Taut! Torrid! Tremendous! T Is for Terror!
An independent former ranch foreman and an heiress are kidnapped by a trio of ruthless outlaws.
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Character
Classical in form, earnest, intimate and grave.
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- intimateepic
- gravecomic
- sparerichly built
Who loves it, who doesn't
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Where do you stand?
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“Is this Budd Boetticher's best work?”
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“Is Randolph Scott the best thing in The Tall T?”
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“Does the smallness hold it back?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · May 20267/10
When "Usher" (Richard Boone) and his two pals hold up the stagecoach, the cowardly passenger "Mims" (John Hubbard) hastily volunteers that his wife "Doretta" (Maureen O'Sullivan) is worth a fortune and that her copper-mining father will pay a hefty sum to get her back safely. Shrewdly, "Usher" sends him and "Chink" (Henry Silva) to negotiate with the father-in-law, whilst settling down to wait with the enigmatic "Brennan" (Randolph Scott) who had only just lost his horse; hitched a ride on this ill-fated coach and is now also a prisoner. As they wait, the dynamics between the two men and between "Brennan" and "Doretta" - who is gradually realising that her husband is a bit of a creep, begin to change. The former becomes quite a tense, cerebral, game of cat and mouse that you know is bound to lead some sort of a reckoning whilst the latter scenario would seem to suggest a romance might be smouldering, even if she is reluctant to ditch her duplicitous spouse. Whilst there is some action here, most of this is really about the taut development of the relationship between Scott and the very much on-form Boone who always managed to imbue his character with a degree of menace that thrived
Read the whole review on TMDB - Wuchakon TMDB · Sep 20218/10
_**Well done 50’s Western with Randolph Scott, Richard Boone and Maureen O'Sullivan**_ A former ranch ramrod (Randolph Scott) and members of a stagecoach in the Southwest (e.g. Maureen O'Sullivan) are threatened by a trio of ruthless killers (Richard Boone, Henry Silva and Skip Homeier). “The Tall T” (1957) is a quality 50’s Western with likable Randolph Scott in the heroic role. It has achieved a sort of cult status as the prime example of a classic Boetticher-Scott Western. The original story was written by Elmore Leonard, which explains the movie’s similarities to the later “Hombre” (1967), not to mention Boone appears in both as the chief outlaw. There are also parallels to Scott’s “Hangman’s Knot” (1952), which was shot in the same area and shares some story elements. I didn’t recognize Maureen O'Sullivan of Tarzan fame, 23 years after her physical prime in “Tarzan and His Mate” (1934). While the script keeps having the male characters refer to her as a “plain” or “old maid,” she’s obviously fit and still alluring in the second half with her hair down. In truth, most men in the Old West would kill to gain the attentions of such a woman. The film is taut at 1 hour, 18 minutes,
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Jan 20199/10
T for Taut! Pat Brennan loses his horse in a bet and is forced to hit the trail on foot. Thinking his luck has turned, he manages to hitch a ride on a stagecoach carrying newlyweds, the Mims'. However, his luck is short lived as the stagecoach is held up by three hot headed outlaws who are surprised to find that this isn't the stagecoach they were hoping to rob. Things take a dastardly turn when the thieves learn that Doretta Mims is the daughter of a wealthy copper mine owner, sensing an opportunity for ransom the thieves start to make plans, but do they really think Brennan is going to sit by and watch this happen? And can he outwit three deadly men all on his own? Based on the Elmore Leonard story, The Captive, The Tall T is a smashing and suspenseful Western brought to us by the excellent director/actor team of Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott. Not without humour either, it's however a serious psychological piece that looks at the complexities of the good and bad characters struggling amidst the sprawling Western backdrop. What sticks out here as a real positive is that Brennan is clearly not the stronger man as opposed to his captors, led by the fearsome Usher (a wonderful R
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Cast
- Randolph ScottPat Brennan
- Richard BooneFrank Usher
- Maureen O'SullivanDoretta Mims
- Arthur HunnicuttEd Rintoon
- Skip HomeierBilly Jack
- Henry SilvaChink
- John HubbardWillard Mims
- Robert BurtonTenvoorde
- Robert AndersonJace (uncredited)
- Dick JohnstoneTownsman (uncredited)
Crew
- Budd BoetticherDirector
- Burt KennedyScreenplay
- Elmore LeonardNovel
- Charles Lawton Jr.Director of Photography
- Heinz RoemheldOriginal Music Composer
- Al ClarkEditor
- Harry Joe BrownProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
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The Purple Plain 195478% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Secret Agent 193678% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
The Defiant Ones 195878% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest.
Yellow Sky 194877% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Tipping the Velvet 200273% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Queen's Gambit 202073% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
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