Moviecut—The Brass Legend

source: The Brass Legend

The only person who should have been shot in this movie is the writer. From a sheriff who sends a murderer to town under the auspices of his girl friend, to a father who has no regard for the safety of his son, this movie is ripe for some very rotten tomatoes. The dialog adds nothing, and the actors can't save the plot and keep the viewer's interest. By comparison, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" is at least humorous and entertaining. Would love to see this served on a platter to Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo. Don't waste your time on this when there are good westerns out there worth watching.

I would have liked to have liked The Brass Legend more. I well remember watching Hugh O'Brian as a kid in Wyatt Earp on TV and quite liked him. He was much more effective I think playing villains as he did in a some westerns as his stone face look doesn't exactly give you a warm feeling here as a hero. He should have stuck to playing baddies, however he's very good in the gunfight scenes here, where he really brings some impact to an otherwise flat direction. The biggest flaw for me was the terrible acting by the child actor Donald McDonald and had a more accomplished child been chosen it would have been a big improvement as the other acting roles are generally quite good, particularly Raymond Burr and his girlfriend floozy Reba Tassell who both exude evil. Some of the dialogue is quite decently presented as well but the delightful Nancy Gates is wasted and there's zero chemistry between her and O'Brian. A clear rip off of High Noon but 4 stars out of 10 for trying and the gunfights.

Aside from its shoot-out climax on horseback, this is an undistinguished little formula western. Oswald's direction is extremely routine with its long takes, static camera angles, plus a decided emphasis on uninspired close-ups, principally of wooden-faced Hugh O'Brian. The acting is as lethargic as the dialog is cliched. The characters are one-dimensional and with one or two exceptions (such as Burr's jaded killer, Tassell's ruthless saloon girl), the playing lacks sparkle, although it's nice to see Russell Sinpson as Pop Jackson (one of the jailers) and Norman Leavitt as a deputy who even covers out hero in a saloon shoot-out. Production values are very moderate, and credits undistinguished. In fact there is a great deal of very obvious day-for-night shooting!

A marvellous Western from Oswald, a director who brought an intensity and fluidity to the B-Western that seems impossible given the five-to-seven-day shooting schedule it and the equally impressive 'Fury at Showdown' (1957) shared. Burr and O'Brian are the baddie and peace officer respectively set on collision course, when O'Brian captures Burr only to have him escape. The action is breathtaking - the climax has Burr and O'Brian racing towards each other on horseback, guns drawn - but it is Oswald's assertive camera, creating a jail break in one long take, for instance, that one remembers. Ph. H.

Routine Western with not much to recommend it, which is rather surprising since director Gerd Oswald has something of a cult following. The problem lies with a stone-faced O'Brien and an undistinguished script whose high-point comes in a gun jousting showdown along a country road. In fact, only bar girl Millie (Rebecca Welles, aka Reba Tassell) manages to inject some life into the proceedings. Too bad Raymond Burr's villain Tris Hatten doesn't get more screen time. He has all the makings of a good florid baddie. It's odd to see Burr in such a leering role after his career years as the super-straight Perry Mason. Anyway, the European-born Oswald plays the unfamiliar material of a Western in pretty straightforward, unimaginative fashion, when what's needed is something to lift the movie above the ordinary.

O'Brian is the town sheriff (just like on TV) attempting to keep peace, and in so doing, must remove Burr. Good cast in a better-than-average plot bring this picture to an exciting duel on horseback. Burr's death scene is memorable.

Compact Low-Budget Western with some Off-Beat Ingredients. The Two Leads...Hero Sheriff Hugh O' Brien and Outlaw Raymond Burr. In the Mix is almost a Prerequisite in the Prolific 50's Western...A "Kid". From Highly-Praised and Popular Films like "Shane" (1953) Onward. Including TV"s "The Rifleman". Were Examples of Popular Culture Icons that Showcased the "Boom". Family Life in Post-War America was a "Celebratory" Procreative Parade of Offspring. The Down-Home, Salt of the Earth "Americana" Manifested in the Western Genre. After the War it was Obligatory to Reflect Contemporary Reality...Arriving "Boomers". Mostly this was Nothing More than "Ornamental" and for the Most Part, at Best it was Non-Intrusive, but at Worst it could Cause Cringes and Interfere by way of Irritations. The Adolescent in this Little-Seen or Appreciated Movie, the "Kid" is Used in just the Right Way. He is Substantial to the Plot, Yields Firearms, and Helps His Friend the Sheriff in Apprehending the Outlaw. Also, Against the Norm, He is Attacked and Shot of His Horse for His Involvement. This is Highly Unusual in the Code-Dominated, Ultra Conservative Decade. Non-Adults were Rarely Allowed to become Victims of Abuse or Violence in Mainstream Movies. There's an Unusual Gunfight in the Saloon Presented in an Off-Handed Display. To Cap it Off, the "Showdown" Mano-Mano between Good and Evil is Not your Standard Stand-Off in the Streets. Worth a Watch for the Strange Way the Film Presents the Ever-Present Genre Cliches.

Burr is fantastic is this movie. Not a large role or does he have that many lines. But his acting abilities really shine as a person who really should not have been born. The young actor portraying Clap Gipson looks like he is trying to act.- really bad.