On TCM: The Naked Spur

The Naked Spur (1953) is playing on TCM this month, and you should try to check it out. The third in a series of five Westerns made through the partnership of Director Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart, it is a bit of a masterpiece. Mann was known for playing the actors' emotions through the atmosphere in his movies, but he is not sufficiently recognized for his perfect casting nor the utter brilliance of his direction in these flicks. In fact, they stand with the best Westerns of Ford, Hawks and Boetticher, and that is heady company indeed. Stewart is rock solid in this one, and wait till you get a load of Robert Ryan as the masterfully manipulative bad guy. A young Janet Leigh goes toe to toe with the two screen titans and is probably the winner in the end. Check it out.