Very tough Western with great acting and masterfully made , it stars Glenn Ford as Jubal. Jube Troop emerges from the dust to stop awhile as a hired hand for jolly rancher, Ernest Borgnine, as he is a cowhand who drifts into trouble with his boss and the boss's seductress wife, the tempter and dissastified Valerie French. As the rancher seeks advice from a foreman about pleasing his spouse, but another cowhand, Rod Steiger, implies him that Jubal is extremely advising his wife. Along the way Jubal falls for a drippy Mennonite, Felicia Farr.
This movie has a formidable combination of fine performances, intense drama and spectacular outdoors. Director Delmer Daves aims for psychological realism with a contemporay treatment of adultery and about an innocent man being hounded and harassed. A blending of talent actors with great leading players of whom Steiger, perhaps, holds the plum character as a two-fisted cowhand, though he delivers an overacting, playing an "Yago" alike figure from play ¨Othello¨ by William Shakespeare, that threatens to overbalance everything. The hothouse plot drives mercilessly forward with twists and turns . The tale is strong one and the yarn is wonderfully located against a background of Montana mountains . Very good main cast , as Glenn Ford , Ernest Borgnine , Valerie French , Felicia Farr , including Rod Steiger who gives a hyper-neurotic interpretation as a cowhand with a lemon-sour nature and a sadistic streak . Support cast is frankly well such as Charles Bronson , Basil Ruysdael , Noah Beery Jr. , John Dierkes and Jack Elam . The literate storyline sustains interest thanks to the twisted relationships and enhanced by cinemascope cinematography by cameraman Charles Lawton Jr. Containing gorgeous outdoors exteriors from Grand Teton National Park . Being well accompanied by a sensitive and moving musical score by David Raskin.
The picture was compellingly directed by Delmer Daves. He was a fine filmmaker who mingled moral or ethic analysis , documentary , lyrism , and large open spaces . Daves made some Western masterpieces , he was one of the greatest directors . As he was a western expert, including titles as ¨Broken arrow¨, the first pro-Indian western with James Stewart , ¨Drum beat¨ with Charles Bronson, ¨The last wagon¨ with Richard Widmark , ¨The badlanders¨ with Alan Ladd and Borgnine, ¨3:10 to Yuma¨ with Glenn Ford, ¨Cowboy¨ with Jack Lemmon, ¨The return of the Texan¨ with Dale Robertson , and ¨The hanging tree¨ with Gary Cooper , among others . Rating 7/10. Better than average
