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James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O'Donnell, Alex Nicol ... see more see more... , Aline MacMahon , Wallace Ford , Jack Elam , James Millican , Gregg Barton , Boyd Stockman , Frank de Kova , John War Eagle , Eddy Waller , Bill Catching , Frank Cordell , Jack Carry , Chief John War Eagle , Frank DeKova

Anthony Mann directed this brilliant psychological Western reminiscent of Shakespeare's King Lear. James Stewart plays Will Lockhart, who is obsessed with finding the man who sold automatic rifles to ... read more read more...the Apaches, resulting in the death of his brother. Will enters the town of Coronado, NM, ruled by the blind and aging patriarch Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). Unaware that he is trespassing on Waggoman's land, he finds himself accosted by Alec's sociopathic son, Dave (Alex Nicol), who brutally beats Will and is ready to kill him. But Will is rescued at the last minute by Waggoman's adopted son, Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy). Will finds that Waggoman has become increasingly concerned over who will inherit his vast empire. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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77% liked it

3,151 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

6 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Anthony Mann

Release Date: August 31, 1955

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DVD Release Date: February 8, 2000

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Stats: 149 reviews

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Don't EVER follow Jimmy! jimmy surrounded jimmy jimmy! jimmy gets roped Jimmy is not happy!
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Flixster Reviews (149)

  • ajv2688
    November 10, 2010
    ajv2688
    An okay movie for a western, Stewart is a great actor, and he brings the movie to life.
  • bottcorecords1
    May 30, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Like the Sons of Katie Elder, The Man from Laramie deals heavily with father/son relationships in the old west, and how the weak son fails the empire-carving father. The son Dave (Alex Nicol) isn't just weak and ignorant, he's also mean-spirited. Vic (Arthur Kennedy) is put in ... read morecharge of "keeping" Dave, but Dave travels across the ranch like an oafish baby, and Vic can only keep him in line so well. But Vic has other reasons for disliking Dave, especially the fact that when the old man (Donald Crisp) dies, Dave will inherit (and likely fritter away) all the hard work he's put into the ranch. Lockhart (James Stewart) has come to to town supposedly to deliver a shipment to the general store, but his real agenda is to discover who sold the repeating rifles to the apaches who killed his brother. There are no stereotypical villains in this movie, no one is strictly speaking "evil" (except perhaps dave, who just wants to be the man his father was), they're more misguided. When the old man came out west, he had to be tough, as there wasn't any law to protect him and his property. Times have changed, and he wants his son to learn how to do the bookkeeping, but all Dave wants to do is play cowboy and spends every opportunity looking for a fight. Lockhart is shrewd and cool as a cucumber as he works towards finding his revenge, and it's a vengeance that won't be denied. The psychology of the characters is well fleshed out and puts the Man from Laramie a step above the stereotypical black-and-white westerns.
  • garyX
    September 13, 2009
    garyX
    James Stewart plays an army captain on the trail of gun runners who sold rifles to the Apache resulting in the death of his brother. Mann and Stewart made some great westerns together but this one somehow didn't have the spark that makes a film special for me. Stewart is as relia... read moreble as ever and Mann's direction solid, but there's something so terribly generic about this one. I think black and white suited Mann's style far better, and the plot to this film seems so formulaic and predictable that I was stifling yawns by the time it was half finished. The characters were all a little too familiar, the outcome inevitable and there's very little in the way of action along the way. Not bad by any means, but it's not in the same league as the likes of Winchester '73.
  • harrycaul
    May 10, 2009
    harrycaul
    This was the last, and arguably the best, of five marvellous westerns directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, remarkable for their psychological complexity and - with the possible exception of The Far Country, which is over-reliant on artificial backdrops - fo... read morer their stunning use of landscape. Typically cast as either a bad man trying to escape his past or a good man sworn to a vengeance he's barely cut out for, Stewart was the perfect actor to bring out the emotional turmoil of Mann's flawed heroes. In The Man from Laramie he plays a mysterious stranger hunting those responsible for selling the Apache the repeating rifles used to ambush an army patrol. Donald Crisp, Arthur Kennedy and Aline MacMahon give excellent support, and the film is also memorable for some unusual salt lake scenery and a couple of bits of eye-popping sadism.
  • kenstachnik
    January 14, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Couldn't get into it. Beautifully crafted though
  • mjgildea
    July 18, 2007
    mjgildea
    Such a great western. The landscapes and cinematography Mann employs are incredible even if the colors are oversaturated. The villains (namely Dave) are truly despicable and part of Man From Laramie's charm is that it doesn't play out the way you'd expect. Great performance from ... read moreStewart, great supporting cast and characters and great story.
  • staindslaved
    July 16, 2011
    staindslaved
    A solid film with a solid screenplay and solid performances from the cast. The scene where Stewart's character is confronted for 'stealing' salt and it's aftermath is one of the real haunting moments of the film and the entire Mann/Stewart western saga. It's for that scene alon... read moree that The Man From Laramie gets elevated from a decent film to a very good one.
  • codyfranklin2
    November 26, 2008
    codyfranklin2
    I've always heard good things about Anthony Mann's westerns and after watching the Tin Star and this film I will defiantly watch more. The stories are good but the characterizations and acting is top notch. Jimmy plays a mystery man from Laramie who roles into town and gets caugh... read moret up with a cattle Baron and his out of control son. They piss off Jimmy and they are connected to his real reason for coming to their town and its all revenge from there on out. The movie starts out real strong and gets a little formulaic towards the end, but it is quite enjoyable and I love me some Jimmy.
  • fb68600877
    December 28, 2011
    fb68600877
    Terrific build up to the film's climax with one of Jimmy Stewart's better performances. It's well shot, to boot.
  • jam233
    June 6, 2010
    jam233
    Top notch western. I have always felt Jimmy Stewart made the finest westerns, and this is one of his best. He is excellent, and the supporting cast is great as well, mainly Donald Crisp and Aline MacMahon. Great production values, well written, good color cinematography and bette... read morer than average period detail. It rises above most westerns because it has more than just a basic plot, there are complexities to the story and the characters. More violent than most westerns from this period. Director Anthony Mann does a great job developing the story and characters. Cathy O'Donnell is surprisingly effective, I had a hard time visualizing her in a western role, but she does fine.

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Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson
August 21, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

The fifth of Anthony Mann's five Westerns with Jimmy Stewart, The Man from Laramie looks more and more like the best of the lot. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
June 30, 2005
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A revenge Western Shakespeare might have liked. Full Review

Daniel Eagan
May 20, 2004
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International

Taut, brutal Western with King Lear overtones

February 12, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 23, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Daniel M. Kimmel
May 14, 2004
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

Philip Martin
October 14, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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