Dir: Robert D Webb | Cast: Robert Ryan, Virginia Mayo, Jeffrey Hunter | US Western Drama
The great Akira Kurosawa was often said to be the most western of Japanese directors and personally declared ‘The Proud Ones’ to be one of his favourite films.
By the end of the 1950s Fox were finally giving Robert Ryan roles that were worthy of his talents – sadly not for long – to portray nobility and get the girl (in the comely form of Virginia Mayo) in this sombre, character-driven western in which Ryan plays a heroic role akin to Gary Cooper in ‘High Noon’ that takes a surprisingly benign view of its characters, with Arthur O’Connell being his usual likeable self and even Robert Middleton not playing the usual ogre. @RichardChatten