A term I've seen used to describe this. I can't say I've seen more of this unusual sounding sub-genre but the combination works well here due to the fine performances and deft execution of a fairly intricate plot. Just short of Winchester '73 (in part due to the ending) as my favourite Mann western, but that's still damn high praise.
7/10
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Reply by tmdb53400018
on May 12, 2022 at 7:40 PM
Iād actually watch Barbara Stanwyck puke into a sink, as I love her that much. This film, to my best memory, has a dense plotline similar to that of The Big Sleep, so I figure that can qualify it as noir to some.
Reply by tmdb53400018
on May 13, 2022 at 12:24 PM
Also, I didn't discover comedy noir until last year, so I'd reply to you, why not? Film noir took place over a pretty long period, about two decades--there was lots of time for various subgenres to pop up in there.
Reply by Fergoose
on May 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM
Its definitely a fair term for the film, quick talking, quick wits and a whole lot of intrigue. It's what I found made the ending a little too Hollywood and out of keeping with the rest of the film.
In terms of Stanwyck, I didn't discover her until recently and I'm very impressed so far. A dolly bird in the film says about her character "I don't know what they see in the plain ones", but someone looking just like the girl next door is perfect for this. Its hard to imagine a film since the 80s casting a pair of normal looking humans like Stanwyck and Wendell Corey as the romantic leads.
Reply by Steve
on January 19, 2023 at 2:36 PM
Rewatching it last week (one of my favorites) I can see how films like this influenced shows like Dallas and especially Yellowstone. Is it noir? Kind of leaning no but that's probably me. I think loner cowboy in Blood on the Moon fits better while this one seems to epic to be that. I now just realized that is Walter Huston and not Henry Hull in the father role. I wish more actors would be as broad in their performances sometimes.
Reply by tmdb53400018
on January 20, 2023 at 3:13 PM
I remember and agree with this.
And I somewhat agree with you on this. Barbara is somewhat plain looking, and it can be a pleasure to watch American films from say, the sixties to the seventies starring folks like Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman or Charles Bronson. I don't have anything against pretty people; I'm not sure if "looksism" has that much grounding in reality, outside of maybe broadcast media.