moonspinner55 A honest rancher, palming himself off as an outlaw to gain acceptance into a fraternal haven of gangsters hiding out in the sticks, is only after the varmint who murdered his fiancée--but ends up feeling a strong sexual attraction to the woman who runs the Chuck-a-Luck, a former saloon hostess with a colorful reputation. Fritz Lang-directed western was plagued with problems (both during the production and after), although Marlene Dietrich--allegedly the cause of most of the on-set turmoil--gives a must-see performance as the notorious Altar Keane ("They even named a railroad car after her!"). Throaty, sensuous, and no-nonsense, Dietrich is willing to go all the way with this role, and one can practically feel the binds holding her back. Arthur Kennedy is better than usual as the newcomer to Dietrich's brood of happy killers and robbers (he and Marlene have palpable chemistry), but Mel Ferrer is stiff and unsure as suave outlaw Frenchy Fairmont (the cartoonish name doesn't match the actor playing the role). The deep, mellow colors are beautiful, and yet the Technicolor cinematography heightens the artificiality of the indoor sets. Not a great picture, and one that is prodded along by a laughably corny folk ballad, though Lang does manage to come up with a few fresh twists on the genre and the supporting players are solid. ** from ****

james higgins 60/100. You would think the combination of Lang and Marlene Dietrich would be amazing, but this is my fourth viewing of the film over a 35 year period, and not once was I impressed with this movie. The score is a little overbearing and it just rarely rises above an ordinary western from the 1950's. I was disappointed in the art direction, the sets looked very obvious to me. It's a fair story given an okay treatment. I am in the minority on this one, but the film to me went from one cliché to another. Arthur Kennedy is a bland choice and lacks the fire needed for the role. Certainly it has some good visuals, so at least one of Fritz Lang's trademark touches came through.

jc-osms I'll always go out of my way to catch any of Fritz Lang's Hollywood output, even the rare westerns like this and enjoyed this tightly plotted little tragedy of murder hate and revenge as Arthur Kennedy embarks on a vengeance mission against the villain who brutally raped and murdered his fiancée.Unlike say, John Ford or Anthony Mann, two of his western making contemporaries, Lang keeps our focus on the characters and their story so that we rarely get sprawling landscape shots of men (or women) seemingly dwarfed by nature. Instead we get to peer into a little microcosm world where more down to earth individuals grapple with their emotional urges, usually to the detriment of others around them.Thus, Kennedy's avenging angel holds our attention from first to last and while he gets his revenge by the end, with the help of outlaw gunslinger Frenchy Freemont, played by Mel Ferrer, from whom he improbably learns to become the quickest draw around, the tragedy is compounded by the incidental death of Deitrich's wonderfully-named Altar Keane.Within the confines of 90 short minutes, the characterisations go deeper then than most westerns you'll see helped by conviction acting, especially Kennedy in the lead as another of Lang's "little man" heroes dogged by tragedy who strike back hard against the offending world. However, quite what a middle-aged female Teutonic bar-room balladeer like Deitrich is doing offering safe-home protection for on-the-run outlaws is anyone's guess but the grand dame still scrubs up well even in her fifties and convinces you that her personality can rule this unruly mob. There are a few minor Expressionist Lang touches to look out for, for example the moment when Kennedy's girl realises the extent of the danger she's in is conveyed in two brief close-ups of her and her attacker, a brawl involving Kennedy briefly reflected in a mirror and a "meet the gang" succession of front-facing portrait shots culminating in the driven, staring features of Kennedy. There's even a little sub-Weimar decadence brought to life in Deitrich's introduction scene with her riding "horseback" a adoring male in a slightly bizarre barroom scene from her younger days. I could have done without the contemporary sub-Frankie Laine balladeering interspersed throughout and wasn't quite convinced by the Kennedy/Ferrer/Dietrich triangle with Ferrer not quite exuding the swagger or danger of being the fastest gun but this unusual western, shot in garish Technicolour (no doubt Deitrich had the lights on full-pelt!) belies the convolutions of its plot to deliver a watchable film, worth seeking out.

drystyx This western is probably the ultimate tale of revenge, much in line with "Warpath" and "Seven Men From Now." Like most revenge tales, it begins with an "Everyman", in this case a cowboy, who loves a woman, but the woman is brutally murdered, and the "Everyman" searches for the killer-as described by a young boy who witnessed it. The killer is best found by finding the man riding with him, yep, the albino! Naturally, the killer guns down the albino, too, and he manages to say one thing before dying to "Everyman" who finds him. He says "Chugaglug!" (Or as some people believe, "Chuck a Luck". But phonetically, he does say "Chugalug", just as "Elias" from "platoon is always called "Lyle"-that's what the viewer hears unless the viewer puts the movie in slow motion.) So what is "Chugalug"? There's even a pretty silly song to go with it. The movie would probably be better enjoyed without the musical commentary, but the quest is on. The hero will stop at nothing for his revenge, even if it means becoming an outlaw. He does find "Chugalug", which is the name of a place, and then another mystery begins for him. Which person is the killer? A lot of very effective cat and mouse, and false leads, with an exciting climax. A lot of things are going for this movie. Much better than the westerns of the later years which strove to be like this. You really believed this character was out for revenge, and you journeyed with him. Great direction, acting, and all around production. This film is begging to be remade other surroundings. I can't figure out why no post apocalyptic movies have stolen this idea. It would be a smash with just decent writing.