A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe last Millard Mitchell film released in the U.S. before his death from lung cancer at age 50 on October 13, 1953. His final film, Ojasta allikkoon (1953), was released in London on August 14, 1953; however, it wasn't released in the U.S. until nine days after his death.
- GoofsWhen Howard and Jesse meet Lieutenant Roy Anderson for the first time, Howard asks for his discharge papers, which states he has a dishonorable discharge. Officers do not receive dishonorable discharges; an officer found guilty in a court martial receives a dismissal. Otherwise, they may retire or resign their commissions.
- Quotes
Ben Vandergroat: Choosin' a way to die? What's the difference? Choosin' a way to live - that's the hard part.
- SoundtracksBeautiful Dreamer
(uncredited)
Composed by Stephen Foster (1864)
Instrumental version integrated into soundtrack
Featured review
The morality of bounty hunting--really well made but well worn conflicts and themes.
The Naked Spur (1953)
This is a classic straight forward and somewhat clichéd but professional western, with very solid acting and very solid direction, photography, and scenery. That's great, and that's the flaw of it all, this lack or originality. The core of it is action adventure, and an unlikely merging of unsavory characters. At first it's an outlaw that is being sought (Robert Ryan, a youthful bearded Ryan), then it's the Indians who are a danger (and the white gang of good guys and bad guys unite agains this new foe). Heading the posse, if you can call it that, is James Stewart, who is always pretty amazing. And there is the surprise woman in the group, an almost unrecognizable Janet Leigh. Eventually the group has to cross an inhospitable (and beautiful) landscape in all kinds of weather. It's powerful in the themes, if a little familiar in its themes.
Ryan is the highlight here. Stewart is billed first, but he's an uncomplicated hero, and Ryan plays a more convoluted type. The woman is at first Ryan's, it seems, but then it gets complicated. And the other two figures in this roving band take on opposing roles, as well. Leigh, in short hair (a 1950s style, and a good one), is really different, and she does fine. This cast of five is the entire credited cast (the Indians don't count, I guess, with no speaking parts). And because it's a small group, it gets increasingly personal. And good.
Director Anthony Mann is clearly in good form, making a routine script take on both psychological and kinetic edge. Everyone is trapped a bit by a routine script, but Mann makes it really tight and smart. The color photography is also trapped by the routines of beauty in the great Western landscape. The best scenes, at night in a cave, for example, are constricted and tense, really visually wonderful. Sometimes a simple tracking shot will follow someone across bumpy landscape with perfect grace, an invisible cue that the crew is really working hard, laying dolly track, making a difficult scene look easy.
The one really interesting theme that grows slowly until exploding at the end is the morality of hunting someone down just to turn them in for money. The bounty. And the bounty hunter. Well, with Janet Leigh there to help persuade you to higher goals, I supposed Jimmy Stewart can be forgiven. Or praised. You watch and see.
This is a classic straight forward and somewhat clichéd but professional western, with very solid acting and very solid direction, photography, and scenery. That's great, and that's the flaw of it all, this lack or originality. The core of it is action adventure, and an unlikely merging of unsavory characters. At first it's an outlaw that is being sought (Robert Ryan, a youthful bearded Ryan), then it's the Indians who are a danger (and the white gang of good guys and bad guys unite agains this new foe). Heading the posse, if you can call it that, is James Stewart, who is always pretty amazing. And there is the surprise woman in the group, an almost unrecognizable Janet Leigh. Eventually the group has to cross an inhospitable (and beautiful) landscape in all kinds of weather. It's powerful in the themes, if a little familiar in its themes.
Ryan is the highlight here. Stewart is billed first, but he's an uncomplicated hero, and Ryan plays a more convoluted type. The woman is at first Ryan's, it seems, but then it gets complicated. And the other two figures in this roving band take on opposing roles, as well. Leigh, in short hair (a 1950s style, and a good one), is really different, and she does fine. This cast of five is the entire credited cast (the Indians don't count, I guess, with no speaking parts). And because it's a small group, it gets increasingly personal. And good.
Director Anthony Mann is clearly in good form, making a routine script take on both psychological and kinetic edge. Everyone is trapped a bit by a routine script, but Mann makes it really tight and smart. The color photography is also trapped by the routines of beauty in the great Western landscape. The best scenes, at night in a cave, for example, are constricted and tense, really visually wonderful. Sometimes a simple tracking shot will follow someone across bumpy landscape with perfect grace, an invisible cue that the crew is really working hard, laying dolly track, making a difficult scene look easy.
The one really interesting theme that grows slowly until exploding at the end is the morality of hunting someone down just to turn them in for money. The bounty. And the bounty hunter. Well, with Janet Leigh there to help persuade you to higher goals, I supposed Jimmy Stewart can be forgiven. Or praised. You watch and see.
helpful•147
- secondtake
- Feb 7, 2011
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Stålsporren
- Filming locations
- Lone Pine, California, USA(Only Colorado is credited as a filming location!)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,261,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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