The Naked Spur (1953)

US 91m, Colour
Director: Anthony Mann; Cast: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan

A melodramatic western about a deeply disturbed bounty hunter who is coerced into taking on two partners to bring in Ben Vandergroat, a murderer who has a $5,000 bounty on his head. Facing a number of challenges along the way, including an Indian attack, their greatest threat comes from within as Ben, with the help of his “girl”, attempts to turn the trio against themselves. Unlike most classic Hollywood Westerns of the 1950s, The Naked Spur blurs the lines between good and bad with realistic characters who are selfish, greedy and generally unlikable (Klaus Ming January 2015).