Man Without A Star (1955)

A slight disclaimer: I have an fondness for this particular film which perhaps isn't justified by the film itself. Objectively it's well-made, entertaining, but ultimately pretty cheesy. However:

Dempsey Rae (Kirk Douglas) is a drifter with a special hatred of barbed wire. He becomes a mentor to a younger drifter, Jeff (William Campbell) and they both accept a job working at Reed Bowman's (Jeanne Crain) ranch. She has ruthless ambitions to expand at the expense of smaller ranchers, while the smaller ranchers are looking to protect themselves using barbed wire. Rae is conflicted between his hatred of barbed wire (and "the men that use it") and his dislike of Bowman's approach to business. Claire Trevor appears in as saloon girl friend of Rae's.

The highlight of the film is the relationship between Rae and Bowman. Rae lets Bowman thing she's seduced him into a job—writing his price on the wages ledger as "you"---but ultimately betrays her, although not before euphemistically "collecting his wages". She then uses her feminine wiles to get back at him by seducing his young prodigy. This section has everything that can be wanted from a western romance, and is wonderfully over-the-top.

The acting is pretty much spot-on throughout. Douglas fits perfectly as a carefree drifter who finds himself unwillingly drawn into other people's fights, and Crain is equally convincing as the scheming ranch owner. The theme tune by Frankie Laine and a surprisingly funny running joke about an indoor bathroom provide further highlights.

The slight weakness, I think, is a few small plot holes, mostly about why Jeff doesn't leave with Rae, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense at the time. For a slightly more objective look at the film, see Riding the High Country. One aspect he picks up on is that Rae seems slightly contradictory at times and goes against his own principles. I disagree with this criticism: it's quite clear that he lives his life in a "do as I say, not as I do" manner – he even says as much at the end.

The UK DVD looks pretty good throughout – see the screenshots. It helps that the film genuinely looks fantastic, with beautiful widescreen vistas of the plains the ranches are built on.

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