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12 commentaires au total

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16 utilisateurs sur 16 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Learning Some Horrible Truths, 29 avril 2006

Auteur : bkoganbing de Buffalo, New York

Donna Reed comes upon Richard Widmark at a place called Gila Valley where five men were massacred by Indians and one man escaped with $60,000.00. Three of the five men were identified, but none of the deceased is either Widmark's father or Reed's husband. Of course both are hunting for their respective relations.

The search yields some truths that neither one is willing to face up to. But both seek and find support and comfort in the other.

Backlash as a previous reviewer remarked is almost like a detective story set in the west. John Sturges gets some find performances out of his cast.

The two who stand out and steal the film from the stars are William Campbell as a punk gunfighter and John McIntire as the amoral outlaw leader in whose hands Widmark and Reed fall into at the end of their odyssey.

No studio backlots for this western, good location photography and a very nice plot distinguish this film. Catch it the next time AMC runs it.

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15 utilisateurs sur 17 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Tough guys to spare in western with oedipal overtones, 7 novembre 2002
Auteur : Brian Camp de Bronx, NY

Given the pedigree of its makers--director John Sturges, producer Aaron Rosenberg, screenwriter Borden Chase and novelist Frank Gruber--one would have expected BACKLASH to be a bit grander in scale and offer more memorable action scenes. Instead, it's a more intimate tale, executed like a crime drama with the emphasis on investigation and unfolding of secrets. Richard Widmark plays Jim Slater, a Texan looking to uncover information about his father's death, particularly the identity of the man who left his father and four other men to die at the hands of an Apache war party in a remote place called Gila Valley. The missing sixth man left with $60,000 in gold, ostensibly from a mine, which means that relatives of the other dead men, including a pretty widow and the notorious Welker brothers, are gunning for the same man, but with an eye towards retrieving the gold. Eventually, Slater finds his man, only to learn a shocking secret he wasn't prepared for, propelling the drama to a whole new stage and a violent confrontation with oedipal overtones.

Much of the film is spent simply tracking down people who may or may not have known the dead men or the elusive sixth man. The final section, where all the questions are answered and all the unresolved familial issues addressed, is the most exciting part of the film and well worth the buildup. Ultimately, however, it's still essentially a contrived Hollywood melodrama punched up with expert scenes of violence. As such, it pales next to other works by the same creators, most notably the trio of Anthony Mann-directed westerns produced by Rosenberg and written by Chase, WINCHESTER '73, BEND OF THE RIVER and THE FAR COUNTRY, which placed their heroes in far more complex moral dilemmas.

Nonetheless, BACKLASH is blessed with a great cast of tough guys acting hard and drawing guns at the drop of a chair. William Campbell practically steals the show as hotshot young fast-draw Johnny Cool, looking sharp in a black hat, waist-length black leather jacket and red neckscarf. Harry Morgan and Robert J. Wilke, old hands at this kind of thing, play the ill-fated Welker brothers who have a propensity for forcing the widow, played by Donna Reed, to sit down and have whiskey with them. Onetime gangster heavy Barton MacLane appears in a sympathetic role as a grizzled army sergeant whom Widmark seeks information from and winds up assisting in a fight with Apaches. Roy Roberts turns up as a powerful rancher seeking to wage a defensive range war against the mysterious Frank Bonniwell who turned up out of the blue with $60,000 to buy up land and equipment only to start rustling other ranchers' cattle. John McIntire plays Bonniwell, adding to the actor's rogues' gallery of memorable bad guys (see also WINCHESTER '73 and THE FAR COUNTRY). Donna Reed is quite good as the opportunistic widow who can't quite determine if she's more loyal to Slater or the gold.

Trivia Note: William Campbell's character name, Johnny Cool, was the name of a 1963 crime thriller starring Henry Silva as the title character. Silva had earlier appeared in another tough 1950s western, THE TALL T (1957), in which Skip Homeier played an outlaw character named Billy Jack, which was later the name of a 1971 counterculture hit starring Tom Laughlin.

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10 utilisateurs sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
you may have to change your "10 best western" list., 17 janvier 2008

Auteur : tmwest de S. Paulo, Brésil

I saw this film for the first time probably in 1957, and I remember thinking it was very good. I saw it yesterday and was enthusiastic, what an excellent film! I can understand the comment that states that it is the best western ever made, it is certainly among the best. Borden Chase wrote the screenplay and considering he also did Winchester 73 plus the other Anthony Mann's- James Stewart westerns plus Red River, no need to say more. John Sturges was at his best in the fifties (Black Rock, OK Corral, Fort Bravo) and no more proof of that than "Backlash". The story can be described as a "whodunnit" and no more said about that not to spoil the film. The love relationship between Widmark and Donna Reed is well built, and the scene where Donna takes of her shirt to help the wounded Widmark is very, very sexy. William Campbell is OK, but I thought he was better in "Man Without a Star". There are many action scenes, one at the beginning that reminded me of one at the end of "Winchester 73". Also a couple of showdowns. If you already made your "10 best westerns" list, see this one, and you may have to change it.

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10 utilisateurs sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Compelling Old West mystery, 10 mars 2007

Auteur : xredgarnetx de Connecticut

Anyone else but Richard Widmark, and BACKLASH might have been a forgettable, hollow mystery set in the old West. As it is, Widmark and a dark-tressed, feisty Donna Reed give this slight tale some real impact as two people searching for lost loved ones, Reed her husband and Widmark his father. The two missing men may have been among a group that amassed a small fortune in gold, then massacred by Apaches. The truths Widmark and Reed must face by the climax are tough to take, but these two prove tougher than they might at first appear. Getting to the truth ends up with the two of them caught in the middle of a range war between two ranches. John McIntire also does a nice turn as the supremely evil head of one of the warring ranches. Great outdoor photography lends the film an air of authenticity it might have missed on a studio sound stage or back lot. John Sturges directed.

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11 utilisateurs sur 12 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Conventional, but sound and nice classic western, 9 juillet 2002

Auteur : pzanardo (pzanardo@math.unipd.it) de Padova, Italie

"Backlash" is a conventional 1950s western, but it is sound and nice and has several merits. The director John Sturges (almost) never disappoints you. The entertaining story is a typical one by the great western-writer Borden Chase: plenty of twists of the plot, of surprises, of double-crossing, of complicated kinship relations between the many characters. The finale is rather original. The action scenes are very good: Sturges is a master of that. The cinematography is stunning: it renders with the full force of a glorious technicolor the wonderful beauty of the Arizona landscapes.

The job by the cast is first-rate. Richard Widmark is a great actor in every role: either as the good guy (here), or as the villain (in many other movies). John McIntire is excellent in his trade-mark role of the sneaky outlaw. But I was even more impressed by the depth of Donna Reed's talent. I remembered her as the paradigmatic loving spouse and mother in "It's a wonderful life". Here she's fully convincing in the role of the tough, cynical woman with a turbulent past. Donna seems even more beautiful and appealing in "Backlash" than in the Capra's movie (in fact she's really gorgeous). Is she so good to be able to improve her looks, depending on her role?

Predictably enough, "Backlash" oozes amiable cliches and naive flaws, which, however, almost increase the pleasure of us old western-movies-fans. First: what's the point of the title? No wips are seen along the movie. Widmark wrestles with an Apache sentry for some thirty seconds, without the Apache screaming to give the alarm to his companions. Where does Donna Reed keep the many beautiful dresses she wears? She travels on horse-back... And we have the usual geographical oddities of old classic westerns: the guys just cross a mountain and they pass from Arizona to Texas!

I like "Backlash" and I recommend it: see the movie, relax and have a good time.

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9 utilisateurs sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Excellent story, cast, and performances, 21 avril 2007

Auteur : caa821 de Tulsa OK

This is an outstanding movie, particularly for Westerns filmed in this period, which included the mid-50's.

Widmark and Reed give excellent performances, as usual for both, and the remaining cast, particularly William Campbell and John McIntyre, do as well.

Campbell's brash "young gun" is a bit overdone, but that was a trait which was a virtual necessity from this type character in films 50 years ago. The only other aspect which detracted a bit from the story was Donna Reed's appearance. Traveling by horseback in remote, dusty areas, she looked like she might be dressed for a "Western night" sorority party, with makeup perfect and hair well-coiffed, perhaps by her sorority sisters, if not at the campus beauty parlor.

But again, this was an element of 1950's pictures, and didn't detract from the story. Here, there was more plot, drama, good acting, and realistic dealing with the plot's events than your likely to find in the usual 10-15 Westerns, combined.

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7 utilisateurs sur 7 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Great Western Classic, 26 août 2007

Auteur : whpratt1 de Etats-Unis

Richard Widmark, (Jim Slater) played the role of a young man who was a gunslinger and had reason to believe his father was killed up North while he hit it rich in a gold discovery. Jim learns little by little just what happened to his father. Donna Reed, (Karyl Orton) is also searching in this same town of Silver Creek for the killer of her husband. However, when Karyl and Jim meet up with each other they fight like cats and dogs and Karyl many times attempts to kill Jim. John McIntire, (Jim Bonniwell) and Barton McLane, (Sgt. George Lake) give great supporting roles along with great photography and a very good story with many twists and turns. Enjoy

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1 utilisateurs sur 1 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
I guess I wasn't quite as amazed by this film..., 3 septembre 2009

Auteur : planktonrules de Bradenton, Florida

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.

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Not Up to the Usual Sturges Standard, 16 octobre 2009

Auteur : Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) de Columbus, Ms

*** Ce commentaire peut contenir des spoilers ***

Director John Sturges made "Backlash" with Richard Widmark, Donna Reed, and John McIntire after he helmed "The Walking Hills," "Escape from Fort Bravo," and "Bad Day at Black Rock." This Borden Chase scripted horse opera deals with the dark truth hidden about the past. Not only must our rugged hero find the father that he never knew but also the heroine must learn what happened to her long gone husband. Sixty-thousand dollars worth of gold figures prominently in the mystery. This concise 84-minute, Universal-International release boasts a sturdy cast with several gritty villains with whom Widmark tangles, including Robert J. Wilke, Harry Morgan, William Campbell and John McIntire. Incidentally, although this is a western set in the days of horses and stagecoaches, Donna Reed is pretty leathery herself, sauntering about with a quirt dangling from her wrist like an S&M mistress. She doesn't just sit around and let things happen, she shows her tough side, too. Shoot-outs, Apaches on the warpath, and men talking tough to each other provide the bulk of the drama, but "Backlash" isn't in the same league with "The Walking Hills," "Escape from Fort Bravo," "Bad Day at Black Rock" and the later collaboration between Sturges and Widmark entitled "The Law and Jake Wade." Primarily, Sturges doesn't stage the action as distinctively as he did in either his previous or later westerns.

The first scene gets the action rolling as Karyl Orton (Donna Reed of "From Here to Eternity") rides across Widmark slinging dirt around with a shovel at a set of adobe ruins in the wide open spaces. They swap words and she asks Slater to fetch her cigarettes. As Slater is rummaging around in her saddle bags, an assassin tries to ambush him. Widmark stalks the man atop a mountain taking potshots at him with a Winchester rifle. Jim Slater (Richard Widmark of "Kiss of Death") scales the mountain, six-gun in fist, and gets the drop on the trigger happy hombre. The guy exhausts his supply of shells, and Slater brings him down. Only after Slater searches him does he learn that his attacker was Silver City deputy sheriff Tom Welker (Regis Parton of "This Island Earth"). Initially, Slater thinks that Karyl set him up to be shot by the rifleman when she asked him to for her cigarettes. The Sheriff of Silver City put Karyl on the stage to Tucson and warns Slater that Tom Welker's brothers will come gunning for him. In the midst of all this gunplay, Slater gets caught off guard momentarily when the thuggish brothers of Tom Welker try to drop him in a saloon. Future "Dragnet" co-star Harry Morgan and Robert J. Wilke of "The Magnificent Seven" play the gun-toting Welker brothers out for vengeance. The enmity between Karyl and Slater doubles because Slater thinks that she set him up again. He catches a flesh wound and rides out of town. She follows him to his campfire and bandages his wound, stripping off her blouse and using it to wrap him up. This happens after she informs him with a knife to his throat that she doesn't need other men to do her dirty work when it comes time to do it. Once they get this issue out of the way, Slater and Karyl become friends. Nevertheless, Slater is committed to his objective. "My father was killed at Gila Valley, and I'm going to find the man who murdered him."

The trail that Slater rides to learn the ugly truth takes them into an Apache besieged trading post to ask a U.S. Cavalry Sergeant George Lake (Barton MacLane of "High Sierra") about the bodies since he was in charge of the burial detail. Before he can get his information, our hero has to help Sgt. Lake distract the bloodthirsty Indian so that the people at the trading post can escape by the stagecoach while Slater and he keep the Indians busy by running off their horses. Lake doesn't shed much light on the mystery before he dies from an Indian bullet, but he gives Slater a clue that takes him to Major Carson's ranch.

Later, Slater insists that there was a sixth man,and this sixth man left the others to die at the hands of the redskins. Meanwhile, a feud brewing between two ranchers, Jim Bonniwell (John McIntire of "Wagon Train") and another rancher Major Carson (Roy Roberts of "My Darling Clementine") and along the way Slater has to shoot it out with a decked out in leather hired pistolero, Johnny Cool (William Campbell of "Escape from Fort Bravo"), who is pretty swift on the draw.

Jack Lambert has a minor role as a guy who sells rifles to the Indians. Look closely and you will spot the boss of Maxwell Smart playing a sheriff. Edward Platt wears a Stetson and a six-gun. Taut western with a surprise ending.

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4 utilisateurs sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Donna Reed's Clothes, 10 mars 2006
Auteur : doufus de Etats-Unis

Where does Donna Reed keep the many beautiful dresses she wears? She travels on horse-back...

I would like to submit the fact that Donna Reed never wore a dress in the movie Backlash. As a matter of fact in the early part of the movie she was in slightly tight trousers and for the remainder of the movie she was in culottes.

She did use her blouse to dress Richard Widmark's wound earlier and one must wonder where she got a blouse to wear for the rest of the movie. But, who's counting.

But that doesn't matter with regard to the above comment as Donna Reed was an extremely beautiful woman who always acted to the extent that was required of her. She did so very well in this movie even though she only contributed a blouse from her saddle bag to dress Richard Widmarks wound.

Was the scene where she dressed Widmark's wound believable? No, of course not. Was it sexy, yes very much so. Was its sexiness out of order for the fifties? Of course not.

You put the beautiful Donna Reed in a movie and leave out her sexiness and you have committed the most grievous of sins.

It was a good movie.

Doufus

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