The Violent Men [HD]

Entertaining Glenn Ford Western
In The Violent Men, Glenn Ford plays a rancher who owns a small spread in a valley being consumed by a hardbitten, crippled rancher played by Edward G. Robinson. Robinson's character was a pioneer, and feels that he is entitled to get as much of territory as he can get his hands on, and is close to getting it all, except for Ford's ranch and a few other small ranches.

Ford is getting ready to sell out to Robinson when the movie begins, but quickly changes his mind when Robinson's tactics become more and more violent. Robinson is aided by a seemingly dutiful wife, play by Barbara Stanwyck (very different from the Helen Barkley character she would play years later on the television series, The Big Valley), and by Robinson's younger, hotheaded brother, played by Brian Keith. Robinson also has a daughter who is none too fond of his tactics.

When Ford decides to stay, he organizes the other small ranchers, and a fullscale range war begins, with scorched earth tactics...

LITTLE CAESAR IN BUCKSKIN
Lew Wilkison (Eddie Robinson) is a cattle crippled cattle baron who drives the small ranchers and farmers out of his valley............THE VIOLENT MEN, a superior Western has Brian Keith play Robinson's brother and Barbara Stanwyck play his wife Martha, a sort of Lady Macbeth of the plains, who helps her husband grab the land because she wants it for herself (this was before she married Tom Barkley!). Stanwyck also wants the brother - she entertains him rather regularly in her bedroom, and the two of them scheme for the day Robinson dies and they will own the whole valley. They make a splendidly unsavoury trio! Barbara Stanwyck is in full command of her characterization of the mean, power-crazed woman and she finally got a Technicolor Western she could be proud of. In England, the picture was aptly released as ROUGH COMPANY and it was admired for its action scenes: a horse stampede, a ranch fire, an ambush - plus much internal drama between the characters. Fascinating stuff...

Western Noir Drama
This is not your average western. This more like a Western Noir Drama. The violent men features a top notch cast. Glenn ford, Edwarg G robinson and the queen of film noir Barbara Stanwyck starr in this Rudolph Mate (DOA) directed take on your standatre western. It's basically about a shrewd, crippled land tycoon (Robinson) his wife, (Stanwyck) and his hired goons who are taking all of the neighboring farmers land. He has almost all of the land he needs except for Glenn Ford's land. Conflicts and mayhem aboud.

Sounds like about 100 other westerns everyone's seen a million times. Well, not this one. This is coming from a director(Mate) who directed a film noir classic so you know that the story wouldn't be that simple. There are quite a few twists and turns and more than a few wrinkles thrown in for good measure. The violent men is well directed with very good performances throught with particular nods to Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G Robinson who work here for the first time...

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