Run for Cover

Not a terribly deep western, but a satisfying one that makes some decent social commentary. Unfortunately, this is a VistaVision film, but the copy I saw was in Academy ratio. So I can't comment too much on the cinematography... I'll just say I didn't see anything there that hinted at greatness. I'm not the world's biggest Cagney fan, however I liked his performance here as a man of upstanding integrity. This might also be the film's biggest weakness, the protagonist is a little too perfect. But he's a hero that's enjoyable to watch interact with those around him, especially those of lesser character. The supporting roles by John Derek and Viveca Lindfors are unremarkable but solid. The movie keeps things moving at a steady pace, maybe too steady but quite watchable. There are a couple of interesting surprises as well. There are certainly better westerns out there, but you could do a whole lot worse.

A rather diverse cast was assembled for this fairly standard western. Cagney plays a loner, traveling towards a town in which he hopes to put down stakes when he runs into hotshot young 'un Derek. The two strike up a tenuous camaraderie and happen upon a passing train whose engineers mistake them for robbers. Soon the townspeople and the sheriff are of the same mind and a posse comes out to shoot Cagney and Derek for a crime they didn't commit! Cagney is grazed in the scuffle, but Derek is near death and has a badly mangled leg. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Cagney stays on at a farm on the outskirts of town to look after Derek. The farm, run by old-world Swede Hersholt and his single daughter Lindfors, begins to grow on Cagney and he decides to stay in town despite the mentality of the citizens and eventually rises to Sheriff. Lindfors also begins to grow on Cagney and, after Derek is well enough to limp around, they fall in love. Things get sticky, however, when the local bank is held up and Cagney must confront the same attitude from the townsfolk as he encountered when he met them (and Derek proves to be a less able Deputy than Cagney had hoped.) What is a rather typical western storyline is given a small boost by the skill of the director and the beautiful (and surprisingly lush and varied) New Mexican scenery. Cagney gives a solid performance and is well-matched by the energetic and sometimes intense Derek. (Derek is a full six inches taller than Cagney, so he's hunched over in various scenes and Cagney is elevated in order to play down the height differential. One scene in the jail, however, has Cagney looking downright diminutive in relation to the townsmen who are one small step up, yet tower over him.) The always tan and handsome Derek provides a small hint of the teen angst that director Ray would give full attention to in his later "Rebel Without a Cause". Lindfors is attractive and creative in her thankless role, with perhaps a bit too much hand-wringing and hysteria in her voice. Also, on her fourth husband in real life, she is hardly typecast as the repressed and virginal farm daughter! Folks who've been curious to know who in the world Hersholt was from his yearly humanitarian award given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can get a healthy taste of him here. He brings a dry, but wry and understated quality to the stern, old-fashioned father. Borgnine is effective in a very small role as an outlaw. There's a very corny title song that gets the attention right off the bat, but things turn serious soon after. It's a simple, but diverting western with a mild surprise or two along the way.

Run for Cover is directed by Nicholas Ray and adapted to screenplay by Winston Miller from a story by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch. It stars James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Grant Withers, Jack Lambert, Ray Teal and Ernest Borgnine. A Technicolor/VistaVison production, with music by Howard Jackson and cinematography by Daniel Fapp.

When Matt Dow (Cagney) and Davey Bishop (Derek) meet up they quickly become friends, but events conspire to see them wrongly suspected of robbing the train heading for Madison. Hunted down by a Madison posse, Bishop, a Madison resident, is severely injured and Dow taken to town for possible lynching. What unfolds is the truth comes out and the two men end up working as the law in town, but there is many more secrets to be unearthed in this part of New Mexico...

Nicholas Ray brings a meditative state to the picture, ensuring the thematics of surrogate families, generation conflicts, mob justice and the corruption of youth, are all delicately handled by the great director, even dealing in Freudian textures for the key character relationship. There's a whiff of High Noon in how Matt will inevitably have to stand alone, and he will also have to fight inner turmoil about injustices and cope with disappointments as things refuse to go to plan under Madison's glaring sun. But this is a skilled character piece able to stand on its own terms.

As a looker the film is quite simply stunning. Filmed out of Durango, Silverton and Aztec (the latter providing the finale set in the Aztec Ruins), the scenery is breath taking, Ray and Fapp surrounding the story with an imposing beauty that is hard to take your eyes from. Cast are led superbly by a restrained and reflective Cagney, who can say so much with just one glance of his eyes, and while Lindfors as Cagney's love interest is a bit wooden, she's at least given some decent scripting to work with. Elsewhere nobody fails in bringing their respective characters to life.

Absolutely lovely Oater, one that may not break new ground with its formula of plotting, but comes out roaring regardless. It makes you wish Cagney had made more Westerns, Nicholas Ray also, while Fapp's photography here is alone worthy enough to consider catching this on any potential Blu-ray release. 7.5/10

This film is a criminally underrated old western. The acting, story, and cinematography are all great and it was extremely enjoyable to watch. This is one of James Cagney's later films but he is still full of energy and this is up there with his best performances. The movie has a lot of great lessons and themes about not jumping to conclusions, not trying to find the easy way out in life, and dealing with one's past. The cinematography is also spectacular throughout the entire film and I love the setting in the mountains. The story is suspenseful at times, emotional, and scattered with great action scenes. Overall this movie is a must-see for classic western fans and those who just like good films.

Run For Cover was the second of three westerns that James Cagney made and in my mind it is easily the best of them. The Cagney of Yorkville is left way behind in a way he wasn't in The Oklahoma Kid.

Cagney is a recently pardoned prisoner who spent six years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He meets up with young John Derek on the trail and the two hit it off. But unfortunately they are mistaken by some panicky railroad employees as members of a local gang and get a sack of money thrown down at them. Then its further compounded by a trigger happy sheriff played by Roy Teal who shoots them both down, seriously wounding Derek.

Derek is bitter as the result of permanent injuries to his leg, but the townspeople warm up to Cagney and replace Teal with him as sheriff. But Derek isn't up to the job of deputy in a few senses of the word.

Derek did his mending on the farm of Jean Hersholt where there's a lovely Swedish farmer's daughter in Viveca Lindfors. She and Cagney hit it off quite well. In fact this was the farewell screen role for Jean Hersholt.

Grant Withers makes a fine sinister outlaw leader with Ernest Borgnine as a very sly second in command. Their robbery scheme sets up the whole inevitable climax between Cagney and Derek.

Cagney was a far better westerner in Run For Cover than in any of his other two westerns. I like very much the way director Nicholas Ray built up his two leads and there's good development of the secondary characters, always the mark of a good film.