Alicia I love this movie so much

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

JLRMovieReviews Brothers Robert Mitchum and Tab Hunter are living way off the beaten path and, every winter, a certain panther starts killing their livestock and is never caught. This winter will be different. I'd like to give this movie the benefit of the doubt, as to what this philosophical drama may actually be trying to say, but this is basically a major disappointment, considering the talent of its stars, including Teresa Wright, Diana Lynn, "Alfafa" (as an Indian), and Beulah Bondi, who said this was her favorite role. I can see why, as her character is more interesting and complicated than her usual kind of motherly types. But that is all really of interest. If you catch a minute of this and are transfixed by its color photography of black and white, you'll find there's not much else to really see. The dialogue is tiresome, with the characters continually saying "That if the panther is black..." "If the panther is black...." "If the panther is black..." I do give it a '4', for some reason. I guess for its stars and intriguing ending, but this is a curiosity piece at best. I will say though, that the panther may be heard, but is never seen. I think it would have been more successful had it had more obvious action with a cat you could see and less talk, and "if the panther was black.". After reading other reviews, I do agree this was more of a mood piece, which centers on Tab's character growing up and standing up for himself. But, overall, you still leave the movie feeling somewhat bemused, let down, and on the whole, dissatisfied with it. "But if the panther was black..."

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) It took me until yesterday to begin to like this movie. I could never before accept that a director who made "Yellow Sky", "The High and the Mighty", "Westward The Women" and "Beau Geste" would do what you can call a family drama with a lot of dialog, and present it as a western. When I got to about half the film in my VHS version I found it boring and gave up. I rented it yesterday in the DVD version and decided to give it another try. I loved the cinematography, all black and white with a few touches of color. You can call it the only black and white film made in color. The family drama of all those people dominated by the old mother and her son Robert Mitchum could be the material for a great film. The transformation of Tab Hunter from a man who feels owes the whole world to his brother into an independent man could have been far more dramatic. Still it is worth seeing.

wes-connors Robert Mitchum (as Curt) stars as bullying, titular head of the arguing Bridges family, electing himself over both parents, and brothers Tab Hunter (as Hal) and William Hopper (as Arthur). In the dead of winter, the family is threatened by a marauding mountain lion; the animal must be destroyed before it eats the Bridges family. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (as "Chief" Joe Sam) is the Bridges' ranchhand; the mountain lion killed his entire family some years ago.This is an exceedingly slow-moving and pretentiously written "psychological drama". The direction (William A. Wellman ) and photography (William H. Clothier) might be its most interesting feature. The Bridges' home is decorated in blacks and whites, but shot in color; this highlights the actors' complexions, and an occasional symbolic item, like Mr. Mitchum's red jacket. Due to the "black and white in color" gimmick, or in spite of it, the film looks beautiful. But nothing can MOVE the "Track of the Cat" story, making the the film merely an interesting experiment. Beulah Bondi (as Ma) and Teresa Wright (as sister Grace) might fascinate fans. Surprisingly, Tab Hunter offers the film's leading performance; emerging as the film's focus. ***** Track of the Cat (11/27/54) William A. Wellman ~ Robert Mitchum, Tab Hunter, Teresa Wright, Beulah Bondi

Neil Doyle A disturbingly dysfunctional family is at the heart of TRACK OF THE CAT, which tries to impose symbolic significance on the threat of the creature that is being stalked by the two oldest brothers. But the tale, filmed in monotonous B&W style with only highlights of real color allowed, is somber, tedious and talky.The performances are standard except for Mitchum who does a believable job as the loutish oldest brother. TERESA WRIGHT, DIANA LYNN and TAB HUNTER do fairly standard work, under William A. Wellman's slow-paced direction. It's a stark and brooding story of an isolated farm family living in a remote area and haunted by the symbolic "cat" of the title. Photographed in muted WarnerColor with effective background music by Roy Webb, its somber wintry atmosphere is well captured in the opening scene but becomes tedious before the story reaches a midway point because a real connection with the troubled characters is never really made.All the cast members have done better work elsewhere. It's hard to believe how matronly and severe TERESA WRIGHT became for this role, only a few years beyond her delicate work as a leading lady in many films of the '40s. WILLIAM HOPPER is effective as Mitchum's outspoken brother.All the interiors are filmed in a style that seems more like a filmed play than a film. BEULAH BONDI as the embittered mother manages to give some gravitas to the story. ROBERT MITCHUM gives his usual sturdy and colorful performance as the oldest son hellbent on tracking a killer cat. TAB HUNTER as the weakest younger brother has less to work with.A fairly interesting, harsh, character-driven tale that should have been much more effective with better dialog and family dynamics.