adrian-43767 BROKEN LANCE is a run of the mill Western elevated by Spencer Tracy's unfailingly high acting standards. Screenplay is OK, with an ending that requires much suspension of disbelief, and with a vested anti-racism message which, back in 1954, must have been unusual and even necessary. Film critic Leonard Maltin sees it as Shakespeare's King Lear in the male version and in the West. He may have a point, though one could argue that the parable of the prodigal son also comes to mind, except that that son is of mixed race (Wagner) who is returning from doing time, and brother Widmark resents him to the point of short-changing him in terms of inheritance.Widmark begins well enough but gradually goes wide of the mark, and by the end his character is overblown with self-pity, hatred, greed, envy, and many other sins, to the point of trying to shoot his half-brother (the whole sequence is pathetic and lets the film down badly). Needless to say, by comparison Wagner comes across as an angel, not least because he has done three years in jail by taking the blame for a misdeed by his father, Tracy, thereby sparing the latter that time behind bars. That situation in effect gives Wagner the plum part in the movie but, sadly, apart from the moment when he throws a wad of money into a spitoon, he misses the opportunity. I would have loved to see Marlon Brando in that part. Katy Jurado, playing Tracy's second wife and the daughter of an Indian chief, is Wagner's mother. Her weak acting is particularly exposed when she comes face to face with Tracy. The other two brothers hardly have a thing to say, and sound dumb when they open their mouths. Jean Peters is beautiful, which is a plus, but her role is rather limited. The actor who plays her father is convincing, but his part is too short to be noteworthy.Photography and settings are first class, and give this movie a kind of GONE WITH THE WIND look at times. I have now seen this film some five times, and to me it ends with Tracy's death. The remaining 20+ minutes are painful to watch without him, especially the thoroughly unbelievable sequence where Widmark tries to do Wagner.

writers_reign This is either a rip-off of King Lear or a remake (uncredited) of House Of Strangers depending on which critics/reviews/posters on IMDb you read. Whatever it's a fairly decent western - let's face it, how often do Tracy or Widmark give bad performances - and though we could easily dispense with lightweights Earl Holliman and Hugh O'Brien, the good news is they are given practically nothing to do. Robert Wagner was coming up at the time and had already played against Tracy in The Mountain though neither came out of that one smelling of roses. Jean Peters was still marking time until she became Mrs Howard Hughs so it's left to Katy Jurado - then on a short streak - to take the actress honors. As the Lear figure Tracy is well up to snuff and his ruthless rancher has echoes of Duke Wayne in Red River, i.e. you steal my cattle, you hang, simple as that. Widmark is under-used but still effective as the eldest son and usurper in chief. E.G. Marshall and Carl Benton Reid weigh in with solid support and it's a fine effort all round.

JohnHowardReid Broken Lance sticks mighty close to the time-proved Western formula, but thanks largely to the skill of director Dmytryk who makes the most of the movie's rich production values, is all the more powerful because of this close adherence. What we have here is (1) an engrossingly realistic story with plenty of strong narrative action and realistic character conflicts; (2) breathtakingly rugged scenery; and (3) star value, particularly in the persons of Spencer Tracy and Richard Widmark (although the latter is let down badly when the screenplay suddenly deserts him at the climax). Hugh O'Brian, Earl Holliman and Katy Jurado also contribute forceful characterizations, easily out-classing the too boyishly eager Robert Wagner and the disappointing Jean Peters (who is further burdened by unflatteringly frumpish photography and colorless costumes).

andyevel6 This 1954 Cinemascope flick, full of action, was inspired by Shakepeare's King Lear (as was West Side Story by Romeo and Juliet) and you can appreciate that in the script adaptation (which won an Academy Award). There's some great acting in it. Tracy, Peters, Wagner, Widmark and Katy Jurado (also nominated as best supporting actress for the film) are all top rate. Dmytric directed a very special western (that is much more than just a simple western because it has character). The film, his direction and most of its players should have been considered for Academy Awards. Nominated were also the cinematography and the musical score (which won). If you like westerns, definitely see it. If you don't, you should consider some of its other outstanding assets: Its theme, plot, suspense, no-nonsense romance, bigot-ism, action, family betrayal and the exceptional combination of great cinematography, with top level direction and acting. This was movie-making at its best. They don't make them like that anymore!