There Was a Crooked Man…

Summary

“Like asking a pack of coyotes to keep quiet about a dead horse.”
Warner Archive has always been impressive in their ability to focus their attention on so many genres and time periods from within their vast archive. They have recently released the 1970 western There was a crooked man… on Blu-ray. The film’s ensemble cast includes Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, and Warren Oates. With a cast like that, it was inevitable that I would watch the film eventually. I had time to check it out the other night.
As the film starts, Paris Pitman Jr. (Kirk Douglas) interrupts the meal of fried chicken that rich landowner Mr. Lomax (Arthur O. Connell) is about to enjoy. Lomax has a gun drawn on him from Paris’s men. They raid Lomax’s safe for a little over half a million dollars. All of Paris’s men die during their escape. Paris flees and hides the cash in a snake infested hole in the dessert. When Mr. Lomax comes to a house of ill repute, the madame allows him to look through a peep hole a gratis. He sees Paris in between two whores. Paris is arrested and sentenced by the judge. At a church, swindlers Dudley (Hume Cronyn) – the artist- and Cyrus (John Randolph) -the talker- work the church circuit conning people out of their money until their ruse is is revealed. Coy Cavendish (Michael Blodgett) is sleeping with a man’s daughter when her father comes out with a shotgun. In self defense, Coy throws a pool ball at him accidentally killing the man. Sheriff Lopeman (Henry Fonda) is tough on crime in his town and refuses bribes from prostitutes. At a bar, drunk gunslinger Floyd (Warren Oates) is asked by the sheriff to hand over his gun. When the sheriff sets his own pistol down, Floyd shoots and injures the sheriff. A mallet from the bartender knocks out the gunslinger. Coy, Cyrus, Dudley, Warren, and Paris are all sent to a territorial prison to await their sentences. Inside the territorial prison they meet Warden LeGoff (Martin Gabel.) They will break rocks each day in the mines and must attend all hangings as they await their sentencing. They also meet the Missouri Kid (Burgess Meredith,) an old timer who has been in the prison for decades and explains that escape is impossible. As Paris faces off enemies within the prison, he also makes alliances with the ragtag group of men that were sentenced alongside him. The warden summons him and makes Paris an offer. If he will split the $500,000 he hid with him, the warden will help you escape. Paris refuses and is sent to solitary confinement. A prison riot occurs and the warden is killed. Mr. Lopeman arrives to take over the warden’s post.
There was a crooked man… is an enjoyable film from director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Mankiewicz had won several academy awards and is known for directing the films All About Eve, Cleopatra, The Quiet American, The Barefoot Contessa, and Guys and Dolls. The film was written by David Newman and Robert Benton, who had a few years earlier written the classic Bonnie and Clyde. The film’s script is a balancing act that balances elements from the genres of crime, western, and comedy with some of the elements of late Sixties filmmaking.
At the time that There was a crooked man… was made, the studios were in a flux. Films like Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and The Wild Bunch had shaken the studio’s assumptions of what audiences wanted to see. The prior generation of studio filmmakers were still in the system attempting to adapt to the changing of the rules. Films like Midnight Cowboy had shown that audiences would pay to see films with an X rating and that they could win Best Picture. There was a crooked man… is a good example of the best and worst elements of the studio system during that time as they were trying to figure out what audiences wanted to see. For example, the film suffers from a little bit of immaturity from the newfound sexual freedom of films at the time. The writing of the film does not seem to need any of the nudity in the film. Sometimes less is more, and this film could have been just as enjoyable with a PG rating as with the R rating the film received from the nudity. I mean, how many people want to see an aging Kirk Douglass’s bare ass not once but twice? The films soundtrack by Charles Strouse is also a little more upbeat, goofy, and “groovy” than the film deserved. He did a great job on Bonnie and Clyde, but here his music distracts from the solid script. Aside from those two issues which seemed to stem from trying to be hip, there is a lot of fun to be had with the film. The script is a little overlong and could have trimmed a few moments, but the characters are all likable and the final third of the film in particular is pretty great.
Mankiewicz draws good performances from his cast, even though Douglass is a little hamfisted and too cocksure at the beginning of the film. Douglass becomes more enjoyable in the role as the film continues. Henry Fonda was a reliably good actor and he does a capable job in the film. I always enjoy watching him act. Warren Oates is one of my favorite actors and he is perfectly cast in the film. Oates had just been in The Wild Bunch the prior year. The film has an excellent cast that includes John Randolph, Hume Cronyn, Martin Blodgett, Arthur O’Connell, Martin Gabel, and the inimitable Burgess Meredith. That is an exceptional lineup. Part of the fun of watching the film is seeing all of these actors bounce lines off each other. The film is well shot by cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr., even though the film never tries to be extremely dynamic visually. It has a similar look to Peckinpah’s film The Ballad of Cable Hogue which was also released by Warner that same year.
Overall, there is a lot to enjoy about There was a crooked man… aside from a few small missteps where it felt like the filmmakers were trying just a little too hard to reach a new audience.
Video
Warner Archive continue to impress with a brand new 1080p HD transfer that was remastered specifically for this release using an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The film was shot in 2.35:1 and is presented in an 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Fine detail is good for the most part. Colors in the film are sometimes fairly muted, so expect the film to sometimes look slightly washed out. I did not notice any big discrepancies in the color correction or large compression artifacts. Overall this is another good transfer from Warner Archive. Fans should be pleased.
Audio
There was a crooked man… has been given a well-done DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. The dialogue is extremely clear and there is not any noticeable hiss or any other issues that I noticed. Fans should be very happy with how the film sounds.
Supplements:
Vintage Featurette: On Location- this is a fun promotional piece that was done to drum up interest in the film and to drum up interest in actor Michael Blodgett who is the focus of the piece. This was fun to watch.
Theatrical Trailer
Overall Scores:
Video – 4.5/5
Audio – 4.5/5
Supplements – 2/5
Overall – 4/5
There was a crooked man… is an entertaining film that capably blends elements of comedy, western, and crime genres. Aside from a few immature missteps made by the film in order to receive an R rating, the film has a lot to enjoy. The ensemble cast is fantastic and the finale of the film is great. I would happily revisit this film again. This disc features solid technical specs and an enjoyable promotional piece from when the film was released. Fans of the film will definitely want to check out the Blu-ray and I would recommend checking out the film if you are a fan of the actors in the cast.