MovieChat Forums > One Foot in Hell (1960) Discussion > a helluva western

a helluva western

posted 17 years ago by dreamonforever1
9 replies | jump to latest

very interesting character-driven story that starts out one way and ends another. or, maybe it'd be truer to say that it starts out taking one direction to its end, but winds up using another.
some have commented about that ending seeming rushed or forced, but the character alan ladd plays becomes so calculating in the wake of his wife's fate that it's hard not to see that he's worked every last detail out in his mind...except one, of course.
i liked everything about the film - especially the "hellhole" sequence.

gregory 073107

[–] wtl471629 17 years ago

I agree dreamon. I remember this western when it first came out and it is very good. Not in the classic western of High Noon or Shane but still very good with Ladd in an offbeat role. It is showing right now fairly regularly on the Encore Western Channel and I hope western fans will take advantage and see it.

[–] jrriley 17 years ago

A very different western for Alan Ladd, although not a classic like The Searchers or High Noon, it was still a very good and entertaining film

Not everything just happens, but somethings happen justly

[–] sedmis01 17 years ago

I really enjoyed this too. I think it might make for a good remake, in the same vain as 3:10 to Yuma.

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

I agree with sedmis01, this would be a terrific candidate for a remake. It is an offbeat western, especially for Ladd, though as everyone else has said not in a league with SHANE or other truly great westerns. If they'd taken a bit more time and care and with a little extra money -- a better director, tighter script, etc., -- they'd have had a real winner. Ladd's seething anger just isn't conveyed well enough early on, so that when he begins his campaign of vengeance it comes as something of a surprise, especially considering how cold and vicious he is. He's obviously much more unhinged than the script conveys to the audience, so while his motivation is clear the depth of his anger and nastiness -- so in contrast to the kind and decent man he'd been at the start -- isn't established. And Ladd's frozen grin throughout much of the film is a bit creepy.

Still, a solid, unjustly neglected western. I'd love for Fox to bring it out on DVD, in its widescreen glory. Besides the Encore Western Channel, this has been running on Fox Movie Channel, but while Encore almost never runs movies letterboxed, FMC does; but even they haven't done so for OFIH, yet.

I'm glad people are posting on this site.

[–] Jason_Radley 12 years ago

I'd say this film had one foot in the 1960s. There's definitely a meaner edge to it than your typical Western (not just the cold-blooded executions but the implication that Julie's father pimped her to his friends), and, yes, that cattle explosion scene was quite remarkable.

[–] thbryn 11 years ago

I had never seen this --never heard of it-- and watched it just to see Ladd. I can't say I liked it but it held my interest with it's offbeat story line.

Kisskiss, Bangbang

[–] pepperprentiss 10 years ago

I agree with you ,Jason. The description of this film made me give it a viewing. I was really surprised. Not a typical Western indeed.I checked the release date of this film,and then I understood the how this film was so different from other Westerns.Basically a Film Noir Western.

[–] karnevilelp 10 years ago

Help! I just finished watching this and enjoyed it(I'm a big Alan Ladd fan) sO I'm hoping someone can tell me:

How did he kill the Brit Mr. Ivers? I rewound the movie and to me, Ivers kills his target > sets the place on fire and then....disappears.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[–] momur (107) 3 years ago

(7 years late, but in case you're still wondering...)

SPOILERS:
Mitch had told the others where he wanted each of them to go to hide out after the raid on the bank until it's safe for them to meet and divvy up the money (in reality it's just to make it easier for Mitch to get rid of them all). Ivers was to go to a hotel in a nearby city which is exactly what he does after setting the store on fire (there's a brief scene of him checking in to the hotel). After Mitch leads the posse to the gunslinger, he pretends that the gunslinger has told him where to find Ivers with his dying words and tells the posse that they'll set off for the city where Ivers is hiding the next day. Presumably Mitch then led the posse to Ivers and tricked him out into the open to be gunned down, just like he did with the gunslinger.

I just rewatched this recently after not seeing it in years and honestly, it still holds up pretty well. It's got its fair share of flaws; I honestly find it hard to feel any kind of sympathy for the townsfolk in this - sure, Mitch definitely goes off the deep end, but it still feels more like everyone in the town is spending the movie trying to be super nice to him just because they still feel guilty for the three men causing the death of his wife and unborn kid (whether they meant it or not, the end result was the same and it's all because those three men decided to behave like total gits despite there clearly being a good reason for Mitch needing a hotel room and then needing medicine, even if it was the middle of the night), and Mitch's change at the beginning from being angry one minute to deciding to at least pretend to buddy up to them all the next is a little too jarring and it feels quite unbelievable that everyone in the town would accept that he's just suddenly decided to forgive and forget so easily. But despite all that, it's still incredibly captivating and one of the better "Western revenge" stories out there.