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A Man Alone
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by Republic Pictures
Sales Rank: 6212
Price: $9.98

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A Man Alone doesn't break any new ground, but Ray Milland's first movie as a director is a decently entertaining western. Milland plays Wes Steele, an infamous gunfighter who wanders into the wrong town and is promptly framed for murder. The murder is committed by Raymond Burr, thought to be the town's most honorable citizen, but who also runs all of the crooked goings on in the town. <br /> <br />Mary Murphy plays the town sheriff's daughter, who takes Steele in and hides him out. Steele ends up helping her nurse her father, played by the legendary Ward Bond, back to health. Eventually, Steele is discovered, and the inevitable showdown takes place. <br /> <br />Everyone gives it a good effort, and the writing is pretty good. A Man Alone is a pretty pleasant way to pass the time if you're a Western fan.
Viewer Reviews Ray Milland not only starred in this movie but made his debut in the director's chair with it .He plays a noted gunman ,Wes Steele,a man unjustly accused of murder when he witnesses a robbery and killing in the local bank .The robbery and murder are the work of Raymond Burr and other outwardly respectable businessmen who are using their position as a front for criminal activity .He escapes and takes refuge in the basement of a nearby house which just happens to belong to the town sheriff (Ward Bond)a man in league with the killers He enlists the aid of the sheriff's daughter (Mary Murphy) and the two set out to prove his innocence of the crime even though this means implicating her own father I have called this a slightly bleak Western .I say this because the sharp script by John Tucker Battlle includes some downbeat moments .One comes when the sheriff ,in defence of his actions,compares the hopes that the West represented to settlers to the reality of daily life on the frontier -its hardships and compromises .Coming from the mouth of a man who often played men embodying the Western ideals these are quite thought provoking words .The other comes when Milland states why he wishes to settle down in the town -not because of its positive virtues but because the next one will be "just as bad" Westerns are often marked by sweeping vistas of wide open spaces but A Man Alone is a townbound movie and mostly takes place indoors .This gives it a slightly claustrophobic feel that is apropriate to its subject and is reflected nicely in Milland's s direction .Acting is good with two splendid villains in Lee Van Cleef and Raymond Burr and a standout performance by Bond as a weak but not evil man in need of redemption A good movie this and it should be more widely known
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A Man Alone
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