User reviews

Donna Reed comes upon Richard Widmark at a place called Gila Valley where five men were massacred by Indians and one man escaped with $60,000.00. Three of the five men were identified, but none of the deceased is either Widmark's father or Reed's husband. Of course both are hunting for their respective relations.

The search yields some truths that neither one is willing to face up to. But both seek and find support and comfort in the other.

Backlash as a previous reviewer remarked is almost like a detective story set in the west. John Sturges gets some find performances out of his cast.

The two who stand out and steal the film from the stars are William Campbell as a punk gunfighter and John McIntire as the amoral outlaw leader in whose hands Widmark and Reed fall into at the end of their odyssey.

No studio backlots for this western, good location photography and a very nice plot distinguish this film. Catch it the next time AMC runs it.

Backlash (1956) is directed by John Sturges and adapted by Borden Chase from the novel written by Frank Gruber. It stars Richard Widmark, Donna Reed, John McIntire & William Campbell. It's shot in Technicolor by Irving Glassberg on location in Tuscon, Arizona.

1870 Arizona, and Jim Slater (Widmark) is searching for the truth about what happened to his father during the Apache ambush at Gila Valley. This brings him into contact with strong willed Karyl Orton (Reed), who courtesy of her missing husband also has an interest in the events of that raid. Missing family members and missing gold, the can is now open and worms are pouring out every where.

It's about the writing and the characters here. From the off it should be known that this is no high octane actioner. We are dealing in a mystery, with what amounts to a detective story played out in a Western theme. It's a touch unusual but never less than interesting as Chases' unconventional script gives birth to a myriad of characters, some complex, others just stock genre story fleshers. There's some clichés spliced within the piece, but they are off set by some nice twists in the story. And while this is no Anthony Mann/Borden Chase psychologically tinted production, it doesn't cop out with its big decisions. Glassberg's cinematography is first class, really vibrant and bursting out from the screen as they nicely film it on location of where the story is set. The cast is real strong. Widmark is excellent as the tough as nails hero and Reed looks stunning whilst neatly essaying a prickly femme fatale type. McIntire gives another classy supporting turn and Campbell is enjoyably OTT as hothead gunslinger Johnny Cool.

The principals have all done far better work in the genre, but this is a nice change of pace for all of them. It's unlikely to raise the pulses of the action seeking fan, but for those of a more literary persuasion this should hit the spot. 7/10

"Backlash" is a conventional 1950s western, but it is sound and nice and has several merits. The director John Sturges (almost) never disappoints you. The entertaining story is a typical one by the great western-writer Borden Chase: plenty of twists of the plot, of surprises, of double-crossing, of complicated kinship relations between the many characters. The finale is rather original. The action scenes are very good: Sturges is a master of that. The cinematography is stunning: it renders with the full force of a glorious technicolor the wonderful beauty of the Arizona landscapes.

The job by the cast is first-rate. Richard Widmark is a great actor in every role: either as the good guy (here), or as the villain (in many other movies). John McIntire is excellent in his trade-mark role of the sneaky outlaw. But I was even more impressed by the depth of Donna Reed's talent. I remembered her as the paradigmatic loving spouse and mother in "It's a wonderful life". Here she's fully convincing in the role of the tough, cynical woman with a turbulent past. Donna seems even more beautiful and appealing in "Backlash" than in the Capra's movie (in fact she's really gorgeous). Is she so good to be able to improve her looks, depending on her role?

Predictably enough, "Backlash" oozes amiable cliches and naive flaws, which, however, almost increase the pleasure of us old western-movies-fans. First: what's the point of the title? No wips are seen along the movie. Widmark wrestles with an Apache sentry for some thirty seconds, without the Apache screaming to give the alarm to his companions. Where does Donna Reed keep the many beautiful dresses she wears? She travels on horse-back... And we have the usual geographical oddities of old classic westerns: the guys just cross a mountain and they pass from Arizona to Texas!

I like "Backlash" and I recommend it: see the movie, relax and have a good time.

Given the pedigree of its makers--director John Sturges, producer Aaron Rosenberg, screenwriter Borden Chase and novelist Frank Gruber--one would have expected BACKLASH to be a bit grander in scale and offer more memorable action scenes. Instead, it's a more intimate tale, executed like a crime drama with the emphasis on investigation and unfolding of secrets. Richard Widmark plays Jim Slater, a Texan looking to uncover information about his father's death, particularly the identity of the man who left his father and four other men to die at the hands of an Apache war party in a remote place called Gila Valley. The missing sixth man left with $60,000 in gold, ostensibly from a mine, which means that relatives of the other dead men, including a pretty widow and the notorious Welker brothers, are gunning for the same man, but with an eye towards retrieving the gold. Eventually, Slater finds his man, only to learn a shocking secret he wasn't prepared for, propelling the drama to a whole new stage and a violent confrontation with oedipal overtones.

Much of the film is spent simply tracking down people who may or may not have known the dead men or the elusive sixth man. The final section, where all the questions are answered and all the unresolved familial issues addressed, is the most exciting part of the film and well worth the buildup. Ultimately, however, it's still essentially a contrived Hollywood melodrama punched up with expert scenes of violence. As such, it pales next to other works by the same creators, most notably the trio of Anthony Mann-directed westerns produced by Rosenberg and written by Chase, WINCHESTER '73, BEND OF THE RIVER and THE FAR COUNTRY, which placed their heroes in far more complex moral dilemmas.

Nonetheless, BACKLASH is blessed with a great cast of tough guys acting hard and drawing guns at the drop of a chair. William Campbell practically steals the show as hotshot young fast-draw Johnny Cool, looking sharp in a black hat, waist-length black leather jacket and red neckscarf. Harry Morgan and Robert J. Wilke, old hands at this kind of thing, play the ill-fated Welker brothers who have a propensity for forcing the widow, played by Donna Reed, to sit down and have whiskey with them. Onetime gangster heavy Barton MacLane appears in a sympathetic role as a grizzled army sergeant whom Widmark seeks information from and winds up assisting in a fight with Apaches. Roy Roberts turns up as a powerful rancher seeking to wage a defensive range war against the mysterious Frank Bonniwell who turned up out of the blue with $60,000 to buy up land and equipment only to start rustling other ranchers' cattle. John McIntire plays Bonniwell, adding to the actor's rogues' gallery of memorable bad guys (see also WINCHESTER '73 and THE FAR COUNTRY). Donna Reed is quite good as the opportunistic widow who can't quite determine if she's more loyal to Slater or the gold.

Trivia Note: William Campbell's character name, Johnny Cool, was the name of a 1963 crime thriller starring Henry Silva as the title character. Silva had earlier appeared in another tough 1950s western, THE TALL T (1957), in which Skip Homeier played an outlaw character named Billy Jack, which was later the name of a 1971 counterculture hit starring Tom Laughlin.

Anyone else but Richard Widmark, and BACKLASH might have been a forgettable, hollow mystery set in the old West. As it is, Widmark and a dark-tressed, feisty Donna Reed give this slight tale some real impact as two people searching for lost loved ones, Reed her husband and Widmark his father. The two missing men may have been among a group that amassed a small fortune in gold, then massacred by Apaches. The truths Widmark and Reed must face by the climax are tough to take, but these two prove tougher than they might at first appear. Getting to the truth ends up with the two of them caught in the middle of a range war between two ranches. John McIntire also does a nice turn as the supremely evil head of one of the warring ranches. Great outdoor photography lends the film an air of authenticity it might have missed on a studio sound stage or back lot. John Sturges directed.

Richard Widmark, (Jim Slater) played the role of a young man who was a gunslinger and had reason to believe his father was killed up North while he hit it rich in a gold discovery. Jim learns little by little just what happened to his father. Donna Reed, (Karyl Orton) is also searching in this same town of Silver Creek for the killer of her husband. However, when Karyl and Jim meet up with each other they fight like cats and dogs and Karyl many times attempts to kill Jim. John McIntire, (Jim Bonniwell) and Barton McLane, (Sgt. George Lake) give great supporting roles along with great photography and a very good story with many twists and turns. Enjoy

I noticed from the other reviews that a lot of people apparently like this film. And, while I did enjoy it, I was far from excited about BACKLASH--mostly because the writing, at times, seemed trite.

The film begins with Richard Widmark in the western desert. A dark-haired Donna Reed approaches him and soon appears to set him up to be killed. A bit later in the film, the same thing happens again--at which point Widmark smacks her across the face. Now it never was 100% certain that she meant to do this both times, but it sure appeared that way. So, if this was any NORMAL couple, what would you never, ever expect in a bazillion years?! Yep, by the end of the film they'd be ga-ga in love with each other. This trite resolution impaired my enjoyment of an otherwise decent film.

It's all about a massacre where a group of five men were killed by Indians. However, Widmark has the idea that there had been a sixth person who abandoned his "friends" and ran to save his butt. Who this was and what exactly happened to his father and Reed's husband (who were in the group massacred) is the theme of the film. And, after some research, it looks like either of these two dead people COULD have been the one who betrayed everyone and is still very much alive. An interesting concept.

Overall, the acting is very good and the people in the film give it their best. But because the film has a few clichés and sometimes seems too coincidental and contrived, it suffers a bit and can't seriously be considered among the best of the genre. Good but far from great.

This is an outstanding movie, particularly for Westerns filmed in this period, which included the mid-50's.

Widmark and Reed give excellent performances, as usual for both, and the remaining cast, particularly William Campbell and John McIntyre, do as well.

Campbell's brash "young gun" is a bit overdone, but that was a trait which was a virtual necessity from this type character in films 50 years ago. The only other aspect which detracted a bit from the story was Donna Reed's appearance. Traveling by horseback in remote, dusty areas, she looked like she might be dressed for a "Western night" sorority party, with makeup perfect and hair well-coiffed, perhaps by her sorority sisters, if not at the campus beauty parlor.

But again, this was an element of 1950's pictures, and didn't detract from the story. Here, there was more plot, drama, good acting, and realistic dealing with the plot's events than your likely to find in the usual 10-15 Westerns, combined.

From Universal International Pictures shows this thrilling and exciting Western with great cast, lots of action, duels to death and suspense that cuts like a whip. It deals with Jim Slater, Richard Widmark, who seeks a survivor of an Apache massacre and while he meets a beautiful wife : Donna Reed, looking for his husband. Slater is a gunslinger out to find his father's killer. Along the way, he faces off hard-riding outlaws, Apache raiders and he becomes involved into a range warfare between two land barons, John McIntire and Roy Roberts. Was the sixth man the secret to the five empty graves?.. The answer waited in a woman's lips and watched from the shadows of a frightened town!

Nice western with a twisted and complex plot by the prestigious and Western expert Borden Chase. Well financed by the notorius producer Aaron Rosenberg who also produced the succcesful James Stewart Westerns as Winchester 73, The far country, Bend the river, Night passage. This is a tough and certain winner John Sturges Western with touches of mystery and suspense to find out a real culprit. It includes good helpings of ordinary gundown, Indian attacks, ambushes and anything else. The screenplay is unusually well worked-out for an oater, delivering interest and entertainment enough. It packs one or two first-rate twists and surprises in the closing reel. Finely starred by the two-fisted Richard Widmark playing in his usual style and co-starred by the gorgeous Donna Reed. Being very well accompanied by an awesome support cast such as : William Campbell, John McIntire, Henry Morgan, Barton McLane, Robert J Wilke, Roy Roberts, Edward Platt, among others.

Filmed in brilliant technicolor amid the grandeur and espectacle of high sierras. This busiest western was well directed by John Sturges, though it is inferior than his other Western entries. Sturges was a good director who shot some nice and classic Westerns, such as : The Walking Hills, Gunfight at OK Corral, The magnificent seven, Escape from Fort Bravo, The law and Jake Wade, The last train from Gun Hill, Three sergeants, Halelujah trail, Hour of the gun, and a semi-western : Bad day at Black Rock, among others. Rating 6.5. Decent Western that will appeal to Richard Widmark fans. Well worth watching.

54 miles from any civilization or help and Donna Reed dismounts never bothers to tie up her horse. Not too smart. She must also have been the best dressed gal in the west, always in new, clean clothes. The various "cowboys" clothing is right out of 1950, not 1850. Good scenery and atmosphere, but pretty corny.

"Backlash" is a totally unpretentious western that, back in the day, we might simply have called a 'Cowboys and Indians' picture or just a good old-fashioned oater before words like psychological or revisionist started to be applied to the genre. Action-packed right from the opening minutes its themes are greed and revenge and its stars are Richard Widmark and Donna Reed, both of whom seem to relish the fact that they aren't required to apply much depth to their characters but simply to stick to Borden Chase's fairly stereotypical screenplay, say their lines and lift their take-home pay but being the two fine actors they are they make it all seem effortless. This is a western without an ounce of fat on its bones and director John Sturges keeps it galloping along nicely. Excellent supporting cast, too.

then this movie is great one to watch. I really don't understand all the love for this movie, but accept that it is what it is.

For me, the script and screen writing is pure high school level. There is simply no rhythm to this film. The acting, given the quality of script, is not bad, though wasted. The relationship between Reed and Widmark develops implausibly. In fact, every relationship in this less than epic oater develops with with an expedition better suited to humor an audience than to lasso them into believability.

A sample: The scene where Widmark takes the dead deputy into Silver City is ridiculous. The "sheriff" (Ed Platt) doesn't even ask the circumstances surrounding the death of his deputy and makes force-less demands of Widmark to remove his gun. Next thing you know, Widmark and Reed are ordered out of town. For what?? Defending themselves?? What does not make sense here is that Platt is demanding accountability from Widmark and Reed, but none from aggrieved brothers of the dead deputy. Silly.

The whole film is loaded with these sorts of inconsistencies.

Reed is gorgeous and thus competes agreeably with the natural beauty of the western landscape where this film was shot.

A lot of stars perform in this effort, but not a lot of stars in my rating.

Where does Donna Reed keep the many beautiful dresses she wears? She travels on horse-back...

I would like to submit the fact that Donna Reed never wore a dress in the movie Backlash. As a matter of fact in the early part of the movie she was in slightly tight trousers and for the remainder of the movie she was in culottes.

She did use her blouse to dress Richard Widmark's wound earlier and one must wonder where she got a blouse to wear for the rest of the movie. But, who's counting.

But that doesn't matter with regard to the above comment as Donna Reed was an extremely beautiful woman who always acted to the extent that was required of her. She did so very well in this movie even though she only contributed a blouse from her saddle bag to dress Richard Widmarks wound.

Was the scene where she dressed Widmark's wound believable? No, of course not. Was it sexy, yes very much so. Was its sexiness out of order for the fifties? Of course not.

You put the beautiful Donna Reed in a movie and leave out her sexiness and you have committed the most grievous of sins.

It was a good movie.

Doufus

Backlash stars Donna Reed before she became typecast as "nice" and Richard Widmark as a believable cowboy looking for the killer of his father. I will not give away the plot, but there is certainly a twist to it. John McIntyre also stars as a heavy, a role he would leave behind to play a good cop in Naked City, the television series, a few years later. Speaking of a few years later, it appeared rather obvious to me that the set that was used for this film was also used in the film for "The Magnificent Seven". I wonder how many moviegoers recognized that coincidence. Widmark always does well in any tortured loner role, as he excelled in those kinds of characters. It was a surprise to see Donna Reed play a hard case, when she was so soft in "From Here to Eternity" and the "Donna Reed Show, a few years later. If Westerns are your thing, you could do much worse than this entertaining oater.

Jim Slater's father (whom he never knew) died in the Apache ambush at Gila Valley, and Jim is searching for the one survivor, who supposedly went for help but disappeared with a lot of gold. In the process, he gets several people gunning for him, and he keeps meeting liberated woman Karyl Orton, who may be on a similar mission. Renewed Apache hostilities and an impending range war provide complications.

Well-crafted western centred on psychology and mystery with Widmark hunting for the man responsible for his father's death, and Donna Reed hunting for the gold. Both characters have a mission in this engaging western which has a fair share of action pockmarked throughout the busy plot, but the emphasis on the mystery. There's even a touch of noir. The cinematography and location is superb and the dialogue is snappy. It's strange how this John Sturges directed film is lesser known. William Campbell is great as the sneering troublesome gunslinger called Johnny Cool, and John McIntyre does some scenery chewing.

With Donna Reed and Richard Widmark in a western, it's natural to assume he'll be the bad boy who finally gets tamed by a goody-goody, right? Well, fresh off her Academy Award for playing against type, Donna isn't all that nice in Backlash. After all, when they're stranded in the desert together at the start of the movie, gunfire breaks out when she sends him to her saddle. It appears to be a total setup, and that all she's after is a gold claim.

Not everything is as it seems, though. Richard isn't exactly the bad boy. He's just out to avenge his family, who were killed by Apaches. There was another man with them who ran away and didn't try to help, who were also only after the gold. As he tries to find the unknown witness, will Donna get to the gold first, or will they fall in love and forget all about it? And if they do, will the bad guys just let them ride off into the sunset? If you absolutely love Donna Reed and think she can do no wrong, go ahead and check this out. If you don't, skip it. The acting is pretty stinky. You're better off with Warlock or The Alamo for Richard Widmark, or any other Randolph Scott western.

Although this production hadn't a big budge, it might a B-picture, thus the whole thing is supported by fine casting, guided by a wise screenplay and of course directed by a top notch as John Sturges, just these elements are enough to make something valuable at least, the plot summarized is about a man Jim Slater (Widmark) who never saw his absent father which he was involved in 60.000 dollars gold at Gila Valley, however many other relatives of the partner members are on the tracks, suddenly appears a beauty woman Karyl Orton (Donna Reed) who in fact looking for his husband that disappears since the war is over, after follow many clues they find what are looking for and wasn't as they expect, it seems an usual western, but isn't, has something more, Slater never got any interest in the gold, he wants to find his father or revenge him if was found death, curiosity the final acting took place on a remarkable city, so many picture were made there, Rio Bravo, The Badlanders, Eldorado, Walk the Proud Land and others countless movies, what a scenario!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2010 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

I have seen this movie many times. In my opinion it's the best western ever made. It has a lot of action, very good actors and wonderful landscape. It's a pity the movie has never been released on VHS or DVD. It should be. I was able to tape it on VHS from a German TV-Station. It was published in stereo, so there were 2 channels, German and English. When I played the movie I could select the English version. A short time ago I made a copy on DVD in the English version. The quality is acceptable. So now I can still see it in the future. I hope the movie will be released in the nearby future. I'm also searching for another fine movie "Sergeants 3" with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. I saw this movie once in Spain on VHS, but it was all Spanish and I cannot speak or understand that language.

Always found "Back Lash" very entertaining and enjoyable production. Viewed it more that 4 times . Again this week on AMC and while watching it i noticed chairs around the fireplace Donna Reed sat in one....in scene where confrontation where Slater learns about his father...Any ways i was taken back with the fact that a chair would get my attention as i have a similer chair..Why am i bringing this to IMDb attention?

Thought i'd seek some advise from persons in props department or advise on companies that supply props like the furniture used in "Back Lash". In particular, period furniture used in Ranch house scene, the 3 chairs used around that room ..

I am aware that this request is not what IMDb is about. But, i'm hoping i could get some direction on my research. Those chairs in the Movie motivated me to seek out some info.. on them..

Thanks!!

John.