Ten Wanted Men (1955, directed by Bruce Humberstone)


Arizona rancher Wick Campbell (Richard Boone) is angered when he discovers that one of his servants, Maria (Donna Martell), would rather marry Howie Stewart (Skip Homeier) than be with Wick.  Wick has had a long rivalry with Howie and his older brothers, John (Randolph Scott) and Adam (Lester Matthews).  Determined to get rid of the Stewarts and to have Maria for himself, Wick hires notorious gunfighter Frank Scavo (Leo Gordon) to take over the town and defeat the Stewarts, one way or another.

Ten Wanted Men (the title refers to Scavo’s gang) is an above average Randolph Scott western.  Scott was one of the best of the western heroes because he always seemed so authentic whenever he rode a horse, shot a gun, or even just put on a cowboy hat.  Scott was also an underrated actor and, as he got older, he became Hollywood’s go-to choice whenever they needed a strong, silent lead for a western.  That’s the role that he plays in Ten Wanted Men, as the patriarch of the Stewart family.  He’s instinctively fair but he will do whatever has to be done to protect his brothers.

Wick Campbell is John Stewart’s opposite, an oily rancher who hires other men to bully his enemies and who abuses his servant in a way that the Stewarts never would consider.  Though Richard Boone became best known for playing the hero on Have Gun–Will Travel, Wick is the type of cowardly villain who everyone will be happy to see get exactly what he deserves.  As played by Leo Gordon, Frank Scavo is a brutish outlaw and, unlike Wick, he doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

Ten Wanted Men is a good western.  The plot may not be surprising but the gunfights are exciting and Randolph Scott is as ideal a hero as always.  Fans of the genre will enjoy it.

Music Video of the Day: Look Up by Toni Collette & The Finish (2007, dir by ????)


Toni Collette can sing!

On another note, my little ADD-wracked brain has been having a hard time remembering that the name of Adam McKay’s latest film is Don’t Look Up and not Don’t Look Now.  (Don’t Look Now, of course, is the classic Nicolas Roeg film about Julie Christine and Donald Sutherland taking an eventful trip to Venice and getting to know a mysterious person who wanders around while wearing a red jacket.  Seriously, if you’re missing traveling and you’re into the romance of Italy, check out Don’t Look Now!)  Fortunately, a friend sent me this video as a way to help me remember the difference between the two.  Personally, I prefer the music video to Adam McKay’s film.  It’s a lovely video and there’s no one yelling at me.

Toni Colette & The Forward released one album in 2006, Beautiful Awkward Pictures.  Two singles were released off the album, this one and the title track.  The video for the title track was directed by Nash Edgerton and I’m tempted to think that he may have done this one as well.  But I’m not sure so until I get some sort of official confirmation, we’ve got question marks.

This song was written by Toni Collette herself.

Enjoy!

Look up look up
The sky is falling
Colors changing
People laughing
In the face of danger
Look out look out
The bruise is swelling
Streets are bleeding
Angels calling
In a time of rescue
The rivers flooding
Boats are sinking
Lights are fading
An attempt to get through
To the ocean of you
All naked & blue
How do you do
Watch out watch out
The fools are fighting
There’s love that’s dying
An earth that’s crying
For the life it once knew
Trace the day
Across all space
To find a smile
Upon your face
I could never replace
The hue of these days
It’s just a phase
That we can’t sleep
We can only weep
For all we can’t keep
We live in dream
Hear this hear this
The record’s playing
There’s lovers swaying
A town that’s praying
For a laugh to see them through
The rocket’s lifting
The air is thinning
Shapes are shifting
Oh god but what a view
One for your time
Two for your words
Three for a picture of a
Four dimensional world
Five to live with each other
Six to sing the same song
Seven not to eat them
Eight to feel that you belong
Nine to let go of fear
Ten to hold your vision dear
Look up look up
The sky is falling
Colors changing
People laughing
In the face of danger
The bruise is swelling
Streets are bleeding
Angels calling
In a time of rescue
The rivers flooding
Boats are sinking
Lights are fading
An attempt to get through
The fools are fighting
There’s love that’s dying
An earth that’s crying
For the life it once knew
For the life it once knew
For the life it once knew
For the life it once knew