The Westerner

Starring: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport, Fred Stone, Forrest Tucker, Paul Hurst, Chill Wills, Lilian Bond, Dana Andrews, Tom Tyler
Directed by: William Wyler
Rating: Approved
Genre: Western, Drama
1940

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A cowboy (Gary Cooper) befriends Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan) but their different outlooks push them down parallel paths.

Review:

Tim: William Wyler's The Westerner is a bit of an odd movie. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't always follow the expected path. To some extent, the whole thing feels unique and unexpected. Although Gary Cooper plays the protagonist role, Judge Roy Bean is the central figure upon which all the other characters circle. He's larger-than-life. He has deep passion for a famous actress and loves hanging people for the smallest offense. To watch a film like this and see a supporting character deserve the most focus and attention, well, that's not the normal path.

It feels like it takes the film quite a while to get going- I was unclear and uncertain about what kind of movie I was watching. Walter Brennan is fantastic as Roy Bean- Brennan is easily the best thing about this film. He revels in the spotlight, elevating this character by his strong-willed beliefs and his lack of compassion. This is a role Brennan absolutely crushes- everything he does is memorable and interesting. I watched, transfixed, to see him deliver such a superb experience. When Gary Cooper shows up, it's almost a bit disquieting. We kind of forget Cooper is the star of this picture. His performance is odd- at times, he leans into the comedic. He did some weird things with his face- it's almost like he was trying to make himself simpler. I don't think this is a comedy, but Cooper's performance feels a bit off. He settles into the role eventually, but nothing he does is as good as what Brennan's doing. Yes, there's some terrific sequences between these two- those are among the highlights of the film. To see Brennan chewing scenery and Cooper settle into his protagonist role, there's true entertainment to be had there. Wyler gives his stars plenty of interactions and the movie is better for it. It's fun to see their strengthening relationship, even as we recognize they'll eventually come to a collision point. When I think about why this movie works, Brennan is #1 and Cooper is at least decent, if a bit weird, with his performance.

Doris Davenport has a few nice scenes, but she's certainly relegated too far to the sidelines. Her character needed more screen time, more depth. The supporting cast feels large and they all give solid performances. I'm not sure if there's anyone who really stands out, though. There's not much air left for the supporting cast with Brennan hogging (rightly) so much of the spotlight. I did want to circle back to Brennan, because of how powerful his performance is. It might not be surprising to note that he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor here- his 3rd (!!!!) win in the category in the five years the award existed. That's remarkable, a feat unlikely to ever be matched. Brennan deserves the award.

In addition, Wyler's film was nominated for Best Original Story, which makes sense- like I said, this is a Western unlike most that we've seen. The dialogue is especially strong. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction, Black-and-White. Probably not a surprise, given Wyler's directorial talent. Technically, this is a well-made movie.

So, while I have lots of praise for The Westerner, I'd only consider it "good". My biggest gripe with the film is that I never really cared much about the characters. Cooper's character is fine, but his odd performance hurts the connection. He's suave at times, but kind of an idiot, too. Davenport doesn't get enough to do for us to really connect with her. Brennan is wonderful, of course, but his character is set up to be the antagonist. So, there's really nothing pulling us into the story. The narrative is solid, but without better, more relatable characters, the whole thing feels too cold. I watched the movie, I enjoyed it, but I was always kept at a distance.

The Westerner is a good film that has some great elements, but I'd chalk the film up to being more of a "unique" Western vs. a "great" one. It's definitely not that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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