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There Was a Crooked Man

7.4

6,131

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Original title

There Was a Crooked Man

Year

1970

Running time

123 min.

Country

United States

Director

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Screenwriter

Robert Benton, David Newman

Cast

Music

Charles Strouse

Cinematography

Harry Stradling Jr.

Producer

Warner Bros.

Genre

Western. Comedy | Prison Drama

Synopsis

Following the tradition of 1960s and '70s Westerns in which the criminals are the heroes, THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN takes devilish pride in the antics of armed robber and murderer Paris Pitman, Jr. (Kirk Douglas), as he stages a prison break with fellow lawless bumblers from a jail run by a warden (Henry Fonda) who’d rather reform than punish, forsaking hard labor for building and learning. Fonda conveys integrity with just his eyes, reinforcing his reputation as a Western icon, while Douglas’s twinkle and grin invites the viewer to laugh along with him as he dupes both his cronies and the warden. After the breakout, Fonda pledges to bring Douglas back dead or alive in this entertaining, surprising film from Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Rankings Position

#45 Best Westerns in the history of film
#82 Best Movies of the '70s

Critics' reviews

"I thoroughly enjoyed 'There Was A Crooked Man' for its inhaling the fresh air of liberty on today's screen without its gagging on the fumes of gratuitous license."

Andrew Sarris: Village Voice
"A duel between two men, one good, one bad, and it's these smaller, more civilized confrontations, done with irony and wit, that make the film one of the more pleasant things you're likely to see this season."

Vincent Canby: The New York Times
"It is the type of action drama in which neither the actors nor director appear to believe the script or characters."

Variety Staff: Variety
"Generally unheralded, this is one of the really good Douglas performances, smoothly matched by Fonda's"

Mike Clark: USA Today
"One of the most cynical and bitterly funny westerns ever made."

TV Guide

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Ranking Lists Position

59 My Favorite Westerns (130)

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There Was a Crooked Man

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