Dodge City

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, Bruce Cabot, Frank McHugh, Alan Hale, John Litel, Henry Travers, Victor Jory
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Western
1939

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Errol Flynn) comes into the outlaw-run Dodge City and is determined to clean up the town at all costs.

Review:

Tim: This is a very effective Western about a handful of good men cleaning up the corrupt, dangerous, and completely overrun by bandits Dodge City. While this plot is often found in Westerns, it works extremely well. The film is quite entertaining.

Errol Flynn was surprisingly good in the role. I've never seen a man who looks like he was born to be a swashbuckler. He is actually a very good cowboy as well. I didn't expect to enjoy his performance as much as I did. Olivia de Havilland was pretty good, although her performance cannot rival the one in Gone With the Wind. Watch for Ann Sheridan in a small but glamorous and beautiful role. She just shines on screen and makes you wish she had even seconds more of screen time. Henry Travers has a small role, too, which is always good.

The clean up of the town is told very well. Feats of this nature are not easy, and the movie does a good job showing how this was done. The slow transformation doesn't appear miraculous, but the result of a number of needed changes.

Dodge City also boasts one of (if not the) greatest barroom brawl of all time. The fight starts tamely enough, but just keeps increasing and the entire saloon is literally torn to shreds. This is an amazing scene and no amount of talking it up will diminish the grandeur of the event. It was truly amazing to watch.

Dodge City is a solid, classic Western that features a good cast, looks beautiful in color, and is well worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gone With the Wind, It's a Wonderful Life