Silver Lode

Released Jun 24, 1954

1 hr. 20 min.

Western

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Reviews

44%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A Nevada rancher (John Payne) is taken from his bride (Lizabeth Scott) by a killer (Dan Duryea) posing as a U.S. marshal on the Fourth of July.

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Shameless archetypal Western film with almost nothing exceptional. 1-2 exciting shootouts but the rest was dry and dragged out. Decent camera work made for some exciting moments. Only thing missing from this Western is the spaghetti.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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mike v

Silver Lode is a 1954 American Technicolor Western film directed by Allan Dwan 🌵 It's good 🙂 I'd recommend it if you like this genre 👍🏼 As bad as the acting is, I still found this compelling and quite dramatic. WHILE THE MOB WAITS THEY MATCH BULLET FOR BULLET… LIFE FOR LIFE!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

In terms of the plot and tone, I think Silver Lode is what I was hoping High Noon would be. This is also the story of a man who is respected in his hometown, that is shunned by the people when forced to take on a dangerous foe. There are massive differences in the story structure between the two films, but the excitement and thrills I got from Silver Lode are exactly what I found lacking in High Noon (and the lead actor here was more charming.) I like the way Silver Lode explores the mob mentality, and how justice can be compromised when people judge someone guilty until proven innocent. This isn’t one of those Westerns that is built on big stand-offs and shoot-outs. While those elements do exist in the story, it is more about the relationships between the people of this small town. I was wholly invested in their story, and didn’t mind that the hero’s plan amounted to nothing more than sending a single telegram to clear his name. The problem with Silver Lode is that it fell into two of the common movie tropes that I don’t enjoy. The first is that moment in a movie where everything is revealed and the hero should go free, but through a series of mistakes he winds up looking guiltier than he did in the first place. The fake-out happy ending not only frustrates me, but it also makes a movie feel too long because I already felt like it had reached its conclusion once. The other trope I dislike is the artificial Hollywood happy ending. Specifically, I mean the one where we are led to believe that everything will be just fine if the hero is proven right. I’m all for a happy ending, but it feels far-fetched when the protagonist has committed countless crimes while trying to prove his innocence. Thankfully, Silver Lode had enough good things going on that I still enjoyed myself despite the negatives.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/20

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s r

1001 movies to see before you die. One of the best B westerns ever. A little frustrating in the plot, but on the whole it keeps your interest.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Noirish western (in color) that sees second string lead actor John Payne nearly strung up based on circumstantial evidence when a self-styled avenging Federal Marshall (Dan Duryea) turns up in town - on the 4th of July, also Payne's wedding day. As in High Noon, Payne finds that his so-called friends in the town where he has made his home for the past two years are suddenly reluctant to stand by him and willing to back "the law" even though there are good reasons to believe that the Marshall, named McCarty, is on a crusade and won't be stopped by laws or otherwise. Obviously, this film was designed as a rebuke to Senator Joe McCarthy and his friends over in the House Un-American Activities Committee who encouraged the blacklist in Hollywood (that stopped suspected Communists from working on any films). It is pretty overt. However, Payne's background has nothing to do with socialism or even community feeling - he is accused of killing a man over a poker game gone sour. Allen Dwan's direction is relatively undistinguished and the whole thing feels a bit rickety in this day and age. But, that said, it comes as no shock to find that we still have grand-standing politicians (around the world) who will try to make a career by speaking loudly and belligerently about their "values" pillorying those who seem to affront them. Go away ye petty tyrants and wake up sleeping masses.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Feels like it's missing something, maybe I got an edited version since the run time I watched was only 77 minutes, not 92. Or maybe this page is wrong.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Allan Dwan

Director

John Payne

Dan Ballard

Dan Duryea

Ned McCarty

Lizabeth Scott

Rose Evans

Dolores Moran

Dolly

Emile Meyer

Sheriff Wooley

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

In its understated lucidity, this 1954 Western, directed by Allan Dwan, is one of the greatest.

Jul 1, 2013

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Sean Axmaker

Parallax View

The usually inexpressive John Payne is excellent as the tarnished hero Allan Dwan's sturdy 1954 western that twists into a nightmare of victimization and mob hysteria.

May 29, 2010

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Along with the unique Passion (1954), this is my favorite of Dwan's Westerns.

May 27, 2010

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

This anti-McCarthyism western was inspired by High Noon, only it's more explicit.

Rated: B+

Oct 13, 2006

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Synopsis

A Nevada rancher (John Payne) is taken from his bride (Lizabeth Scott) by a killer (Dan Duryea) posing as a U.S. marshal on the Fourth of July.

Director: Allan Dwan
Screenwriter: Karen DeWolf
Production Co: Benedict Bogeaus Production
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 1954, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2020

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