Texas, post-Civil War. Judge Roy Bean is the notorious hanging judge of Vinegarroon - "The Law West of the Pecos". An accused horse thief, Cole Harden, is brought before him one day who, to everyone's surprise, manages to smooth talk himself out of being hanged. Meanwhile tensions are running high between cattle ranchers and new settlers, crop farmers - "Homesteaders". This is a lopsided battle in that Bean tends to side with the ranchers.
The basic plot seems interesting enough in that it focuses on an actual historic figure - Judge Roy Bean - and his brand of justice. Also, having seen the 1972 film 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean' (directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman as the Judge), I was intrigued to see another take on the man.
Not that Bean, played by Walter Brennan, is the main character. That honour goes to Cole Harden, played by the legendary Gary Cooper. Having legends like Cooper and Brennan in the movie, plus the fact that it is directed by William Wyler, made me think this this should be well worth the watch.
Well, sort of, and no. Brennan is great as Bean and Cooper is okay as Harden. The initial few scenes are quite interesting, often funny, as we see Harden's clever manoeuvring of himself out of being hanged. However, from then on the plot becomes disjointed with many sub-plots that don't really go anywhere, a main plot that changes direction randomly, plus limited character depth and thus limited engagement. It all seems so start-stop and discontinuous.
Interesting enough to keep me watching but overall it is reasonably disappointing.
The basic plot seems interesting enough in that it focuses on an actual historic figure - Judge Roy Bean - and his brand of justice. Also, having seen the 1972 film 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean' (directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman as the Judge), I was intrigued to see another take on the man.
Not that Bean, played by Walter Brennan, is the main character. That honour goes to Cole Harden, played by the legendary Gary Cooper. Having legends like Cooper and Brennan in the movie, plus the fact that it is directed by William Wyler, made me think this this should be well worth the watch.
Well, sort of, and no. Brennan is great as Bean and Cooper is okay as Harden. The initial few scenes are quite interesting, often funny, as we see Harden's clever manoeuvring of himself out of being hanged. However, from then on the plot becomes disjointed with many sub-plots that don't really go anywhere, a main plot that changes direction randomly, plus limited character depth and thus limited engagement. It all seems so start-stop and discontinuous.
Interesting enough to keep me watching but overall it is reasonably disappointing.