GamerTab
That was an excellent one.
Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Intcatinfo
A Masterpiece!
weezeralfalfa
An Andre de Toth western. Not my favorite. I've never appreciated Robert Ryan as an actor. Too somber, lacking in emotion, especially in westerns, for me. Burl Ives' character is very similar to that of Rufus Hannassey, in "The Big Country"', released the previous year. He treats his motley crew of desperados just like he treats his adult sons in the prior film. He functioned as their collective conscience and disciplinarian. One reviewer wondered what hold Ives had over his gang that made them stick with him and submit to his pronouncements. It would be nice if we had an inkling of how he accumulated this gang: all at once or individually. What they all wanted was a fair share in the $40,000. in gold from a stolen army payroll. It's not clear why several or all of his gang didn't demand dividing the gold at this point and perhaps scattering to make tracing them more difficult. It wasn't clear where the badly wounded Ives was leading his gang, other than away from the distantly pursuing cavalry. It was in the interest of the people in the small settlement his gang took over to do what they could(an operation by a veterinarian!) to try to prolong his life at least until he decided to leave, and give the people back their town. If he died before they left, the others clearly would have gone wild, since they had all the guns. We saw how wild they acted with the women during the organized dance, sometimes trying to force a kiss or hug, even with Ives watching.......I don't understand some things in the last part of the trek by the gang plus Robert Ryan through the snow, over a mountain, to hopefully throw off their pursuers. As predicted, Ives succumbed during this trek, leaving the others free to decide what to do. They don't want Ryan to die, ,because he's the only one familiar with this route. The number in the party gradually dissipates until only 2 gang members are still with Ryan. They stop for a while. Ryan distances himself and mounts his horse as if he's going to ride away. One shoots his horse, which falls down. Later, Ryan mounts another horse and starts back where they came from. One gang member picks up his rifle and aims at Ryan, as he passes by. But he holds his shot, then falters and collapses on the snow! He wasn't wounded, so I assume he passed out from exhaustion. Strangely, the other gang member didn't try to stop or join Ryan. What happened to the 2 pack horses that had previously turned around to go back where they came from? What happened to the gold? Was it mainly in saddlebags, or were the pack animals carrying it? When Ryan returns to the settlement, he finds that gang member Nelson, the mildest mannered one, had somehow walked through the deep snow all the way back to the settlement, after his horse had keeled over. Amazing! Was Ryan now prepared to renew his feud with sodbuster Hal Crane over putting up barbed wire fencing? Their duel in the saloon was interrupted by the arrival of Ives' gang......At one point, Ryan told Hal's wife that he felt he was no different than the gang members, only they didn't pretend to be anything else. Was Ryan's suggestion that the gang take this perilous route across the mountain
a veiled suicide mission? See it at YouTube
TheLittleSongbird
From veteran director Andre De Toth comes an underrated and mighty fine winter western. It is a little too short perhaps and there are parts that could have been better paced, but these are minor problems really because Day of the Outlaw is actually very good. For one thing, it is strikingly photographed in stark black and white, and the snowy landscapes are nothing less than magnificent. The score is also a really nice touch, dramatic, beautiful and dramatic, and Day of the Outlaw is also well scripted, nuanced and powerful yet with an essence of bitterness. And in terms of effective scenes the climatic gunfight in the snow is quite remarkable to say the least. The story is evocative and engrossing, the direction is excellent and the acting is adept with Robert Ryan rugged and heroic, Burl Ives brilliant as ever and Tina Louise both alluring and appealing. Overall, underrated with a lot to recommend it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Spikeopath
Cowboys and ranchers must stick together when a gang of outlaws ride into town intent on causing trouble and abusing the town. Even tho their leader, ex army Captain, Jack Bruhn has them under some sort of control, salvation may have to come from the moody Blaise Starrett, who has his own secret agenda to deal with.Day Of The Outlaw {poor title not befitting the quality of the film} is directed by André De Toth {Ramrod, Crime Wave & House of Wax} and stars Robert Ryan, Burl Ives & Tina Louise. Adapted from the novel written by Lee E. Wells, it's a film that is crying out to be seen by more people, especially those with an aversion to Westerns. For although grounded in Western tradition, it comes across more as a moody Noir piece, the atmosphere throughout hangs heavy like a weighted burden, with this tiny tin pot town in the snowy swept mountains photographed starkly by Russell Harlan. This is some out of the way place that nobody but its small inhabitants care about, and even those that do are probably doing so more out of ill judged loyalty to having not tasted something else before.Robert Ryan was a terrific actor, often only mentioned when talk turns to famous pictures like The Wild Bunch & The Dirty Dozen, but it's with performances like here, or The Set-Up & Crossfire, that he really puts a depth and critical layers to his talent. Burl Ives is also great, his weary and scarred Bruhn is almost in empathy with Starrett and the townsfolk, so much so, we are never quite sure just how this picture will end. Tina Louise rounds out the leads, and apart from being an incredibly sexy woman, she does some great facial acting here, one sequence as the outlaws demand dances with the ladies is laden with a vile undercurrent, with Louise perfectly portraying the threat with acting gravitas. With astute directing and acting to match the almost sombre soaked story, Day Of The Outlaw comes highly recommended to fans of atmospheric enveloped cinema. 9/10
elf-65
This is a strange one: superb performances and realistic action set in a wonderfully harsh and beautiful setting, yet let down by plodding, uninspired direction. The sub-plot/romance concerning young Gene and the blonde girl reminded me of "3.10 to Yuma" for some reason, and then I felt a bit disappointed when I compared the two films. The camera work is a bit dull, with only wide shots, and a variety of mid-shots. De Toth never really seems interested in his characters or his story. And, like one of the other reviewers, I was a bit worried about the horses. Still, the location sequences are great, and a wonderful juxtaposition with a more typically dusty Western setting. The gloomy tone of the film, combined with the setting, gives it an intriguingly noir edge.Not bad, but this could have been so much more powerful.But, hey - I could watch Robert Ryan in anything!
