While he’s best known for his work in film noir,Robert Mitchumstarred in over 30 movies in theWesterngenre as well. Called the “soul of film noir” by Roger Ebert, Mitchum is famous for his iconic villain roles in the ’50s and the ’60s. His work in noir as the classic anti-hero laid the foundation for many of the famous modern antagonistic characters of the genre. However, Mitchum’s superior range as an actor helped him smoothly transition from the suave and stylized villainous roles in film noir to more rough-around-the-edges and dramatized roles.
As is seen in Western flicks likeEl Dorado, which is one of the actor’s most famous films ever, andThe Tombstones,where Mitchum serves as a narratoroff-screen.Mitchum appears beside John Wayne inEl Dorado, the latter having replaced the former in an older film afterMitchum was fired fromBlood Alley.Mitchum often adopts a likable and charismatic persona in his Western films, usually playing smooth-talking characters who can command situationsyet are just as morally gray as his noir characters.
10Man With The Gun (1955)
Directed By Richard Wilson
Mitchum plays a notorious town-tamer inMan with the Gun. His character, Clint Tollinger, goes to Sheridan City in search of a woman and is inevitably hired by the locals to take care of their troubles, seeing his expertise with guns. The townspeople are being tormented by the gunmen of a local rancher and pay Tollinger a considerable sum of money to deal with this rancher because the local law enforcement doesn’t want to antagonize him.
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Thematically,Man with the Gunexplores the idea of how violence begets violence;at some point, Tollinger himself becomes a problem for the residents. He considers himself above the law, and thanks to Mitchum’s penchant for playing immoral protagonists, Tollinger’s narrative role reversal is not only believable but an important device for the film to underscore its message. Being a pretty formulaic Western, however, there’s a distinct lack of self-awareness despite the themes of the film, as it creates spectacle out of the violence.
The Wrath of God
Cast
The Wrath of God is a 1972 film set in the 1920s, featuring a group of foreigners captured by a South American military faction. They are promised potential freedom in exchange for overthrowing the area’s deranged military commander.
The Wrath of Godfeatures Mitchum as a gun-slinging priest who fights off corrupt state officialsafter being spared himself in the process of trying to protect a woman in danger. For fans of the Western genre who enjoy the stylized violent sequences, it is an entertaining film. Mitchum is joined by other acting icons like Frank Langella and Rita Hayworth, portraying a character who is again not the picture of absolute integrity.
The Wrath of Godis Rita Hayworth’s last on-screen appearance.
However, if the violence and the lawlessness aren’t appealing to a viewer,The Wrath of Godisn’t an engaging watch because it is set in a period of American history that’s not contextualized within the film itself.Because of this, the first half especially suffers from almost incoherent plot progression. Its saving grace, which does make the film worth watching, is Mitchum’s acting, especially his stylish dialogue delivery.
The Wonderful Country
The Wonderful Country follows Martin Brady, who, after fleeing to Mexico for revenge, is drawn back to Texas for an arms deal. As complications arise, including a broken leg and a stolen gun shipment, he navigates tensions between Mexican strongman Cipriano Castro, an American army major, and the Texas Rangers.
InThe Wonderful Country, Mitchum has an off-putting Mexican accent that’s difficult to overlook. However, if one is willing to accept the flaw and give the film their time, they’ll be in for a wild ride between Mexico and the United States. Loosely based on Tom Lea’s novel of the same name,The Wonderful Countryfollows gunslinger Brady as he goes to secure an arms deal in the U.S., his first time in the country since he fled to Mexico after becoming a fugitive of the law for avenging his father’s murder.
A classic Western,The Wonderful Countryhas a good mix of romance, thrills, and action,featuring an illicit affair and a series of unfair accusations hurled at the protagonist which make him an outlaw in both countries. The final 15 minutes of the film is an action-heavy chase sequence that concludes with a wistful walk into the horizon as Mitchum heads back towards the U.S., with hopes for the future.
7Bandit! (1956)
Directed By Richard Fleischer
Also known asBandido!,Bandit!is set in the temporal landscape of the Mexican Revolution. Mitchum’s character Wilson is an American mercenary looking to profit off the revolution by working for a rebel leader to hijack an arms deal. Despite a secondary plot of romance buoyed by the gracious presence of Ursula Theiss as Wilson’s love interest,Bandit!often meanders in between action sequences, which are the highlights of the film.
An exciting jailbreak sequence and a thrilling climactic confrontation between the rebels and the “Regulares” stand out from the rest of the set pieces inBandit!However, the film’s strongest suit is the sleazy charisma of Mitchum’s persona, who nonchalantly throws grenades and operates heavy machinery in the fights to survive the action.Bandit!almost seems to rely on Mitchum’s charms as an actor to engage the audience,as the plot is quite predictable.
6Rachel And The Stranger (1948)
Directed By Norman Foster
Starring opposite Loretta Young, who plays the titular Rachel,Mitchum offers a performance of pure laidback charisma inRachel and the Stranger.A mixture of romance and Western, the film is strengthened by borrowing traits from both genres. While it has a typical resolution,Rachel and the Strangerinitially upends romantic traditions by using the cynicism of Westerns, to challenge the romanticization of servile womanhood in marriage one might find in romantic films released even five decades since it came out.
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Mitchum isn’t often seen doing this in his films, so when he sings inRachel and the Stranger, it’s a sight to behold and a treat for ears. His beautiful voice brings life to the melancholic and hopeful lyrics of his songs. The love triangle is completed by William Holden, playing one of his least likable characters ever. His antagonistic persona clashes well with the casualness Mitchum brings to the film as they both vie for the woman’s love, who is unfortunately eventually sidelined in a disappointingly conventional ending.
Track of the Cat
Track of the Cat is a 1954 film set on a mountain valley ranch near Aspen. It explores complex family dynamics amidst the season’s first snowstorm, while the characters face the threat of a mythical panther preying on their cattle.
Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s novel of the same name was adapted by director William A. Welman for his filmTrack of the Cat,in which Mitchum plays the middle brother of a trio of sons in a family of bitter people who can’t stop verbally abusing each other out of suspicion of their intentions. Meanwhile, Mitchum’s character leaves the family in their secure spot to go hunt down a panther who seems to be terrorizing the area and poses a danger to all of them.
Track of the Catis a unique Western in that it’s divided into two parts— an adventurous hunt and a melodramatic family squabble. However, despite the hunt for the dangerous black panther being exciting in its own way, Mitchum feels underutilized, as his acting chops would really shine in the scenes of familial tension.
Blood On The Moon
In this gritty Western noir, a drifter named Jim Garry gets caught in the middle of a deadly feud between homesteaders and cattle ranchers in postwar Wyoming. Initially hired by his old friend to help in a deceptive scheme against the settlers, Garry’s conscience is awakened by romance and the brutal reality of this war close to home. As the tensions escalate into violence, Garry must choose a side, inevitably leading to a bloody showdown.
Blood on the Moonconstitutes another mixture of genres, allowing Mitchum to bring his A-game when this Western has noir sensibilities in its narrative. Like a classic Western, the backdrop ofBlood on the Moonis of vast expanses with no life in sight, peppered by settlements where humanity isn’t thriving, just surviving, motivated by personal wants and needs.
Westerns very commonly focus on the darker sides of humanity, highlighting how greed gets in the way of creating community. However,Blood on the Moonis particularly cynical about people,with its complex dramatic turns being based on people’s cunning. Unlike the roles Mitchum became famous for playing in noir films, he plays the most straightforward, morally upright man inBlood on the Moon. The reactions he prompts from people demonstrate how unrelenting conditions make humans untrusting and selfish.
3Pursued (1947)
Directed By Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh created another melodramatic Western with noir elements inPursued. The plot is somewhat convoluted, with almost too many twists. However, due to the pacing, and Mitchum’s masterful acting as the protagonist haunted by a forgotten past, it profits from the complexity of the plot.Expansively covering the events of Mitchum’s character’s life,Pursuedpaints a picture of a man whose fortune often betrays him,albeit favoring him in one-on-one confrontations which he always survives.
Mitchum’s presence as the misunderstood and mistreated man who only wants to marry the love of his life is the primary emotional hook ofPursued. Everything else is just reactions he elicits due to inheriting a dark past that he had no hand in creating. The moral grayness of everyone around him drives the film forward to the action-heavy climax that ultimately comes down to the characters' emotional states of mind in its resolution.
2The Lusty Men (1952)
Directed By Nicholas Ray
The typical macho attitude one associates with rodeos, who are often the heroes of Westerns, is severely challenged inThe Lusty Men, adapted from Claude Stanush’s novel of the same name. Mitchum plays a retired rodeo inThe Lusty Men, who decides to train another willing man in the art of rodeo as a means to make money.
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The Lusty Mennever meanders from its path of exposing the fallibility of a person who is driven by fame and pride,employing melodramatic themes of familial distress, growing distrust in people, and illicit proclamations of love. Mitchum’s persona is equally pitiful and charismatic, a fine line he walks in superior fashion, driving the plot forward to a violent ending with his nuanced performance that is antithetical to the young man his character is training.
El Dorado
In “El Dorado,” veteran gunslinger Cole Thornton is summoned by a wealthy rancher, Bart Jason, to assist in a land dispute. However, upon arriving in the town of El Dorado, Thornton discovers from his old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah, that Jason’s true motives are far from just. Determined to prevent unnecessary violence, Thornton joins forces with the sheriff and a young, eager deputy named Mississippi to protect the besieged MacDonald family.
One of Mitchum’s most famous films, and his first appearance beside John Wayne,El Doradois as formulaic as an action-heavy Western gets — but that’s its biggest strength.A masterful use of oft-seen Western elements like jaded leading men, unruly criminals difficult to subdue, shootouts, and an injured, but charismatic Wayne, ensures it’s a fun ride from start to finish. Mitchum and Wayne have a rather entertaining fistfight, where the former’s character is drunk and being persuaded by the latter’s character to get sober.
El Doradois a remake ofRio Bravo, which was also directed by Howard Hawks.
Robert Mitchumplays a supporting role inEl Doradowith significantly less screen time than Wayne, but whenever he’s on the screen, his ability to blend charm with dysfunction shines through. Playing a sheriff who’s considerably incompetent, Mitchum creates the space for Wayne to shine as the savior hero. Yet Mitchum’s performance still makes him an unforgettable element of one of the best Westerns made in the ’60s.
