Tue 17 Feb 2015
A Western Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: HANGMAN’S KNOT (1952).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[8] Comments
HANGMAN’S KNOT. Columbia Pictures, 1952. Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, Claude Jarman Jr., Frank Faylen, Glenn Langan, Richard Denning, Lee Marvin, Jeanette Nolan, Clem Bevans, Ray Teal. Written and directed by Roy Huggins.
Hangman’s Knot has Randolph Scott and Lee Marvin in it —two of my all time favorite actors — so I had pretty high hopes prior to watching this lesser known early 1950s Western. Unfortunately, despite solid performances by both these men (especially Marvin), the movie never really gets that far off the proverbial ground.
It’s not that Hangman’s Knot is remotely a bad film; it’s just that it devolves into (trust me, I almost feel guilty saying this) somewhat mediocre, even somewhat clichéd, post Civil War-era, Western. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I couldn’t help but watch this film without subconsciously comparing it the decidedly excellent Budd Boetticher-directed Westerns that Scott would star in as the golden age for the Western genre wound on.
Written and directed by Roy Huggins and produced by Harry Joe Brown, Hangman’s Knot features Scott as Major Matt Stewart, a Confederate officer tasked with stealing a gold shipment from Union troops in Nevada. The mission, which he carries out with the assistance of his sociopath comrade (Lee Marvin), is a success.
The catch: as it turns out, the war is already over, making these Confederate soldiers just a bunch of outlaws. They are literally men without a country.
The rest of the movie follows these happenstance outlaws as they hole up in a way station with a group of hostages and surrounded by a ragtag posse out for the gold. About those aforementioned hostages: did I mention that one of them is a lovely young Yankee woman (Donna Reed) who, by the end, falls in love with our tall and handsome Southern protagonist? Love conquers all or something like that.
February 17th, 2015 at 4:56 pm
For a western this one gets a bit claustrophobic at the end. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I want exactly.
Marvin plays almost exactly this same role in THE RAID with Van Heflin. At least his Flash got to be on the winning side in RAINTREE COUNTY.
I did think Scott and Reed made the romantic part a bit more believable than others might have, but it is hard to go wrong with Donna Reed in anything.
Knowing Huggins, I wonder how many series this story showed up in with various changes.
February 17th, 2015 at 6:47 pm
Seeing Roy Huggins in the credits as the director surprised me. I knew him as a writer and producer, but never as a director. Thank goodness for IMDb. He directed this, one episode of KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATER and the pilot TV film for ALIAS SMITH AND JONES.
A small fact, for sure, but an interesting one that makes me want to see this film all the more — the other reasons being (1) I will watch anything Randolph Scott is in, and (2) I will watch anything that Lee Marvin is in.
And for some reason, I haven’t seen this one, Not yet, that is.
February 17th, 2015 at 6:54 pm
I like it a bit better than Jonathan does, but its one of those films where something just doesn’t gel as it should. It’s by no means bad, or even disappointing, just not as satisfying as I expected.
I liked the end, even though I called it claustrophobic, better than any other part of the film.
February 17th, 2015 at 7:33 pm
My notes in Brian Garfield’s WESTERN FILMS book indicate that I’ve seen this movie 4 times since 1983. I gave it an outstanding rating and scribbled in “Excellent” in the margin of the review. I rate every movie I see on the IMDB site and this one I gave 8 out of 10. The overall rating is 6.8, a pretty decent rating.
You have to see this one Steve.
February 17th, 2015 at 10:48 pm
Steve, I would suggest you forget about trying to “catch up” or watch and read everything that you want. You’ll never find time to post anything here.
February 17th, 2015 at 10:56 pm
On the other hand, every time I post something, I end up with something more that I “need” to watch or read.
February 18th, 2015 at 3:40 pm
That’s true. However, whatever you post means one more thing I DON’T have to watch or read. You do it for me with the review.
February 18th, 2015 at 4:46 pm
David
Very apt observation re: Lee Marvin and THE RAID, which I reviewed here:
In my opinion, a far better film than HANGMAN’S KNOT
https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=27661