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The Capture

Play trailer Poster for The Capture Released Apr 8, 1950 1h 31m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 10% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Lin Vanner (Lew Ayres), an American oil worker in Mexico, discovers that company money has been stolen. He confronts who he thinks is the thief and kills the man. Later, realizing he was innocent, Vanner finds his widow, Ellen (Teresa Wright), to inform her. Instead he's mistaken for a man looking for work on her farm, and the two fall in love and marry. When the real robbery culprit is killed, Vanner becomes a murder suspect and takes refuge in the home of Father Gomez (Victor Jory).
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The Capture

Critics Reviews

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An early screen credit for director John Sturges, later to make his mark with such excellent efforts as Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven, and The Great Escape. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 12, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Ayers is really good but the rest is unsatisfying. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Audience Member Film noir by John Sturges made a bit unusual by its western setting. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Tough and realistic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The length of each individual scene drones out all the tension and impact the film might have had. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Self-doubt and guilt (Ayres) leads to a man's destruction when he comes to believe that he may have caused the death of an innocent man in a rush to judgement. "The Capture" is a modern-day western that features a story and a sense of inevitable doom that puts it on par with classical tragedies. While watching it, I kept thinking, "I [i]should[/i] be enjoying this film... it has all the elements of a movie I [i]should[/i] be enjoying, yet I'm bored." I made two attempts at watching this film, ultimately forcing myself to sit though it. I'm not sure if it's the fact it's told in flashback, or if it's Ayres that seems like he's a bit sleepy at most points of the film, or if it's because each scene actually does go on a bit too long, but there was rarely a moment where I didn't want to urge the movie to get on with it. Ayres lethergy aside, the acting in this film is decent all around, there's some nice camerawork, and the heat and dust of Mexico and the American Southwest can almost be felt wafting from the screen. But, for all these good elements, the film seems to drag for reasons I am unable to put my finger on. If someone out there has seen this movie (which is included in Mill Creek's "[url="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=245672&entryid=404557&view=public"]Dark Crimes[/url]" and "Action Classics" 50-movie packs, as well as being available on its own), I'd love to hear your take on it. The Capture Starring: Lew Ayres, Theresa Wright, Edwin Rand, and Jacqueline White Director: John Sturges Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Good crime drama, suspenseful, well acted. Good score, nicely photographed. Teresa Wright is especially good. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Capture

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lin Vanner (Lew Ayres), an American oil worker in Mexico, discovers that company money has been stolen. He confronts who he thinks is the thief and kills the man. Later, realizing he was innocent, Vanner finds his widow, Ellen (Teresa Wright), to inform her. Instead he's mistaken for a man looking for work on her farm, and the two fall in love and marry. When the real robbery culprit is killed, Vanner becomes a murder suspect and takes refuge in the home of Father Gomez (Victor Jory).
Director
John Sturges
Producer
Niven Busch
Production Co
Niven Busch Productions, Showtime Properties
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 8, 1950, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 31m
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