AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Spikeopath Wichita is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Daniel B. Ullman. It stars Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Wallace Ford, Edgar Buchannan, Lloyd Bridges and Keith Larsen. It's filmed in Cinemascope/Technicolor with cinematography by Harold Lipstein and music by Hans J. Salter.Wichita is an origin story, that of one Wyatt Earp (McCrea), the story is set before he gets to Dodge City, where apparently some famous gunfight occurred. From a narrative stand point it's a town tamer story, Earp arrives in a newly thriving Wichita, at this point he's a hunter of buffalo only. But as the cowboys converge on the town, and things turn very dark, Earp - a bastion of good and just righteousness - finds it impossible to continue in turning down the town superior's offers of becoming the town Marshal.It's one of those Western movies that made Western movie fans become Western movie fans. A film you would have watched as a youngster and just bought totally into the good guy against the baddies central core. Of course as youngsters we wouldn't have cared a jot about thematics such as capitalism ruling over common sense, or metaphysical leanings ticking away, all while a genius director is composing shots and frames of great distinction. Hell! Even the intelligence and maturity in the writing would have escaped us, the dark passages merely incidents of no great concern...Wichita is damn fine film making. OK! It isn't wall to wall action. Sure there is a good round of knuckles, a bit of trench warfare and the standard shoot-outs, but these are just conduits to smart and compelling human drama, richly performed by McCrea (brilliantly cast) and company. Tourneur, Ullman and Lipstein make sure there is no waste on the page or via location framing, the costuming authentic and pleasing, and of course the story itself, the set up of the iconic man himself, is as compelling as it is splendidly entertaining.It be a traditional Western for the traditional Western fan. Nice! 8/10

MartinHafer Up front I must tell you that I usually HATE westerns featuring folks like Jesse James, Billy the Kid and other real life folk. This is because very rarely do the filmmakers get it right--and completely fictionalize these lives to make minor characters seem far, far more important and interesting than they really were. So, when I saw that Joel McCrea stars as Wyatt Earp, I was NOT pleased. And, to make it worse, Bat Masterson apparently is in the film as well. The only reason I forced myself to watch it is because even a bad McCrea western is still usually worth seeing. Plus, it did help that folks like Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Edgar Buchanan, Wallace Ford, Vera Miles and Jack Elam also were in the film.To set the record straight, I used to teach US History and much of what's in this film is crap. While it is true that Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson did work together for a bit, it was in Texas, not Kansas. Also, Earp WAS a deputy in Wichita--never the marshall or sheriff. And, although Bat Masterson DID become a newspaper man, that was later--after he was a lawman. I sure wish they'd kept the script and just changed the names--it would have improved it immensely. That's because it really is a very, very good film apart from all the historical confabulations! In this story, Wyatt is a peace-loving and patient man. He's headed into Wichita to open a business and live a normal life. Unfortunately, the town is pretty lawless--especially when the cattlemen and their hands arrive in town. During one of these times, the guys shoot up the town--and kill a little kid. So, Wyatt is quickly sworn in as sheriff and he takes on these drunken rowdies with only the assistance of young Bat Masterson. You'd think the town would be thrilled, right? Well, this is NOT the case of the rich guys in town who own the saloons and stockyards! They want the sheriff to turn a blind eye to the outrages of the cattlemen because their fortunes depend on cattle. However, Wyatt will only do it his way--the RIGHT way! What's to happen next? See the film for yourself.Excellent acting, lots of action and a terrific take on the myth of the old west. Yes, I do mean myth as gunfights and much of what we think of as common stuff in the west rarely ever occurred--and more often than not, it was just some guy shooting another guy in the back!

Tim Kidner The now-familiar and evergreen story of Wyatt Earp's maverick attempts (& succeeding) at ridding all guns from the Western frontier town of Wichita, is again shown here, directed with some style by Jacques Tourneur, from 1955.Joel Mc Crea - not quite a superstar of Westerns, is suitably refrained but still somehow imposing as the law enforcement officer Earp. There's good action at the start, as bands of outlaws ride in, guns blazing, fights in Saloon bars and general terrorising of the residents.Mc Crea is good, Vera Miles lovely and a turn from Lloyd Bridges is always welcome. The colour and clarity are also good, though the Technicolor less vibrant and saturated than is often the case, making the film look more natural.Though I'm no expert on the Western, I do enjoy a good one and whilst this was entertaining enough, it didn't strike me as one to particularly remember. It didn't drag, wasn't boring and is probably better than average, but not quite enough for 7/10.

doug-balch This movie's a little stiff and simplistic, but entertaining.Here's what I liked:Joel McCrea is a good leading man, fits this role nicely, although he's probably too old to be playing Wyatt Earp here.Good basic "taming of the Wild West story", done much better by John Ford a few years later in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence". Both movies have a drunken intellectual newspaper editor and Vera Miles is the love interest in both movies. -Usual stock group of great Western character actors from the '50's, including Edgar Buchanan, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Wilke and Jack Elam. Buchanan at his best playing a man of poor character and low repute. No plot holes and it maintains good interest throughout.Here's what wasn't so great:I'm rarely excited by "town" Westerns. They are usually shot mostly back lot, so there's little scenery. They also have little opportunity to weave in Indian, Civil War or Mexican themes.This whole thing's a little cookie cutter, simplistic and stiff.I know this was very typical in many '50's movies, but I will continue to keep pointing out that the age difference between Joel McCrea and Vera Miles is too wide. Including Stewart and Wayne in "Valence", Miles was fawned over by three leading men who were cumulatively almost 100 years older than her! At least Ethan kept his hands off of her in "The Searchers".Also, her part is gratuitous.No comic relief