and John turns down the offer. Lee Wilkson decides to have his son, Brian Keith, Cole Wilkison ,"The Wind & the Lion",'75, change his mind in more ways than one. There are romantic scenes between May Wynn, Caroline Vail ,"The Caine Mutiny",'54, and John Parrish and some hot encounters with Dianne Foster Judith Wilkison ,"Three Hours to Kill",'54, who hates her father Lee. If you like Edward G. Robinson and Glenn Ford films, this is a film you will want to view and enjoy from beginning to end.

Judith Dianne Foster . But even beyond her, it is Caroline May Wynn and then Judith who have John Parrish Glenn Ford wrapped around their fingers, as does Elena Lita Milan with Cole. Spoilers ahead: You really see what Judith is about when Spoilers ahead . 1: She tells off both Parrish and Lee, then she rides along with them, as they get ready for the final showdown against Cole & Martha. 2: The end of the film, when Judith asks Parrish to run her father's ranch, and Parrish says about her father finally getting his ranch, you can tell by the look, it will not be under Lee's terms Or even Parrish's , rather, it will be Judith as the real power running things Although she is not evil like her mother . For any western film fan it is a must Particularly if they are a Stanwyck fan .

Parrish, but you feel that she is only using him as a means of getting out of there and moving east. She wants him to sell the ranch no matter what price. Martha Barbara Stanwick , is tired of helping her crippled husband Lee Edward G. Robinson but she will do anything to have an always bigger ranch and more power. Meanwhile she is betraying her husband with his brother Brian Keith . Her daughter Judith Diane Foster is seeing all that happens but feeling impotent to react because she does not want to hurt her father. Parrish unites all the small farmers and uses the strategy he learned in the army to go against the Anchor ranch. Like he had warned Lee, "Don't make me fight because you won't like my way of fighting".

times. Ford handled his starring status very ably, as he usually did - especially in westerns. He played a nice guy who didn't want to fight, was a peaceful man......but if you pushed him.....look out!The story had a nice mixture of action and lulls, not overdoing either. It had an expansive western setting which was put to good use with the CineamaScope widescreen. It also featured realistic people in a realistic setting. That credibility with the characters, especially the supporting players, was most impressive. The men way out-shined the women in this film, acting and character-wise. Dianne Foster and May Wynn were weak - the only negatives of the production. It's easy to see why these two actresses never became stars.Even though it is over 50 years old, this western is one you'd still find fast-enough moving to enjoy, no matter how old you are or what you're used to seeing. For classic film fans, this is almost a must with this cast and good story. Highly recommended.

went into the saloon and faced the guy Richard Jaeckel, one of my very favorite bad-guy character actors who had killed his ranch hand; after a gentle exchange of dialog with him, Glenn Ford slaps his face and shoots him dead. Kind of a neat added bit of justice, he kills this guy with the gun that had belonged to his murdered cowhand. In short order we're treated to Ford letting his ranch be burned, so his men are justified in ambushing the crew from the other ranch; then Ford and his men stampede all the horses and cattle of the big bad guy's ranch; then they show up and burn the outbuildings and the big fancy house to the ground. Talk about getting even big-time. Lots of action in this movie. There's more to the story than this, but I'll just recommend you watch the movie. Glenn Ford was someone who showed time and again what can happen when you misjudge someone, and I really enjoyed watching him get justice the old fashioned way.

Keith comes back from Texas to help his brother run Anchor… Then a tough kid with a fancy gun Richard Jaeckel shows up on the Wilkison payroll… Then all the small ranchers are forced out, getting the same kind of offers… Parrish saw himself either running like they did, or stand and fight…But can he easily deals with a man who sends six killers to shoot an old man in the back? Can he easily argues with a man who started with a few acres of land and now owns practically the whole valley? All that grass and sand ever meant to the ex-Confederate Army officer the past three years… It was a place to regain his health… Out of habit of taking advice, Parrish affirms: "What happen in this valley is no concern of mine." And much to the disappointment of the remaining ranchers and farmers, who pressure him to stay on, he decides to accept Wilkison's offer to fulfill the promise he made to his fiancée…When Lee's younger brother Cole made the wrong move, trying to push Parrish make up his mind by lynching one of his ranch hands, Parrish got mad and warns the two brothers that he is going to stay and will fight them for the privilege of being let alone… Brian Keith plays the traitorous brother who's behind the killing... He dreams to have position and respect in running one day Anchor… Lee's ambitious wife Martha Barbara Stanwyck secretly hates herself and her husband… Stanwyck plays the part of a loving wife who can't bear the touch of her husband's hands… Edward G. Robinson is good enough as the Anchor's crippled owner who promised the whole valley to his wife, unaware that she is having an affair with his younger brother…Dianne Foster is too sensitive as the unsociable adult daughter well aware of her mother's burdens… "The Violent Men" uses the wide-screen technology to emphasize the scope and power of this harrowing action-drama, making it a perfect example of the genre's most enduring classics…

out.Ford plays John Parrish, a small rancher who decides to sell out when the sympathetic sheriff is murdered by the big rancher's Robinson hired gunman. Parrish is a former Confederate officer who only moved out west for health reasons. Robinson plays Lee Wilkison, who already owns most of the valley and intends to acquire the rest, making good on a promise to his wife Martha Stanwyck . Lee was crippled in a land war he fought 12 years earlier; his brother Cole Keith has come up from Texas to help him run the huge spread. Lee has been turning a blind eye to obvious hookups between Stanwyck and Keith but sensitive daughter Judith Foster is understandably upset by what is going on in their home. John Parrish has promised his fiancée Caroline May Winn that he will move back east. Caroline, who is modeled on Grace Kelly's "High Noon" character, breaks off the engagement at the first sign of trouble and simply disappears from the film. This leaves the way open for a John and Judith romance to develop. The violence starts early and continues throughout the film, with Parrish able to apply military tactics against an enemy who underestimates his ability and determination. He has a very original confrontation with the main gunfighter about midway into the film. Ford plays one of his standard characters; the modest guy who disarms everyone with a self- deprecating manner, who is slow to take offense but brutal when finally provoked very much like his role in "The Sheepman" . Robinson is likewise excellent as a man who maintains his personal integrity even though physically just a shadow of his former self. And he gets enough lines and screen time to adequately develop his character. Stanwyck has the most difficult role and she is simply not convincing as the classic two-faced woman, a seemingly loyal wife who is scheming to replace her husband with his brother. In part this is because she is not allocated enough time to do anything more than superficially convey either side of the character. That said, a talented actress could have done a much better job even with these limitations.Dianne Foster is a pleasant surprise. She should remind viewers a lot of Carroll Baker, both physically and in acting style. Although required to play Judith according to 1950's convention she is allowed to be tough but then required to break into hysterics after each major confrontation , Foster shows a nice range. She conveys a growing attraction for Parrish but does it so subtly that it is only in retrospect that the various clues click into place. The real problem with "The Violent Men" is that it tries to be both an action western and a character study morality play. Because so much has to happen on the screen much of the action is rushed and many of the characters get only a cursory treatment. This is neither fatal flaw nor a reason to avoid the film, but it could have been significantly better with another 20 minutes of running time or the absence of unnecessary characters like Caroline.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

looks expensive. One of a series of great Glenn Ford westerns.