Tribute to a Bad Man

This is a very good and very unusual film because I really didn't predict where the film would go--despite first appearances. A young Easterner comes upon Jimmy Cagney as he's being "bushwhacked"--in other words, he's been trapped by horse thieves and they are trying to shoot him. The actor's name who played the Easterner escapes me and I really don't care who he was--the film WAS a Cagney film after all. And once Cagney has been extricated from this ordeal, he and the young man become friends, of sorts.

Later, the young man decides to stay and work for Cagney at his horse ranch. However, much his new duties involve chasing down rustlers. Unfortunately, Cagney sees himself as the law and hangs the crooks without a trial. This really disturbs the young guy and Cagney's girlfriend, Irene Pappas. As a result of Cagney's brutality, both the girl and young man are prepared to leave for good. Here is where the film gets good and really heats up. Fortunately, the film does NOT take the easy way out and give us the conclusion we'd expect--ending on a very positive note.

Of the films of the later part of Cagney's career (after WHITE HEAT), this is among the very best. Worth while even if you are not a fan of the genre or Cagney--it's a very unique and watchable flick.

A tough and self-reliant rancher and landowner called Jeremy Roderick (James Cagney , though Spencer Tracy was cast, but was replaced , he complained and procrastinated about working on that location because of the altitude of working in the Rockies) will fight against anybody that attempt to rob his possessions . He's loved by a woman (Irene Papas) who lives at home and hires a cowboy called Steve Miller (Don Dubbins , though Robert Francis was originally cast but he died in a plane crash) when is originated the classic triangle . The arrogant rancher will confront rustlers and he'll carry out the hanging's law (also called Lynch's law) against those .

James Cagney's interpretation is outstanding , he plays magnificently as a proud and cruel proprietary , a merciless baron land . Irene Papas in her first movie is sweet and enjoyable , she demonstrates the excellent actress to result to be in the future with a career of successes that today continues . The third starring Don Dubbins is feeble , his career was a flop and hardy ever made films after . The original cast were Spencer Tracy and Grace Kelly , however Tracy was dismissed but had complications with director Robert Wise . Grace Kelly left the picture due her marriage to Rainiero of Monaco . Support cast is astounding : Vic Morrow (who died in accident while playing ¨twilight zone¨ by John Landis) , Stephen McNally , Royal Dano and , of course , the villain Lee Van Cleef , pre-Spaghetti Western . Robert Surtees' cinematography and Miklos Rozsa musical score are awesome , both of whom , subsequently, would make super-productions (Ben Hur , Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe...).

The motion picture was well directed by Robert Wise , author of various cinema classics . He was a successful director of all kind genres such as musical as ¨West side story¨, ¨The sound of music¨ , Sci-fi as ¨The day the earth stood still¨, ¨Star Trek : the motion picture ¨, ¨The Andromeda strain¨ , Terror as ¨The body snatchers¨ , ¨ Curse of the cat people¨, ¨Audrey Rose¨ , ¨The haunting¨ , Epic or colossal as ¨Elen of Troy¨ , wartime as ¨The desert rats¨, ¨Run silent , run deep¨ , ¨Hinderburg¨ , ¨The sand pebbles¨ and Western as ¨Blood on the moon¨, and this ¨Tribute to a bad man¨.

While riding his horse through the Wyoming, the Pennsylvania's youngster Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) saves the tough rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) from two horse thieves. Rodock offers a job of horse trainer to Steve and brings him to his ranch. Steve meets Jocasta Constantine (Irene papas), a young woman with a dubious past that lives with Rodock and soon he falls in unrequited love for her. Further, he learns that Rodock has a code where horse thieves are hanged by him without any trial.

Jocasta unsuccessfully tries to convince Steve to return to his family in Pennsylvania. Further, she asks Rodock to stop hanging thieves. When Rodock's foreman McNulty (Stephen McNally) flirts with Jocasta, he is fired by Rodock and plots a vengeance with Rodock's enemy, his neighbor Lars Peterson (Vic Morrow). Now the old rancher has to decide whether he will insist on his code of justice and lose Jocasta or whether he will change his behavior.

"Tribute to a Bad Man" is a western with James Cagney in the role of a vigilante in a place with no law. This feature introduces Irene Papas in the role of a woman with dubious past but also with strong personality and self-respect. Don Dubbins is the character that will change James Cagney's one with his naiveness and sense of justice. The result is a great and unknown romantic and dramatic western. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Honra à um Homem Mau" ("Honor 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.

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.