Phil Rosenthal, creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and host of "Somebody Feed Phil," picks the five tastiest food films of all time.
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: Firecreek (1968)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| James Stewart | ... | Johnny Cobb | |
| Henry Fonda | ... | Bob Larkin | |
| Inger Stevens | ... | 'Evelyn' / Evelyn Pittman | |
| Gary Lockwood | ... | Earl | |
| Dean Jagger | ... | Whittier | |
| Ed Begley | ... | Preacher Broyles | |
| Jay C. Flippen | ... | Mr. Pittman | |
| Jack Elam | ... | Norman | |
| James Best | ... | Drew | |
| BarBara Luna | ... | Meli (as Barbara Luna) | |
| Jacqueline Scott | ... | Henrietta Cobb | |
| Brooke Bundy | ... | Leah | |
| Robert Porter | ... | Arthur (as J. Robert Porter) | |
| Morgan Woodward | ... | Willard | |
| John Qualen | ... | Hall | |
Farmer and family man Johnny Cobb moonlights as a two dollar a month Sheriff with a homemade badge in the quiet little town of Firecreek. When a gang of freebooters passes through, their leader Larkin, who is suffering from a minor wound, agrees to spend the night. The gang members prove to be vicious, sadistic sociopaths who take advantage of the frightened townspeople, humiliating them for their own perverse amusement. Although Larkin disapproves of their behavior, his leadership role is tenuous, and he is reluctant to test it by exercising control over his men. The mild-mannered Cobb faces a series of challenges from the gang's antisocial behavior. Things come to a head when Meli, an Indian woman with a mixed race child, incurs an attempted sexual attack by one of gang. Arthur, a simpleton stable boy, comes to her aid and accidentally kills the attacker. Cobb locks up Arthur to keep him safe, but when the Sheriff leaves town to visit his wife, who is struggling in labor, there is ... Written by duke1029
First off, anyone calling this typical, cliché, or done-before wasn't really paying attention. I can't recall any other Western I have ever seen that is as personally intense. I believe if this was a Japanese movie involving samurai, the same reviewers saying as much would have been praising it and it would be hailed as an example of originality and how great many unappreciated Japanese films are.
To really get an idea of what you're going to watch when you watch this film, realize that it is closer to 12 Angry Men and The Crucible than it is to your typical shoot-em-up Western.
I believe that this is an excellent movie for student-actors to watch and study. Stewart and Fonda both deliver powerful, compelling performances. There roles are near perfect classic examples of protagonist and antagonist. Yet, while their respective roles as 'good guy' and 'bad guy' are familiar this is an ultra-intense dive into who their characters are, what has brought them to this point, and the gritty depths to which each is willing to plunge into themselves to win the day. Both characters are inextricably tied to their respective companions with both parallels and extreme contrasts as to why they are so heavily influenced by those around them. Yet each has a core integrity that *seems* unshakable despite constant challenges pushed upon them by the profound flaws that define their respective groups.
If you allow yourself to become immersed you'll discover an inglorious, unflattering, gritty hero versus villain tale unlike the vast majority of movies that exist in any genre, let alone Westerns. A dry, dusty, brutal struggle for survival in an isolated Western scenario. It gives you little hope for positive resolution throughout. You can feel the tension and you'll cringe at what seems inevitable tragedy. Unique, gritty, and intense, I claim without hesitation that this is one of the best Westerns of all time.