradicional, tiene la estructura…
Horizons West (1952) is a quality western that gives off vibes like it should have told a larger story, thus feels a little caricature once its over. Robert Ryan is good as the nasty man corrupting his way to the top, while Rock Hudson plays his younger brother and marshal in town. Visually it striking, and it builds well, but lacking that extra element to ensure it as a true classic.
You know how, in The Descendants, every time there's a closeup of George Clooney you're catapulted out of the movie b/c he's so unrealistically pretty? Well, the same thing happens here, except with Rock Hudson's face.
one of hollywood's better movies about the psychology of capital
There’s a reason Nick Ray used Robert Ryan again and again and again. There’s a reason European masters like Jean Renoir, Max Ophuls, and Fritz Lang were drawn to him. This was a man who could snap his fingers and instinctively arrive at the intense emotional impact Method actors cream their pants dreaming of. It’s one of many reasons Ryan remains my all-time favorite actor. The man has a face that looks like a mask embittered by a lifetime of defeat, which befits ex-Confederate major Dan Hammond. Vanquishment is all he knows; the pain and torment in his performance has an all-consuming power.
The interiors sometimes have the look of so many ‘50s saloon westerns, but that’s alright with a…
