Strikingly photographed by James Wong Howe, Martin Ritt’s uncompromising anti-hero Western broke new ground for a genre which, in the early ’60s, was still stuck in tired old conventions. The movie endures due to Newman’s brilliant lead performance, an arrested adolescent in a man’s body. All the acting is excellent, especially Oscar winners Patricia Neal as the sad, sensuous Alma, and Douglas as the leathery, principled father. Newman’s ability to inject pathos into such a cynical, unsympathetic character speaks volumes about his own talent. Don’t miss this spare and powerful film.
