See the movie..Don't let yourself be swayed by one or two bad reviews for this under-rated late 50's western with Robert Taylor playing the title character..Jake Wade ..town Marshall..and Richard Widmark as his ex-gang buddy(?) from back in the day..Civil War and post war years..a few have said the score sucked..maybe because of the strike in 1958..I can neither confirm nor deny..if that's the case, it must have been short lived as other films were released the month before(5) and a month later (1) ..big budget movies were released all year with great scores..by this time Robert Taylor was no longer the young handsome face of the 30's and was a veteran actor and a lot like Gary Cooper..played darker,more serious roles late in his career. More gritty..more realistic..the same year he did Saddle The Wind with John Cassavetes..and as gritty as Gregory Peck's The Bravados the same year..1958 and Peck's The Big Country..Cooper also played a town Marshall marrying someone younger in High Noon..he was a star and under played his role here letting Richard Widmark get most of the best lines until the last three minutes of the movie.."I would have handed you your gun" followed by Taylor's response.."you always liked me more than I like you"..good line..great acting..great supporting cast..great scenery filmed on location..but this movie is a sleeper and a keeper..and worthy of some attention..it deserves a look-see..from a good movie year..one of the better performances from that year..
Review of The Law and Jake Wade
