Another welcome surprise from an unexpected classic. However, it comes just short of being a great film. First off, there is a vast cast of characters, yet somehow they are pretty well balanced for a film with a running time of just over an hour. While taking more time to flesh out some characters a la Seven Samurai would have made this more complete, it would have diminished the point of the film. Like most great westerns, this is less about the characters, and more about why they've been put in front of us (a welcome change from hiring who's hot in hollywood nowadays). While the plot itself wasn't all that original (should we take the law into our own hands), the places it takes us are unexpected, thrilling, and sometimes frightening. The pacing is great, and for a short movie, it takes you to extremely different places for each act. Wellman makes a lot good decisions as director, and a handful of great ones. However, the greatness comes too far into the movie for me to classify this as an example of amazing directing. It's almost like he directed the first two acts to appeal to a broader audience, then directed the third act for aficionados who appreciate everything about a film that makes it great. 1 / 2 directing & technical aspect 1 / 2 story 1 / 1 acting 1 / 1 pacing 1 / 1 dialogue 1 / 1 living up to its genre 0 / 1 originality 1 / 1 lasting ability to make you think .5 / 0 miscellaneous +/- point 7.5 out of 10

One of my favourite westerns as of a week or so ago when I first saw it. Its style feels both of its time and also quite unique as a sort of hybrid of both film-noir and western, two of the most prominent genres of Old Hollywood. The film is very lean, clocking in at not much more than an hour, but manages to cover a lot of ground with almost ruthless efficiency. Although the focus is on the central dilemma - a mob captures three men suspected of murder, but there is dissent among the mob over what to do next - most of the actors get moments here and there that make that make their characters feel more lived-in and believable. The film is also impressively ahead of its time in deconstructing mob justice, masculinity, and class - note that the dissenters in the group are predominantly outsiders by way of geography, race, age, or masculinity. That a film could convey all of this so unflinchingly in 1943 is beyond impressive. A special shout-out to Dana Andrews for his stand-out performance as the unofficial leader of the captured men, and to sweet-faced William Eythe, one of many actors who died too soon, and who gets an emotionally climactic moment near the film's end.

Curious western for what it is about and for spending everything in one day. Interesting moral dilemma

Devastating and incredibly effective. 1943 (16th) Academy Award nominations: Outstanding Motion Picture

This film is so relevant today, the age of trial by social media.