Tribute to a Bad Man

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.

It's an interesting yarn with strong characters, but the plot isn't as strong as the characters who inhabit it. STEPHEN McNALLY is a nasty ranch hand determined to avenge Cagney for firing him and coming between him and Irene Papas. VIC MORROW does a standout job as a nearby rancher's son upon whom Cagney thrusts some strong punishment.

It's photographed in gorgeous Technicolor with its Widescreen lenses capturing magnificent landscapes. Miklos Rozsa's score is often given a muted treatment beneath the more intimate scenes and only occasionally veers into stronger flourishes for the darker moments. In other words, it's not one of his more memorable scores but the main theme has a robust flavor to it.

Cagney and Papas carry most of the weight as far as performances go, but DON DUBBINS (who looks like a Robert Redford clone in a boyishly handsome sort of way), does a standout job as the young ranch hand who saves Cagney's life and is rewarded with a job as a wrangler who comes to detest the brutality of the vigilante justice.

Summing up: A compelling western yarn that benefits from strong performances.

... and how misnamed this film is, as protagonist Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) is not a bad guy at all.

Young naive wanderer Steve Miller comes across mega-ranch owner Rodock as he is under fire from a couple of horse thieves. Miller joins Rodock in fighting off the horse thieves, who then depart. Apparently Rodock is pretty sure that his old partner, or at least his old partner's son, Lars (Vic Morrow) is behind the thievery. Rodock hires Steve as a ranch hand, who becomes instantly smitten with Rodock's mistress, Jocasta (Irene Pappas). Complications ensue.

I've watched this twice now - the first time a couple of years ago - and decided to give it another chance. I still have the same verdict. Rodock clearly states that there is no law for 200 miles in any direction. Yet Jocasta constantly rebukes Rodock for pursuing all that attempt to steal his horses and hanging them when found - that was the standard punishment for horse thieves in the old West. Rodock is without malice when he does this. It is just something he has to do or else he - and Jocasta for that matter - would be overrun by the lawless and starve to death. Yet Jocasta claims he has "hanging fever".

The only time Rodock gets emotional about dealing with the rustlers is when he sees that they have done something particularly cruel to his horses in order to cover their tracks, and comes up with a punishment that fits the crime and spares them the noose. At the conclusion of the film, I am still on team Rodock, and I'm wondering if Jocasta, if attacked by Indians, would think a couple of choruses of Kumbaya would be an effective defense. She really is that naive.

It really is a shame because Cagney is magnificent as always - he's the only reason I didn't get hopelessly bored by the entire production - and the production values are top notch with great cinematography and a magnificent score by Miklós Rózsa.

Stepping into the place of Spencer Tracy, James Cagney plays Jeremy Rodock in Tribute to a Bad Man. It's the story of a man in the wilds of the west where there is no law and he has to make his own to hold his own.

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

Don Dubbins is a young drifter who comes into the valley that Rodock and his spread dominate and finds a badly wounded Rodock. He administers some first aid and gets him back to his ranch. Cagney because he owes him his life, takes Dubbins in.

Cagney's got a live in mistress in Irene Papas and Dubbins goes kind of sweet on her. She's also got another admirer in one of the other ranch hands, Stephen McNally. If you think the plot is beginning to resemble Jubal which came out the same year, you're right.

Tribute to a Bad Man is the last of three Cagney westerns, The Oklahoma Kid and Run For Cover are the other two. I've never felt Cagney's urban persona is quite home on the range, but he does deliver a very good performance.

Best in the film however by far is Vic Morrow. He's the son of a rival rancher who Cagney catches stealing his horses. I can't say, but watch what he does to 'punish' him and then lets up. But Morrow's speech letting him know he's got a permanent enemy is the highlight of the film.

Without Cagney the film would be less than memorable though.

A tough and self-reliant rancher and landowner called Jeremy Roderick (James Cagney , though Spencer Tracy was cast, but was replaced , he complained and procrastinated about working on that location because of the altitude of working in the Rockies) will fight against anybody that attempt to rob his possessions . He's loved by a woman (Irene Papas) who lives at home and hires a cowboy called Steve Miller (Don Dubbins , though Robert Francis was originally cast but he died in a plane crash) when is originated the classic triangle . The arrogant rancher will confront rustlers and he'll carry out the hanging's law (also called Lynch's law) against those .

James Cagney's interpretation is outstanding , he plays magnificently as a proud and cruel proprietary , a merciless baron land . Irene Papas in her first movie is sweet and enjoyable , she demonstrates the excellent actress to result to be in the future with a career of successes that today continues . The third starring Don Dubbins is feeble , his career was a flop and hardy ever made films after . The original cast were Spencer Tracy and Grace Kelly , however Tracy was dismissed but had complications with director Robert Wise . Grace Kelly left the picture due her marriage to Rainiero of Monaco . Support cast is astounding : Vic Morrow (who died in accident while playing ¨twilight zone¨ by John Landis) , Stephen McNally , Royal Dano and , of course , the villain Lee Van Cleef , pre-Spaghetti Western . Robert Surtees' cinematography and Miklos Rozsa musical score are awesome , both of whom , subsequently, would make super-productions (Ben Hur , Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe...).

The motion picture was well directed by Robert Wise , author of various cinema classics . He was a successful director of all kind genres such as musical as ¨West side story¨, ¨The sound of music¨ , Sci-fi as ¨The day the earth stood still¨, ¨Star Trek : the motion picture ¨, ¨The Andromeda strain¨ , Terror as ¨The body snatchers¨ , ¨ Curse of the cat people¨, ¨Audrey Rose¨ , ¨The haunting¨ , Epic or colossal as ¨Elen of Troy¨ , wartime as ¨The desert rats¨, ¨Run silent , run deep¨ , ¨Hinderburg¨ , ¨The sand pebbles¨ and Western as ¨Blood on the moon¨, and this ¨Tribute to a bad man¨.

Tribute to a Bad Man is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Michael Blankfort from the short story Hanging's for the Lucky written by Jack Schaefer. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, it stars James Cagney, Don Dubbins, Stephen McNally and Irene Papas. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Robert Surtees.

Jeremy Rodock (Cagney) is a no nonsense rancher whose ruthless hold on his considerable spread of land includes hanging rustlers without trial or sentence. When young Steve Millar (Dubbins) helps Rodock in a time of need, he is offered work on the ranch. But when his Greek mistress Jocasta Constantine (Papas) attracts interest from Steve and wrangler McNulty (McNally), it forces Rodock into even darker shades of his character.

Following on from the wonderful Run for Cover the previous year, Cagney returned to the Western arena for the last time for Tribute to a Bad Man, and what a fitting picture on which to leave the West.

The film encountered problems in early production when Spencer Tracy had a sulk and walked off of the picture. So in came Cagney. Steve Millar was being played by Robert Francis, but the actor was tragically killed in a plane crash, so in stepped Dubbins. Wise's film is essentially a coming of age frontier Western, though it concerns two male characters coming of age at different places in their life. Millar is the young pup whose come West to seek employment and meaning in his life, Rodock is hard-bitten, grizzled and can't see further than his own pig-headed beliefs. Rodock will either have to change his ways, wake up and smell the coffee, or risk losing everything.

Will Rodock come through? Can an old dog be taught new psychological tricks? When he once again deals out his own brand of justice he has surely gone too far this time? It also opens up an old rivalry wound that will ultimately define all involved. What is in store for Millar? Once his eyes have been opened and he sees that cowboy life can actually be harsh, as can his young emotions. Then there is the beautiful Jocasta, a woman ashamed of her past life back in Cheyenne, forever grateful to Rodock for taking her away from that life. The age difference between the two is considerable, but their relationship is based on trust, loyalty and realism. That is until the equilibrium is upset…

Technically it's a sumptuous production, where even if the thematics of the story doesn't sound like your thing, it's a film worth spending time with just to see Surtees' Scope photography and hear Rózsa's score. The former brings the striking Colorado Rockies to life with some breath taking distinction, while the latter provides music that positively swells then swirls around the magnificent back drop. With Cagney on mesmerising form, Papas and Dubbins not letting their inexperience affect the picture (Cagney took both under his wing), and Wise stringing it together as a knowing character based tapestry, it rounds out as a darn great and beautiful Oater. 8/10