The Oklahoma Kid

Starring: James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Rosemary Lane, Donald Crisp, Harvey Stephens, Hugh Sothern, Charles Middleton, Edward Pawley, Ward Bond
Directed by: Lloyd Bacon
Rating: Passed
Genre: Western, Action, Adventure
1939

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: Two groups conflict in Oklahoma, one trying to keep the frontier a land of lawlessness, one trying to bring law and order to the West.

Review:

Tim: I like James Cagney, but I don't know if I've ever loved him in a movie. That same sentiment applies here. The Oklahoma Kid is a solid Western, but not a movie I would place at the top of the genre. Still, it's noteworthy for pitting Cagney against Humphrey Bogart. In the end, this is an enjoyable movie. It never packs the wallop it needs to, but it's a completely watchable film.

The movie does align with many of the Western movie cliches, but you can forgive that since it was released in 1939 and certainly influenced the genre. You have James Cagney as the protagonist, wearing a white hat. You have Humphrey Bogart as the antagonist, wearing black. Now, I did like that Cagney wasn't the prototypical Western hero. He's actually a lawless man himself. Sure, he has a heart of gold and a passion for life. This is most memorable displayed in his "Feel that air!" line. On the one hand, it was certainly unique to see this side of a man who is also a deadly gunslinger. I did appreciate that. However, it felt a little much at times, too. Still, as a whole, Cagney gives a strong performance. He's likeable, especially contrasted to those he opposes. He brought a good deal of energy to the role of the Kid. I also appreciated his nemesis. I'm a huge Humphrey Bogart fan and he makes such a great hero, so it's always fun for me to see his earlier, villainous roles. Bogart is a great actor and he makes a worthwhile villain. He has a dangerous, hard streak to him that makes him believable as the bad guy. I wish Cagney and Bogart had more scenes together, but this movie absolutely benefits from their presence in opposite corners of the ring. That remains the biggest reason to see this film.

The supporting cast is fine. Rosemary Lane was decent. She is a bit too forgettable, a bit too small in her performance. It's the kind of performance that works while you're watching the movie, but you struggle to recollect after the film concludes. Donald Crisp adds a solid supporting turn. Really, all the supporting actors and actresses give fine performances. No one really emerges as special, but they all work.

The film features some effective sequences. The beginning stagecoach robbery (and subsequent robbery) is an entertaining open to the film and sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The Oklahoma Land Rush scene was quite effective, as well as the influence that "sooners" could establish as long as they weren't caught by the law. The movie does a good job of depicting the tension between law and order, and the wild lawlessness of the West. There were a few unexpected twists in the plot that really helped the movie along.

Now, while I enjoyed much of the movie, I've certainly see a lot of Westerns that were more entertaining than this one. There might have been a few unexpected twists, but most of the movie is fairly predictable. The film needed stronger supporting performances. The story felt a bit generic. It was still enjoyable, but there wasn't anything here that really caused me to sit up and take notice. There's a few stretches of the film in the middle that felt a bit too drawn out.

So, while I wouldn't consider The Oklahoma Kid a classic Western, there's still a lot to like here. It's an entertaining film that pits two great actors against each other and it's certainly worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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