User Reviews

While this is far from John Wayne's best film, it is a nice little change of pace that tries to be a bit different from his typical Western. While Wayne plays a character VERY MUCH like the usual Western hero, the situation he finds himself in is very unique. The film begins with Wayne being discovered by some Quakers. He's been shot and he is unconscious, so these nice people take him home and nurse him back to health--even though he has a reputation as a "mean hombre". Not surprisingly, young Gail Russell (the daughter in the Quaker family) falls for Wayne. Despite Wayne's "badness" and desire for revenge on those who hurt him, with Ms. Russell's love and attention, Wayne slowly starts to see the light and think twice about his violent ways. Despite being pretty predictable (which knocks off a point or two), the plot is handled nicely--with a lot of feeling and with excellent acting (by the leads plus Harry Carey in one of his last films) . Well worth seeing and more than just another "time-passer".

An injured Quirt Evans (John Wayne) is taken in by a peaceful Quaker family, among them the lovely daughter Penelope Worth (Gail Russell). For Penelope, it's virtually love at first sight, her facial expressions and eyes doing almost all of the talking for her. Evans is an amiable patient, but he has scores to settle, and this sets up the tension of the film. The longer he stays with the family, the more they cut away at his rough edges, providing an anchor in an otherwise lawless West.

There are a couple of back stories going on in the film, for one, outlaw Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot) is a thorn in Evans' side. He and his gang attempt to rustle a herd of horses, only to be foiled by Evans and his partner Randy McCall (Lee Dixon). Randy is enthralled by the Bible given to Quirt by the Quaker congregation, and takes to reading it in any spare moment.

Then there's the territorial marshal Wistful McClintock (Harry Carey), who it seems has made a career out of bringing Evans to justice. His remarks are some of the highlights of the film - "I'm patient, that's what hangs all you fellas in the end, I'm patient". His regard for Evans' reputation though is almost respectful - "You know Quirt, I always figured on usin' a new rope in hangin' you".

Evans is respectful of the Quaker family's ways, he hangs his holstered gun outside, never allowing it inside the home. When he takes Penelope on a wagon ride to pick blackberries, he leaves it behind in deference to her wishes. When Quirt shows up in town to call out Laredo Stevens, the Worth family arrives on the scene, and in what could be a fatal mistake, Evans gives up his gun to face Laredo weaponless. It would have been a tragic finale, if not for the vigilant Marshal McClintock. As Evans makes his way home with the Worths, the Marshal picks up Evans' gun and proclaims to hang it in his office along with a new rope, in memory of the adversary who never was.

Released in 1947 by Republic Pictures, "The Angel and the Badman" comes some dozen years or so after Wayne's Lone Star films which all followed a similar formula. Although a "B" Western, it's got a quality to the filming and story line that make it rise a considerable notch above his mid 1930's films.

*Minor spoilers*

The first half of this picture is actually extremely good. One doesn't expect John Wayne to do romantic comedy, let alone to shine in it; but the romance of the title - in which a Quaker family shelter and accept a wounded man living on the edge of the law - proves to be strangely convincing and very tender. The comedy is of the most gentle and affectionate nature, and many of the early scenes had me smiling from ear to ear in delight.

As the simple, direct heroine Penelope Worth, Gail Russell confounds both the outlaw's and the audience's stereotyped expectations of a 'religious' girl, and as in all the best culture-clash romances, both sides end up learning from each other. It takes Quirt Evans' menacing reputation and not the prayers of the Worths to convince their miserly old neighbour initially to release the water the farm so desperately needs - but it is the genuine and uncritical welcome the old man subsequently receives from the Quakers that converts him from enemy into friend.

As far as the moment when Quirt, unable to bear the Quakers' gratitude, breaks free and reverts to his old life, the film never puts a foot wrong. But in the more conventionally 'Western' scenes that follow, it proves less effective.

The Laredo Stevens sub-plot never really catches fire, despite being part of the story from the beginning, and while the Marshal's role in the denouement, with hindsight, is clearly set up in a number of early scenes, it still somehow feels rather contrived. The total lack of bloodshed in the one criminal act we see Quirt commit on-screen, while it can be explained away as a sign of Penelope's continuing influence, seems rather forced for the convenience of the plot.

In general I felt the whole structure of the finale felt rushed - and the 'miracle' very much a deus ex machina device which wasn't even really necessary to the plot. Penelope is suddenly in danger, then as suddenly out of it, all within the span of about five minutes, with neither situation really given a chance to sink in. And one would expect Quirt to demonstrate at least a subconscious sense of responsibility for the situation, since without his presence none of it would have happened.

Instead, the whole thing gives the impression of having been engineered as an excuse to push us suddenly into a traditional-style showdown, without any real emotional weight. Admittedly, the result of the showdown is totally unexpected. Admittedly, it has been skilfully set up beforehand. But somehow, for me at least, the second half of the film failed to involve me as closely with its characters as the first. 'The Angel and the Badman' is half-romance, half-Western - but half a Western isn't really enough to sustain the climax, though the basic structure is all there.

As the depiction of the development of an unlikely romance, this is exquisitely done. Unfortunately, it is the would-be-dramatic elements that let the tension down, and prevent me from giving it a whole-hearted recommendation. It could have been an offbeat classic - but instead I was ultimately left slightly disappointed.

That's what Quaker Gail Russell sets out to do to gunslinger John Wayne in this light-hearted western. With lawman Harry Carey on Wayne's trail, he doesn't really seem to have a chance, but with Russell's family and friends behind him and the grace of God, he just might. Old rivals also seem to want to see him six feet under, but while recovering from injuries with Russell's family's help, Wayne begins to see life from a different perspective.

This interesting but occasionally slow-moving film has some great action sequences and a lot of heart. Very amusing is a church scene where Quaker locals accept Wayne into their lives and present him with a monogrammed bible. Later, this bible falls into the hands of some saloon floozies Wayne encounters which is the first indication that Wayne is changing. Bruce Cabot and Irene Rich offer fine support as Russell's family, while stunt director Yakuma Camut offers two fine action sequences-one a fight scene in a saloon, the other a chase sequence which ends with Wayne and Russell flying off a cliff into the river in a fleeing wagon.

This is an interesting rather than a good, bad or indifferent film which marked the producing debut of John Wayne from which we may infer that he had a hand in developing the project and, by extension, an interest in the good-versus-evil conflict which is the main thrust of the plot. Those who know her tragic history - she drank herself to death at 36 - will also be monitoring the performance of Gail Russell for signs of the alcoholism that ultimately cost her her life. She tended to specialise in virginal roles - in which she was a hundred times more convincing than Doris Day - which of course created an irony given the fact that she began drinking to combat nerves when faced with the camera. Although it is a western and Duke does carry a gun and is celebrated for his fast draw the 'action' is more concerned with his growing awareness of the non-violent world than gunfights. Against all the odds it works and makes a refreshing change in the genre.

A well written story. Wayne is in top form, a role he did when younger. He is cast not as a good guy, but as a Bad man. But, he is saved from a bad, cruel death by the bad men he ran with or a hanging if captured by Harry Carry's stalwart marshall, a good man. Wayne's Quirk Evans fall in love with a Quaker woman, Penelope. Evans quits his bad ways, out of love for Penelope.

Whatever else, this pacifist Western gives Wayne his best last line of any film in that long and storied career. I've forgotten who first called the movie a "pacifist Western", but the description fits. For that reason, I expect it's not every Wayne fan's cup of tea. Certainly the tender emotions of family and stability win out in the end, and Wayne's hell-raising past is tamed by a good woman with strong moral character. Of course, this was before he became a macho icon, and so the risk to an established career was not as great. Still, there are submissive moments with Russell, he never again repeats on screen.

It's telling that Wayne himself produced the movie, so what's up there had to pass his executive muster. It's also well-known that he and Russell were involved in a hopeless romantic relationship (he was a married Catholic). My guess is that that personal involvement accounts for many of the film's unusual features. Note, for example, the extended time given to Russell's cutesy reactions to the injured Wayne's delirious ramblings or the many indulgent close-ups of Russell emoting. Note also, how relaxed the famously edgy (stage fright) Russell appears. I'm not saying these features necessarily harm the film itself. In fact, the love scenes manage a warmth and authenticity rare for Hollywood make-believe. What I am suggesting is that a behind-the-scenes personal story may account for much of this notable departure from Wayne's macho norm.

Speaking of Wayne, it's often alleged that his acting abilities were limited, and super-stardom depended on other factors. But consider one particularly demanding scene. The Quaker family's skinflint neighbor Carson (Paul Hurst) has just reconciled with them and is happily taking home a load of pies from Mrs. Worth. To the as-yet unreformed Wayne, he remarks about how good helping his neighbors makes him feel. Watch Wayne's well-shaded reactions that nevertheless pass by quickly. At first he looks puzzled, as though as a tough guy he never considered the possible connection, which passes quickly into a glimmer of understanding as he considers what the connection means, which then passes into a sudden worried look once he realizes that, even as a free spirit, he too is vulnerable to the same taming process. It's a marvelously executed little sequence condensed into maybe a 5 second span, demonstrating the kind of acting ability Wayne was seldom called upon to show.

The movie itself amounts to a generally entertaining blend of action and sentiment (note how the skeptical doctor's role works to prevent the screenplay from becoming too sanctimonious). The producers also wisely popped for some great Arizona location shots that keep the eye interested even when the story wanders indoors. It's mostly tongue-in-cheek since the bad guys aren't really so bad, plus the considerable humor that includes a mock barroom brawl. The buckboard chase makes for an exciting centerpiece, even if the final plunge is not too believable since Russell is supposed to be aboard. Two complaints-- the process shots are poorly done for a studio (Republic) that specialized in action effects, while killing-off the two bad guys in the end strikes me as a mistake. A shaming before running them out of the territory would appear more in keeping with the movie's overall mood. Nonetheless, this is a rather surprisingly good little movie, considering the many ways it could have gone badly wrong.