Tribute to a Bad Man

Robert Wise does a commendable job of keeping a strong cast under control in his western saga about a tough horse rancher (JAMES CAGNEY) who believes in swift justice whenever his horses are stolen or his ranch hands are murdered. He's ready with a hangman's knot and exerts control over everyone around him. Eventually, he's softened by the love of a woman (IRENE PAPAS) who comes to respect him when he spares the lives of three men he's bent on punishing--although he does treat them brutally for what they've done to his horses.

It's an interesting yarn with strong characters, but the plot isn't as strong as the characters who inhabit it. STEPHEN McNALLY is a nasty ranch hand determined to avenge Cagney for firing him and coming between him and Irene Papas. VIC MORROW does a standout job as a nearby rancher's son upon whom Cagney thrusts some strong punishment.

It's photographed in gorgeous Technicolor with its Widescreen lenses capturing magnificent landscapes. Miklos Rozsa's score is often given a muted treatment beneath the more intimate scenes and only occasionally veers into stronger flourishes for the darker moments. In other words, it's not one of his more memorable scores but the main theme has a robust flavor to it.

Cagney and Papas carry most of the weight as far as performances go, but DON DUBBINS (who looks like a Robert Redford clone in a boyishly handsome sort of way), does a standout job as the young ranch hand who saves Cagney's life and is rewarded with a job as a wrangler who comes to detest the brutality of the vigilante justice.

Summing up: A compelling western yarn that benefits from strong performances.

Tribute to a Bad Man is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Michael Blankfort from the short story Hanging's for the Lucky written by Jack Schaefer. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, it stars James Cagney, Don Dubbins, Stephen McNally and Irene Papas. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Robert Surtees.

Jeremy Rodock (Cagney) is a no nonsense rancher whose ruthless hold on his considerable spread of land includes hanging rustlers without trial or sentence. When young Steve Millar (Dubbins) helps Rodock in a time of need, he is offered work on the ranch. But when his Greek mistress Jocasta Constantine (Papas) attracts interest from Steve and wrangler McNulty (McNally), it forces Rodock into even darker shades of his character.

Following on from the wonderful Run for Cover the previous year, Cagney returned to the Western arena for the last time for Tribute to a Bad Man, and what a fitting picture on which to leave the West.

The film encountered problems in early production when Spencer Tracy had a sulk and walked off of the picture. So in came Cagney. Steve Millar was being played by Robert Francis, but the actor was tragically killed in a plane crash, so in stepped Dubbins. Wise's film is essentially a coming of age frontier Western, though it concerns two male characters coming of age at different places in their life. Millar is the young pup whose come West to seek employment and meaning in his life, Rodock is hard-bitten, grizzled and can't see further than his own pig-headed beliefs. Rodock will either have to change his ways, wake up and smell the coffee, or risk losing everything.

Will Rodock come through? Can an old dog be taught new psychological tricks? When he once again deals out his own brand of justice he has surely gone too far this time? It also opens up an old rivalry wound that will ultimately define all involved. What is in store for Millar? Once his eyes have been opened and he sees that cowboy life can actually be harsh, as can his young emotions. Then there is the beautiful Jocasta, a woman ashamed of her past life back in Cheyenne, forever grateful to Rodock for taking her away from that life. The age difference between the two is considerable, but their relationship is based on trust, loyalty and realism. That is until the equilibrium is upset…

Technically it's a sumptuous production, where even if the thematics of the story doesn't sound like your thing, it's a film worth spending time with just to see Surtees' Scope photography and hear Rózsa's score. The former brings the striking Colorado Rockies to life with some breath taking distinction, while the latter provides music that positively swells then swirls around the magnificent back drop. With Cagney on mesmerising form, Papas and Dubbins not letting their inexperience affect the picture (Cagney took both under his wing), and Wise stringing it together as a knowing character based tapestry, it rounds out as a darn great and beautiful Oater. 8/10

A story of a few people in a wide, big country.

Plenty of scenery emphasises the remoteness and isolation of Rodock's valley. 200 miles from anywhere else, Rodock is the law, there being no-one else to police his horse range. Cagney gives a fine portrayal of the stern stony-heart towards those who cross him or steal his horses, who fails to comprehend Steve and Jo, the ones who represent humanitarian conscience, kindness and mercy.

Because it's partly an emblematic morality tale, we get a few too many long significant looks and widescreen shots to make it look big, but there's a good strong plotline to hold it together. It's not a shoot 'em up, just some rustling wars between neighbouring farmers who hate each other's guts, and some jealousy over the woman, but it hangs together decently enough.

The characters aren't exactly complex, but the actors all turn in better than average performances.

It's a very well-made movie, fairly simple ingredients put together by a really good cook, if very slightly ponderously.

... and how misnamed this film is, as protagonist Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) is not a bad guy at all.

Young naive wanderer Steve Miller comes across mega-ranch owner Rodock as he is under fire from a couple of horse thieves. Miller joins Rodock in fighting off the horse thieves, who then depart. Apparently Rodock is pretty sure that his old partner, or at least his old partner's son, Lars (Vic Morrow) is behind the thievery. Rodock hires Steve as a ranch hand, who becomes instantly smitten with Rodock's mistress, Jocasta (Irene Pappas). Complications ensue.

I've watched this twice now - the first time a couple of years ago - and decided to give it another chance. I still have the same verdict. Rodock clearly states that there is no law for 200 miles in any direction. Yet Jocasta constantly rebukes Rodock for pursuing all that attempt to steal his horses and hanging them when found - that was the standard punishment for horse thieves in the old West. Rodock is without malice when he does this. It is just something he has to do or else he - and Jocasta for that matter - would be overrun by the lawless and starve to death. Yet Jocasta claims he has "hanging fever".

The only time Rodock gets emotional about dealing with the rustlers is when he sees that they have done something particularly cruel to his horses in order to cover their tracks, and comes up with a punishment that fits the crime and spares them the noose. At the conclusion of the film, I am still on team Rodock, and I'm wondering if Jocasta, if attacked by Indians, would think a couple of choruses of Kumbaya would be an effective defense. She really is that naive.

It really is a shame because Cagney is magnificent as always - he's the only reason I didn't get hopelessly bored by the entire production - and the production values are top notch with great cinematography and a magnificent score by Miklós Rózsa.

When Spencer Tracy was 'replaced' by director Robert Wise who better to step into his shoes as maverick Jeremy Rodock that James Cagney who is immensely powerful in the role. If one overlooks a tantalising appearance in a bath tub in a dreadful 'B' called 'Man from Cairo' the film under review introduced to American audiences the stunning Greek actress Irene Papas. A striking beauty who went from strength to strength and whose emotional range and power enabled her to play Antigone, Electra, Helen of Troy and Clytemenestra as well as gracing more 'commercial' ventures such as 'Zorba the Greek' and 'Z'. I suppose this could be described as a 'psychological' Western with a definite emphasis on character. Rodock has found Jocasta in a dance hall in Cheyenne and now they live as husband and wife in all but name and therein lies the problem. Good performances from Stephen McNally and Vic Morrow. The actor with the unfortunate name of Don Dubbins fared far better on the smaller screen. One might perhaps query the title. Cagney's character is a frontiersman who makes and lives by his own rules. He firmly believes that 'fear keeps men honest' and should this involve dangling the occasional horse thief from a rope then so be it. Judged by his times however does this make him 'bad'? Or perhaps the title was designed to be ironic. We will never know and quite frankly it is not worth worrying about. This absorbing Western although not a classic, is crowned by the glorious Eastmancolor cinematography of Robert Surtees with a marvellous, not too symphonic score by maestro Miklos Rozsa.