I noticed from the other reviews that a lot of people apparently like this film. And, while I did enjoy it, I was far from excited about BACKLASH--mostly because the writing, at times, seemed trite.
The film begins with Richard Widmark in the western desert. A dark-haired Donna Reed approaches him and soon appears to set him up to be killed. A bit later in the film, the same thing happens again--at which point Widmark smacks her across the face. Now it never was 100% certain that she meant to do this both times, but it sure appeared that way. So, if this was any NORMAL couple, what would you never, ever expect in a bazillion years?! Yep, by the end of the film they'd be ga-ga in love with each other. This trite resolution impaired my enjoyment of an otherwise decent film.
It's all about a massacre where a group of five men were killed by Indians. However, Widmark has the idea that there had been a sixth person who abandoned his "friends" and ran to save his butt. Who this was and what exactly happened to his father and Reed's husband (who were in the group massacred) is the theme of the film. And, after some research, it looks like either of these two dead people COULD have been the one who betrayed everyone and is still very much alive. An interesting concept.
Overall, the acting is very good and the people in the film give it their best. But because the film has a few clichés and sometimes seems too coincidental and contrived, it suffers a bit and can't seriously be considered among the best of the genre. Good but far from great.
The film begins with Richard Widmark in the western desert. A dark-haired Donna Reed approaches him and soon appears to set him up to be killed. A bit later in the film, the same thing happens again--at which point Widmark smacks her across the face. Now it never was 100% certain that she meant to do this both times, but it sure appeared that way. So, if this was any NORMAL couple, what would you never, ever expect in a bazillion years?! Yep, by the end of the film they'd be ga-ga in love with each other. This trite resolution impaired my enjoyment of an otherwise decent film.
It's all about a massacre where a group of five men were killed by Indians. However, Widmark has the idea that there had been a sixth person who abandoned his "friends" and ran to save his butt. Who this was and what exactly happened to his father and Reed's husband (who were in the group massacred) is the theme of the film. And, after some research, it looks like either of these two dead people COULD have been the one who betrayed everyone and is still very much alive. An interesting concept.
Overall, the acting is very good and the people in the film give it their best. But because the film has a few clichés and sometimes seems too coincidental and contrived, it suffers a bit and can't seriously be considered among the best of the genre. Good but far from great.