Bravados [VHS]

Henry King started directing films in 1916 with "Who Pays" and made his last "Tender is the Night" in 1962. This is a tribute to his durability in a tough industry. Sadly most of his films are very fogettable affairs indeed. But he did make two startlingly good films. "Twelve o Clock High"(49) and "The Gunfighter"(50). He also made the very interesting "The Bravados"(59) a dark story of revenge. All these films starred Gregory Peck. My Mother would cite "Love is a Many splendoured Thing" as a King classic, but I would not recommend you watch it to find out.

In "The Bravados" Gregory Peck plays rancher Jim Douglas who has been hunting four outlaws who murdered and raped his wife for the past 6 months. He finds them in a town just as they are about to be hung for other depredations. Whilst he is waiting to see them hang they escape and he once again sets off in vengeful pursuit hell bent on killing them all. In one case the man begs for mercy but finds none. The vengeance in Jims heart gradually turns him into a monster no better than the men he pursues. There is an intelligent twist to the story in the films finale, when the horror of becoming your own judge, jury and executioner, is brought emphatically home.

The film bears similarities to that quite brilliant film starring Henry Fonda "The Ox Bow incident" (43) which is the story of an innocent group of cowboys that are lynched by a mob. A film that flopped miserably at the box Office. War time audiences needed something more optimistic to watch than cowboys being lynched. It was also an important influence on Segio Leone's "For a Few Dollars More" (65). "The Bravados" has a very strong cast which helps the film immeasurably. Irishman Stephen Boyd is excellent as one of the outlaws and Henry Silva also stands out. Lee Van Cleef throws in another Western turn, and Joan Collins in an odd piece of casting provides the female interest. No this is not a classic in the vein of "The Searchers" or "The Wild Bunch" but it is a very good film. It is a moral fable for our times and has not dated. Highly recommended.

The Bravados is a good film starring Gregory Peck as a man seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. Although in many ways it has a similar basic plot to many other Westerns, the twist in the story at the end combined with a good performance by Gregory Peck, in which he is in many ways playing against type makes this more than just your average Western. All in all a good film.

Through the history of film there have been a few classic pairings of director and actor that have produced some out and out great films - Anthony Mann/James Stewart, John Huston/Humphrey Bogart, John Ford/John Wayne for example. I would humbly add Henry King/Gregory Peck to that list.

Though (as far as I know) they only made three films together, The Gunfighter, Twelve O'Clock High and Bravados, all three stand as some of the best work in the canon of either man, and all three were great movies that had that extra something that set them apart from the herd.

Contains spoilers. Bravados is one of those morally complex tales that Peck acted so well. Jim Douglas rides into town to witness the execution of four men he has never met. The men escape, and Douglas aids the posse to bring them in. But it turns out Douglas is determined that he will be the one to visit doom upon them, relentlessly hunting the four down. Along the way his back story, and the reasons for his pursuit and vengeance are slowly revealed, and we are rooting for the man as he does what is right. But in a final twist it transpires that he has no personal reason to hate the men he has killed, and he is left looking for redemption for what he has done in pursuit of his misplaced vengeance.

Peck brings a total commitment and intensity to the role of Douglas. It would be so easy to make yet another `Good guys/bad guys' western, but the examination of just what is right and wrong, with the possibility that the hero has made a dreadful mistake, really lifts this to another level. Fundamentally nice guy Peck displays all the qualities of the hero, and the anguish upon his realisation of his mistake, to a tee in one of his best performances. Look out for an excellent early supporting role from Lee Van Cleef as one of the bad guys. Most of the other supporting actors acquit themselves well, though none can compete with Peck on the screen. The weakest link is the over rated Joan Collins as a possible love interest, her character feels shoehorned in, and her performance is a bit uncomfortable.

This Studio Classics release from Fox is pretty good, with an excellent transfer and picture quality. I have been impressed with all the DVD's I have had from this range. Highly recommended purchase to those who like action and a bit of thought provoking. 5 stars.