Raw Edge

Kirby (Rory Calhoun) comes to town and finds that his brother was hanged for a crime he didn't commit. There is a lot of tension between the men everywhere because too many of them are after two beautiful women, Mrs Montgomery (Yvonne De Carlo) and Paca (Mara Corday). Everyone who dies will mean less competition in the chase for them...

'Raw Edge' was shown in my country under a title that means 'The Pack Is Lurking Everywhere', and indeed it feels as if men behave like a pack of hounds here, no character is entirely sympathetic. The makers did not bother much about historical accuracy, because several pieces of clothing and weaponry look way too modern for Oregon in 1842. But surely the aim of the movie was to tell a story about the dark side of human nature, and it fully succeeded at that. A sinister and unusual western ahead of its time.

Raw Edge is quite a fascinating little (a brief 75 minutes long) western given it was made in 1956 and that the overarching theme being examined in the film is the place and status of women in the "Wild West"; a theme which in the light of ongoing contemporary events, still resonates strongly in the second decade of the 21st century.

I have no idea whether there is any historical basis at all to the fictional events depicted in Raw Edge. Unlike one or two other reviewers at this site however, I'd respectfully suggest that the sort of story we see, set in a frontier settlement with no organised legal. judicial or religious institutions, is not unimaginable. Historically men are drawn to civilisation's peripheries in far more dominant numbers than women.

Besides its very intriguing story, the film looks great in technicolour and makes very good use of its location photography. Rory Calhoun and Yvonne De Carlo are fine in the lead roles, displaying an innate chemistry occurring between their characters, in spite of their frequent antagonistic clashes. Good to see the Native Americans are treated in a very sympathetic light too, with the status of their female characters contrasting markedly with those of the whites.

The main bone of contention that does need to be raised is the frequent anachronistic aspects employed in moulding this fringe story into an action western setting. Therefore though set in 1842 Oregon, the film in its fashions, weapons and even buildings (Montgomery's palatial lodge) seems to be occurring 30 - 40 years later in time. A small price to pay in my opinion for an engrossing oater.

I read the reviews here and wonder if anyone has a different interpretation. This movie is about the dark side of human nature where everyone is for themselves. I'm not sure if that message will catch but it will in another light if you consider more recent films such as the Dark Knight movies or the Man With No Name trilogy. In many movies, there are no real heroes. So even the women in this movie don't have emotional reaction when something tragic happens to a close person. The hero Tex Kirby comes back for revenge of his brother, or is it? Paca who loses her husband finds an cold unexpected way to get revenge. The Indian maids who leave Hannah (Yvonne De Carlo) and the ranch are neutral characters but still, they do what's best in their interest. So at the end, it is easy for Hannah to have no love lost and be willing to leave with the hero.

The wild west was an arena where you had to watch your back. The setting was a wild 1842 Oregon where there are no rules. It was lawless and you defended yourself. Even those you think you can trust, can you really trust them? The rancher who makes the rules, Gerald Montgomery makes very harsh rules. Take a woman like she is property if she has no husband. One evil character shoots his father in the back. No one cries in this movie. Violence, lawlessness and war dull the emotions. We know that where even young children exposed to war get emotionally insensitive to death. It is unusually violent for a movie in the mid-50s depicting rape, murder (of relatives), treachery and lawlessness. It seems really that the Yakima Indians are the only ones with a code, law or ethics.

A question is what degrees of evil and selfishness are there?

If you watch the movie with this in mind, you can see the message. But most people won't see it that way, but will get confused by the mindless violence and unemotional characters. In this way, it's an unusual minor masterpiece.

The evil characters are definitely fun. Overall, supporting roles are well-acted but the leads are very average. The script does not lead to a clearer message and a viewer could get lost in its meaninglessness. Other than the message and supporting actors, the movie is fairly average. So an average rating might be 5-6 for me, but the supporting actors and dark message are fascinating and bump it to a 7 even 7.5. If you don't understand it, it's a 5 or 6.

I know close to nothing about John Sherwood, more often than not assistant director. He did direct RAW EDGE, though not to any memorable extent: its leading male figure, Rory Calhoun, hardly has a longer role than baddie Neville Brand, and the two female leads appear to be there as eye candy more than for any other reason.

As it turns out, RAW EDGE opens with an unusual written panel saying that in Oregon in 1842 a woman could be claimed on sight by any man and she would belong to the first claimer. When I read that, I rubbed my hands in anticipation of watching many fisticuffs over such beauties as de Carlo and Corday.

Alas, the two ladies already have husbands at the film's start, so in no time I rated myself a gullible dope.

Anyway, I did not stop (intrigued by which ogre had assaulted and tried to bed de Carlo) and soon learned of "Indian" Mara Corday losing her hubby, which should prompt a male race for her hand... alas, it did not. She was allowed to run to her Indian tribe, get support from it, and ultimately engineer her revenge.

The fellow I thought would seek revenge at all costs was the brother of Corday's hanged hubby - you guessed it, Rory plays that part, but never with any particular scent for blood and looking nothing short of aloof at times. To boot, he makes quite a few mistakes, allows his gun to fall into baddies' hands, and twice has other bodies stop bullets intended for him. Lucky boy!

By the end, the premise of women with no rights in Oregon is well and truly forgotten, even if Brand and his pa have designs on de Carlo, once her rich husband has been disposed of.

That is when characters start getting their guns out and by that point the action rekindled memories of 10-year-old me and my brother shooting plastic bullets at each other, and claiming that we had been hit in the shoulder, the ear, the foot, and other "safe" body parts and we hadn't croaked yet.

Neville Brand probably steals the show, Rex Reason - what a name! - plays a most affable gambler who dies... hmmm... affably and forgetably enough.

Calhoun looks like he may have wanted to be involved in some other production

Relative shortness (75 min) and lovely landscapes cut some of the viewer's losses. Sadly, those superb vistas are repeatedly partially blocked by superimposed Indian smoke signals on just about every Oregon mountain, though the Indians on the war path threat never really materializes.

The script by Essex and Hill stays within the confines of sheer mediocrity, with unintentional laughable moments, particularly when shootouts result repeatedly in shots in the shoulder, and the victim often manages to survive.

All told, 75 minutes wasted. No rewatch for me! 6/10.

A very Different Western with its concern Focused on Sex. Competing with TV, the Movies of the Decade occasionally ventured into this Territory. The Movie Stars Two Beautiful Women, Yvonne De Carlo, and Mara Corday and the Complete Running Time is spent with both being Chased, Near Raped, and generally Lusted after.

The Male Cast lead by Rory Calhoun also features Neville Brand, Rex Reason, and Emile Meyer. The Screen is On Fire from Frame One and the Chase is On to see who can Bed the Beauties First.

It's Widescreen and Technicolor and Runs 76 Minutes. The Subject Matter Alone makes this one Stand Apart from other Fifties Western Fodder. Definitely Worth a Watch for Western Movie Fans and even those not usually drawn to Genre might find it Entertaining as it leans more toward an Adult Audience.

Note...Director John Sherwood made a career as a Second Unit Director and only Directed three films. Other than this one...The Monolith Monsters (1957) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).