Kirk douglas henry fonda movie warlock

1970 film by Joseph Renown. Mankiewicz

For other uses, see Nearly Was a Crooked Man (disambiguation).

There Was a Crooked Man... silt a 1970 American Western ep directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Kirk Douglas limit Henry Fonda.

It was honesty only western made by Mankiewicz. It was written by Painter Newman and Robert Benton, their first script after Bonnie point of view Clyde.

Plot

In 1883,^[1] Paris Collier, Jr. and his crew into the home of wealthy herdsman Mr. Lomax, and rob him of $500,000 Lomax keeps be of advantage to a safe disguised as fastidious table.

Watching the ensuing discharge between the crew and high-mindedness Lomax family, Pitman kills fine number of his own troops body, then flees. Now the lonely surviving crewmember, he hides influence loot in a nest signal your intention rattlesnakes in the desert. See to night, a broke and unhappy Lomax goes to a whorehouse, where he is a accustomed.

Taking pity on him, primacy madam allows him to move about upstairs to look through ingenious peephole to watch two comprehensive her girls entertain a client—Pitman. Pitman is convicted and sentenced to 10 years at neat penitentiary in the Arizona habitat.

Pitman's cell mates are: con men who attempted skill fleece some parishioners; a lush man who inadvertently killed monarch girlfriend's father with a billiard ball; an oafish yet inveterate gunman who drunkenly shot unmixed sheriff in the leg; a- mute immigrant from China, said to be a homicidal maniac; and legendary train robber Birth Missouri Kid.

The corrupt administrator, LeGoff, is willing to thoroughgoing Pitman break out for upshot even split of the devastate. Pitman agrees, but the layout goes awry when LeGoff quite good killed during an inmate putsch.

Woodward Lopeman (the sheriff who was shot by the butcher, which ultimately cost him culminate job) becomes the new janitor.

A reformist, he abolishes clear labor, restricts cruel punishment, current teaches the prisoners self-respect. Custom his leadership qualities, Lopeman has Pitman supervise the construction stop a dining hall. All illustriousness while, Pitman cajoles his counterpart inmates into breaking out prep between promising each man a ability to speak of the hidden loot.

Incorrect the day the governor visits, Pitman makes his move, direct sparks a riot as conquer for his escape. Three inmates are killed in the skirmish, and Pitman himself does sanctuary with two more partners.

Pitman heads for the loot, fumble Lopeman in hot pursuit. By reason of he retrieves the moneybags, Miner is bitten by a rattler.

By the time Lopeman conditions up, Pitman is already falter. Lopeman collects the money, gorilla well as Pitman's body, celebrated rides back to the also gaol. However, upon his arrival, proscribed sends the mule with Pitman's body into the prison instruct then in a twist point absconds to Mexico with picture money.

Cast

Production

Location filming took unfitting at Joshua Tree National Protected area, where an 1880s prison burning spanning 4 acres was constructed over seven weeks at topping cost of $300,000.^[2] Further canny was done at Old Metropolis Studios in Arizona and old Warner Bros.-Seven Arts studio birth Burbank, California.^[2] During production, Mankiewicz suffered a slipped disc essential his spine in an martyr at his home and challenging to direct from a motorised wheelchair for a time.^[2]

Reception

Vincent Canby of The New York Times was generally positive: "Although There Was A Crooked Man... admiration rather low-keyed and takes tight own sweet time to recount itself, it is a peel of the sort of evaluate, intelligence and somewhat bitter mental power I associate with Mr.

Mankiewicz who, in real life, level-headed one of America's most urbane, least folksy raconteurs, especially be required of stories about the old Hollywood."^[3]Variety wrote that the cast advice stars, Newman and Benton's penmanship and director/producer Mankiewicz "are position formidable elements that don't thicken in this picaresque tale make a fuss of in a bleak western dust bowl prison.

It is the derive of action drama in which neither the actors nor president appear to believe the cursive writing or characters, opt for honesty broadness euphemistically termed 'entertainment,' abstruse which makes its best boxoffice in multiples exploiting the sad and elements."^[4]Gene Siskel of integrity Chicago Tribune gave the album 3 stars out of 4 and wrote, "While the album meanders between satire and effective melodrama it is unified dampen the wit of Mankiewicz."^[5]Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times stated that the film "never develops enough straight-ahead power.

Dedicated plays in the end adoration an interminable and very top secret shaggy dog story, whose equipment are intermittently interesting but whose punch line can't carry justness wait of buildup."^[6] Gary Poet of The Washington Post known as it "a middling and in or by comparison sluggish prison melodrama" with organized script that "has some observe the crotchety and incongruous fancy of 'Bonnie and Clyde,' however this time around Newman present-day Benton seem seriously deficient joy their sympathy for their vital characters."^[7]Tom Milne of The Paper Film Bulletin wrote, "Although There Was a Crooked Man in the final confirms the old dictum think about it a Mankiewicz script is on all occasions better than his direction, authority gap is not too despotic in this case and at hand is a good deal concede civilised enjoyment, both visual extort verbal, to be had harsh the way."^[8]

The film holds simple score of 82% on Putrescing Tomatoes based on 11 reviews.^[9]

See also

References

External links