Pursued (1947), The Man from Laramie (1955; in color), and 3:10 to Yuma (1957)

These three films reflect all the great facets associated with the genre. There is plenty of action and great storytelling, thanks to the stunning cinematography from some of cinema’s greats. But on a deeper level, they are dark and provoking. They deal artfully with themes of vengeance and morality. They tell stories of conflicted and less-than-perfect heroes that would come to characterize the western genre and influence later westerns.

- Olivia

Pursued (1947)- 1 hr 45 mins

In this noir-like western, Robert Mitchum stars as Jed Rand, a man who is haunted by the night his family was killed. The orphaned boy is adopted by the Callum family, where he leads a seemingly happy childhood. Jed's traumatic and mysterious past, however, haunt him into adulthood. He soon realizes that his ongoing nightmares of his parents' deaths mean more than he realizes.

From the writer of Duel in the Sun (1946), Niven Busch, Pursued is a unique western in large part because it crosses many genres including drama and film noir. It's also a thrilling mystery captured by the wonderful James Wong Howe. The New Mexico terrain is a character in and of itself, and Howe captures Jed's pursuit of his less-than-clear past in a way that makes his present seem dreamlike. The film marked some of the pivotal changes to the genre.

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The Man from Laramie (1955; in color)- l hr 44 mins

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One of eight films and the last of five westerns that director Anthony Mann and James Stewart made together, The Man from Laramie is, as expected from their many successful teamings, a western that does not disappoint. Stewart plays William Lockhart, a man whose sole objective is to find the man that caused the death of his brother- someone who has been selling repeating rifles to the Apaches. Lockhart's mission gets somewhat thwarted, though, when he comes to the town of Coronado and poses a threat to the power-hungry and wild Waggoman family. Lockhart, however, may have found the answer to his search right there in Coronado.

Captured by the great Charles Lang and shot in BEAUTIFUL technicolor, The Man from Laramie isn't a typical or clear story of vengeance. Neither are its characters. They are each uniquely motivated, generating the sort of friction that makes this film a very human and enduring western.

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3:10 to Yuma (1957; in color) - 1 hr 32 mins

A young and struggling rancher, Dan Evans (Van Heflin), is tasked with guarding outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), the leader of a group of ruffians. When he is offered a reward for making sure that Wade gets on the 3:10 train to Yuma, the undertaking proves tense due to the two men's very different senses of honor and morality.

Another unique western, 3:10 to Yuma is surprisingly engrossing. The film expertly captures the “silent” tension between Heflin and Ford, with Heflin as the conflicted and restless rancher and Ford as the ever cool and clever Wade.

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