The Naked Spur

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F R Sep 21 Great movie, interesting characters. The decision at the end was profound. My only objection is the killing of roughly 12 Indians In the fight. To some extent it was self-defense, but really the soldier was to blame. The Indians were in the right. See more Douglas G @Moviefandrg May 13 The ending is ehh/huh? Psychological suspense is a stereotype of obviousness. See more Matthew B 09/02/2023 The Naked Spur is the third of five morality westerns that director Anthony Mann made with actor James Stewart in the lead role. As with all other entries, the story revolves around a morally flawed hero who faces an ethical dilemma from which he must make the right choice. With The Naked Spur, Howard Kemp (Stewart) is still in the middle of making that choice, and it is far from certain that he will decide to take the high ground in the end. On this occasion, our hero is a bounty hunter, and he is seeking to bring in a man with whom he was once friendly, and with whom he played cards. He does not even care whether the man is guilty or not. He wants only the reward money. The Naked Spur is a chamber piece. There are only five speaking parts in the film. In spite of this, five seems too many to safely attain the purpose for which Howard has set out. The dynamics between the characters will create a tense atmosphere throughout the story, in which nobody can be trusted. Mann makes good use of the beautiful landscape of the Rocky Mountains, with its tall green trees and high hills. He benefits from a strong cast with no weak performances that let the film down. While Mann is often seen a man who was good at directing action scenes, he is comfortable filming the quieter moments too, and he manages to move all scenes along with a deft sense of pace and rhythm. There is no time for hidden depths. The motives and actions of his characters are all visible on the surface. This allows audiences to easily engage with the moral issues that underline all of Mann's stories. Mann may not be often named among the world's great directors, but he is certainly one of the most satisfying. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Naked Spur on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/the-naked-spur-1953/ See more Jared Z 07/30/2023 It's admittedly a bit of a slow burn, but The Naked Spur is an absolute masterclass in suspense and character study, with James Stewart delivering yet another stellar performance in his third collaboration with director Anthony Mann. See more Steve D 06/26/2023 High end western with a wonderful lead. See more 05/02/2022 Fantastic performances and a movie that has a little more to it than you think it would. See more Read all reviews

The Naked Spur

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