Two rival cattlemen forget their differences to fight six outlaws who take over an isolated Western town.System Requirements:Running Time: 92 minutes Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/CLASSICS UPC: 883904106449 Manufacturer No: M110644
Little regarded in its day (1959) and released on DVD utterly without fanfare, The Day of the Outlaw is a knockout, an unusual western with a compelling story, a host of fine actors, and a sinister vibe that just won't quit. The setting is a tiny, snowbound Wyoming outpost called Bitters--a most appropriate name, at least when it comes to Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan), a hard-edged rancher who bitterly resents the farmers whose barbed wire fences hamper his cattle drives. The fact that one of the farmers is married to the love of Blaise's life, Helen (Tina Louise--yep, that's Ginger from Gilligan's Island; also in the cast are David Nelson, Ozzie's son and Ricky's older brother, and model Venetia Stevenson, who would later marry Don Everly), doesn't help his disposition any. In fact, Blaise is getting ready to kill his rival when big trouble comes to Bitters in the form of a gang of bank robbers on the run from the law. Led by a former Cavalry officer named Bruhn (a commanding performance by Burl Ives), these are some nasty, repellent dudes; only Bruhn's iron hand keeps them from laying waste to the town, especially its women, of whom there are just four. But he's been mortally wounded, which means it's only a matter of time before the inmates take over the asylum; indeed, watching these brutes as the lure of whiskey and womenfolk threatens to turn them into gun-toting Beavises and Butt-heads creates an almost tangible tension that makes the film hard to watch but impossible to turn away from. The black & white cinematography only adds to the bleakness, and Hungarian director Andre De Toth's sure hand results in several terrific scenes, especially the Saturday night "dance" (where the women desperately try to fight off the outlaws' loutish advances) and the extended final sequence, which finds Blaise helping the bad guys escape--or so they think--across the snow-covered mountains. Riveting stuff. --Sam Graham
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Quality psychological western in unique setting:
In the 1950s, westerns took a turn to the more intellectual with less reliance on mindless action, Day of the Outlaw is one of those psychological westerns. Rancher Blaise Starrett (what a cool western name) owns a spread in the mountains of Wyoming, but he's having trouble with the local farmers who want to fence off the area. But just when the confrontation is coming to a full boil, a gang of vicious renegades on the run ride into town to rest up after being chased by the cavalry for robbing an Army... more info
Ryan Rules.:
Superb western to just now be released on dvd. We need more of these classics for our movie libraries, but its just a shame we have to wait so long to get them.
Robert Ryan and Burl Ives are outstanding in this bleak, austere, frigid western:
"Now listen," says Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives), renegade former captain in the U. S. Army, to the frightened men and women of Bitters, population about 20, four of them women. It's deep winter and Bruhn and his men have just barged into the saloon as rancher Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) was about to gun down farmer Hal Crane. "Do as you're told and you can go about your business just like we're not here, almost. But we are here so it's best you know with what you're dealing. Pace here gets pleasure out of... more info
A very odd "oater":
First I have to say I'm a huge Robert Ryan/Western fan (Hour of the Gun, The Lawman), and if you've ever seen Burl Ives in "Big Country" you know how good he can play a bad guy. But this movie was an odd diappointment--not terrible, but strange for a Western. It starts right off with Robert Ryan being a tough guy; then shows him oddly romantic with Tina Louise (yes, from Gilligan's Island who looks gorgeous as a brunnette) and you see why Ryan rarely did love scenes. The whole movie is taking place... more info
