Some major talent having an off day - writer Casey Robinson, director John Farrow. It sounds like a sure fire material: two men crash in the mountains, cop Steve McNalley and crook Rory Calhoun and they come across a girl Jean Simmons. McNalley and Calhoun are fine but simply don't have the star power of a say Robert Mitchum. Simmons is horrendously miscast.
There's rapey stuff from Calhoun as he manhandles Simmons and she falls for him. Brian Aherne is Simmons' father. I know they're educated but Simmons seems weird.
It builds to a finale where Calhoun or McNally die but it doesn't - Calhoun agrees to turn himself in and McNally agrees not to kill him. That's dull. The film needed a villain. Even nature isn't the villain. There's no twists or interesting characterisation. It's just dull.
No comments:
Post a Comment