What if the Barkley family and their sprawling ranch weren't as virtuous? A former cavalryman (Glenn Ford) intends to sell his Southeastern ranch and return East with his fiancé (May Wynn), but the obvious misdeeds of a local cattle baron’s men (Edward G. Robinson) encourage him to take a brave stance, even though he’s tired of fighting. Barbara Stanwyck portrays the baron's wife, Brian Keith his brother, and Dianne Foster his spirited daughter. Richard Jaeckel appears as an arrogant antagonist. Released in early 1955, "The Violent Men" is a Western adaptation of Donald Hamilton’s “Smoky Valley.” It shares similarities with “Jubal,” which was released the following year and is possibly better, but this film holds its own and remains surprisingly little known. My opening line sums up what's happening pretty well—there's a major ranch in a large valley during the Old West era, with Stanwyck as the head of the household, though she and most of her men are anything but honorable. (I’m drawing comparisons to “The Big Valley,” which premiered on television ten years later). There’s a considerable amount of character development that pulls viewers into the narrative, something I appreciate even if it feels somewhat like a daytime drama. The idea of a strong man wanting to avoid conflict but being forced to act when pushed is always compelling. Like “Shane” (1953), we are given insight into the ranch baron’s reasoning and explanations, which stops him from becoming simply a bad guy. This one adds the extra layer of people acting secretly behind his back. I wasn't anticipating how much the movie would focus on the ex-officer using tactics he learned during the Civil War to (hopefully) overcome his opponents. Meanwhile, the final gunfight is surprisingly realistic and well done (no pun intended). Regarding the female performers, they are all quite good, including Lita Milan as a beautiful Latina in town. All four women are assertive: Martha (Stanwyck) and Elena (Milan) are the kinds of characters who could get you killed while living with the charming-but-manipulative Caroline (Wynn) would likely lead any man to drink. Judith (Foster), though troubled, is outspoken and has a firm sense of right and wrong combined with disdain for the opposite. The film’s length is 1 hour, 36 minutes, and it was filmed at Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, which is in central California about an hour's drive from the Nevada border, a couple hundred miles north of Hollywood. The town scenes were shot in Old Tucson, Arizona. GRADE: B/B+

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