Man Without a Star

Terrific stuff! Kirk Douglas is a whiskey-sluggin' man's man who drifts into a Wyoming cattle town after taking young, hot-tempered William Campbell under his wing; they get jobs on cattle baroness Jeanne Crain's ranch, but she's fixin' to muscle in on her rancher-neighbors's land (for the grass) until her neighbor puts up a barbed-wire fence--something Douglas has a violent aversion to. Obviously a quality package, what with King Vidor directing and Douglas at the peak of his rough 'n tumble charms; his paternal relationship with Campbell suits him, as does tough-lady Crain as a possible love-interest. Screenwriters Borden Chase and D.D. Beauchamp get this outdoor yarn off to a great start, and it just keeps going from there. Strong cast includes Richard Boone as the villain, an uncredited Jack Elam as a killer, and Claire Trevor, wonderful as a bar hostess. Douglas swaggers, shoots, bites, plays the banjo and sings! It's one of his very best films. *** from ****