Tribute to a Bad Man

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Of course in that kind of rugged country your character is also changed by the responsibility you have. You make a lot of enemies.

Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David with Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown With a Greek thespian such as highly talented Irene Papas ,playing the part of an ex-dancer called "Jocasta ",and a young boy working in her companion's ranch,I was waiting for an Oedipian western,and it is ,in a way ,as "Jo" is like a mother to Steve,writing letters for his mom,and urging him to leave this place before he becomes like "them"...And of course ,the boy falls for her... Color / 2:35 anamorphic widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date October 20, 2009 / available through the Warner Archive Collection / 19.95Tribute to a Bad Man is a call for tolerance and reason; if it conveyed this idea in dialogue position speeches it would be just another social message film. It's not, and for that reason is much more effective. Tribute to a Bad Man has long been a favorite score by Rózsa's many admirers. It is here presented in its premiere release in complete form from the original stereo masters. Because it's partly an emblematic morality tale, we get a few too many long significant looks and widescreen shots to make it look big, but there's a good strong plotline to hold it together. It's not a shoot 'em up, just some rustling wars between neighbouring farmers who hate each other's guts, and some jealousy over the woman, but it hangs together decently enough. Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman, with Bear Grylls as Himself, and Paul Guilfoyle

The movie's plot is pretty well covered elsewhere, so I'll discuss other things. For one - this is a gorgeous movie - awesome scenery, and scenes beautifully set up and filmed. In many scenes it's a treat for the eyes, and there's plenty of good story to go with the visuals. The acting throughout is quite good, with Irene Papas absolutely phenomenal in her central role. Cagney, with only one or two over-the-top moments, is outstanding as the tough-shell-tender-center rancher who must keep an entire world together...land, men, women, and cattle. He was an actor who could do more with a guttural sound than he could with a paragraph of dialogue. He has some brilliant moments in this film. Don Dubbins is perfectly cast as the "soft" Easterner trying to make it as a horse wrangler. At first I thought I didn't like his acting, but I think it was actually the character he was playing that I didn't like...a bit too meek for my taste...but that was the character written, so he must have done a good job if I believed it enough to not like it. My only real complaint is that there's not even close to enough screen time for Chubby Johnson, Lee Van Cleef, and Royal Dano. One of the strong points of the movie is to watch how Cagney's character changes from a hard nosed, determined man to some one who gains a different perspective from those he admires, the young ranch hand and the woman whom he befriended. Jones, tossing a knife in frustration: “Feller told me they had pictures in them this year – women in corsets.”

Since, by and large, this is a forgotten film, I wasn't expecting too much when I sat down to watch it. I was stunned to find a throughly enjoyable film. Fair warning: This is not a shoot-em-up Western...it is a human drama with one fist-fight, one gun battle, one hanging, and some (well-deserved) torture of the bad guys. Don Dubbins is very good here as the young man, although I guess I would never have seen him as a future lead actor (and he wasn't). Stephen McNally plays the really bad guy well. Irene Papas, despite the illogical aspect of her character, does nicely here. Vic Morrow is overrated as a young man beginning to move toward the wrong side of things; he thought he was James Dean...he wasn't. who showed up six days late without so much as offering an excuse. Tracy kept to himself, would disappear from the set when needed, and maintained an attitude of indifference toward the picture. Obviously looking for a way out, Tracy then demanded that the whole set be torn down and moved to a Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Krys Marshall, Edi Gathegi, Cynthy Wu and Coral Peña, Toby Kebbell, Tyner Rushing, Daniel Stern and Svetlana Efremova But actually, this is a good film...just a poor choice for the lead. Somehow, Cagney on a horse just doesn't sit right...so to speak. It's one of those sorta "big" Westerns, with spectacular scenery, a decent story, and some good actors. So if you're watching this for Jimmy Cagney, you may be disappointed. If you're watching this just as a Western, you'll probably enjoy it despite Jimmy Cagney...and it is a cut above most Westerns.

This film resonates deeply, for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is James Cagney's impressive central performance as the bad man. It is only because of how Cagney brings out the tender human side in the character does he even become worthy of a tribute. Jocasta: “Steve, we’ve only talked a few times since you came here. But I know this about you. You are gentle. You haven’t been used, and made hard. This is not your kind of life. Look at the men in the bunkhouse: Baldy, and Fat Jones, and Abe. Never a chance for a family, or a home. In ten years, you’re gonna’ be like them – a “nobody” on a horse. That’s what a wrangler is: a “nobody” on a horse. With bad teeth, broken bones, double hernia, and lice.” A strong script and interesting casting provide the attraction in the awkwardly named Tribute to a Bad Man, a fifties' "adult western" with a good central drama.Robert Wise does a commendable job of keeping a strong cast under control in his western saga about a tough horse rancher (JAMES CAGNEY) who believes in swift justice whenever his horses are stolen or his ranch hands are murdered. He's ready with a hangman's knot and exerts control over everyone around him. Eventually, he's softened by the love of a woman (IRENE PAPAS) who comes to respect him when he spares the lives of three men he's bent on punishing--although he does treat them brutally for what they've done to his horses.

Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story. One of the members of McNally's bunch is a Scandinavian farmer's young son (Vic Morrow). The kid has a huge chip on his shoulder after his pa dies, and he nearly goes too far to prove his manhood. Morrow's ma is played by the always dependable Jeanette Nolan. She has turned a blind eye to her son's past activities, but now she just wants all the killings to stop. More horses are stolen, and the culprits are found to be drifters in league with Jeremy's old partner Peterson (James Bell), who lives nearby. Peterson, his wife (Jeanette Nolan) and son Lars (Vic Morrow) have failed at ranching and hate Jeremy.

Plot of Tribute to a Bad Man

The Warner Archive Collection DVD-R of Tribute to a Bad Man is a fine enhanced transfer of this CinemaScope film with rich color and clear sound. Metrocolor from this year sometimes doesn't age well but hues appear accurate. Even with regard to how he treats the Irene Papas character, I didn't see great fault with the man. Yes, he put off marrying her because he had issues, but virtually every scene they had together he was showing her some sort of affection, or enjoying her company...and never in a perverted "I own you" kind of way, but you could see in his face how deeply he cared for her. The drama arises from his determination to hang those who would steal his horses from him, and the Papas character's revulsion by it. Other than that, they clearly love each other. The performances rendered by Morrow and Nolan match Cagney's performance step for step. But it is of course Cagney's film. He facilitates a complete metamorphosis on screen. His character evolves from ruthless and feared to fair and revered. Celine Rattray, p.g.a., Trudie Styler, p.g.a., Jamie Foxx, p.g.a., Datari Turner, p.g.a., Jenette Kahn, p.g.a., Adam Richman, p.g.a., Bobby Shriver, p.g.a. Jeremy hangs one of the horse thieves, and Steve is revolted. Jocasta is equally troubled by Jeremy's unfeeling brutality, and threatens to leave him. But Jeremy is too consumed by his own sense of justice to care what anybody else thinks. He fires and beats McNulty, suspecting an affair with Jo. Jo is about to leave with Steve, who has also fallen in love with her, when more horses disappear. Steve goes off with Jeremy one more time, intent on keeping him from executing the thieves.