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Tribute to a Bad Man

Play trailer Poster for Tribute to a Bad Man 1956 1h 35m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
When hot-headed rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) is shot by rustlers stealing his horses, cowboy Steve Millar (Don Dubbins) saves his life by cleaning his bullet wound. A grateful Rodock offers him a job. Ranch hand McNulty (Stephen McNally), beaten and fired by Rodock for flirting with Rodock's wife (Irene Papas), joins forces with the rustlers to once again target his old boss. After another herd is stolen, Rodock tracks down the thieves to wreak a bloody revenge.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Earns its kudos by showing the rough-and-tumble everyday working life of the cowboy. Rated: B+ Jan 24, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dan G If you like rough and tumble tales of the Old West, this one is solid and believable. A good cast of western veterans does a solid all around job, and the love interest is also handled well. Definitely not a 5 but better than a 3 entertaining and intelligent. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/30/24 Full Review lanfranco c From the natural law to the rule of the law. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Actually a very good western movie. I sure have seen a lot of them. I am a rancher myself. This one is a likeable movie! Irene Paoas was far better as the leading lady than Grace Kelly would have been. Shows more knowledge of ranching than most movies. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review kevin w Cagney makes it totally believable that he's a ranch owner in the middle of nowhere, Colorado, dealing with horse thieves the old fashioned way. His big problem though is that the only woman in over 200 miles is undecided as to her affections. Loads of typical Western shots, horseflesh, and cowpokes spitting gives the work authenticity, and Irene Papas makes her indecision gambit viable. The story is told through the eyes of one Don Dubbins as The Kid, and he unfortunately lacks the charisma to hold interest. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A very good western nice breeds of horses to Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member The actual production is very familiar looking for a Hollywood western, but James Cagney's tough ranch man character, with conviction and beliefs about life and work does add something new to the genre and makes this one worthwhile. Robert Wise's direction is as steady as ever and there's the obligatory romance issues that need sorting although this seems to take a back-foot to the action despite being integral to the plot. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Tribute to a Bad Man

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis When hot-headed rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) is shot by rustlers stealing his horses, cowboy Steve Millar (Don Dubbins) saves his life by cleaning his bullet wound. A grateful Rodock offers him a job. Ranch hand McNulty (Stephen McNally), beaten and fired by Rodock for flirting with Rodock's wife (Irene Papas), joins forces with the rustlers to once again target his old boss. After another herd is stolen, Rodock tracks down the thieves to wreak a bloody revenge.
Director
Robert Wise
Producer
Sam Zimbalist
Screenwriter
Michael Blankfort
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 25, 2010
Runtime
1h 35m