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Rating: - A great forgotten western
The Last Hunt is one of those Westerns that somehow has gotten lost.It is a story of a time,when loosing sight of the roof-tops,was dangerous.The isolation,of the plains,bleeds men of moral behavior.Robert Taylor is Charley.In town he is bearable.On the prairie,where the town and laws and rules of the town are lost,Charley looses the decency and reason that makes folks civilized.
The Last Hunt is a great western.The systematic killing of the buffalo,which looks easy and real,looks that way because the buffalo killed during the making of this movie,were actually killed to thin down native herds in South Dakota.The killing of the buffalo provides a surreal cinematic backdrop,to a story of good guys and bad guys trying to disguise what is natural within them.This film should be on DVD for the following reasons:
1)Robert Taylor's performance is his best--ever
2)Look at South Dakota in the 1950's
3)Lloyd Nolan,some of his best stuff
4)Debra Paget--tries real hard to be the same "girl next door" indian debutante that made the us's of the 1950's--fall head over heal,in love with her.
5)Death of the young indian boy,shot,in a rigged gunfight with Taylor's character.It is over a white buffalo skin. The indian considers it sacred.Taylor considers the skin to have monetary value.Taylor shoots the boy easily--It is powerful and pitiful.
6)Russ Tamblyn--always tops
Rating: - Robert Taylor's Best Performance Ever!
Robert Taylor, who set the record for being under the longest studio contract in movie history, is notorious for being a great looking actor with no talent.
The Last Hunt shows might have been had Taylor been stretched by other great directors like he was By Richard Brooks. Brooks, who had one of the longest streaks of directing actors to Oscar-nominated and/or Oscar winning performances, got everything he could out of Taylor in this film, which came along at a time when Hollywood became more sensitive in its depiction of Native Americans.
Taylor plays Charlie Gilson, a quick on-the-draw buffalo hunter who seeks out Sandy McKenzie, played by Stewart Granger, a legendary buffalo hunter who has tired of the killing, and wants to raise cattle. Gulson catches McKenzie at a vulnerable moment, and he agrees to join Gilson in a hunt. They also add Lloyd Nolan, playing a peg-legged skinner, and Russ Tamblyn, a red-headed half breed to help out.
Along the way, trigger-happy Gilson kills two Native Americans who have stolen horses from the group, but spares an Indian woman (palyed by Debra Paget)with a baby travelling with the two dead Native Americans. He brings her back to camp, and takes up with her, even though he has made it clear how much he hates Indians. This act, and McKenzie's revulsion at killing buffalo, sets the stage for a Western with both tragic and hopeful overtones.
There is so much one can comment on about The Last Hunt: the great supporting performances, the fact that the shooting of the buffalo was real because it was done at a time when the government was purposely thinning the modern-day herd, the beautiful exteriors, the sensitivity to the plight of Native Americans, and a great script (also by Brooks). But the hallmark of this film is that it showcases Robert Taylor's greatest performance by a wide margin. Cynical, psychopathic, callous, yet seeking acceptance and tenderness from the Indian woman, Taylor is shown indulging in all of the emotions that he didn't show the rest of his career. He could have easily been nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
The Last Hunt deserves consideration as another one of Richard Brooks' many great films, a great candidate for DVD release, and for proving without question that Robert Taylor was a much better actor than anyone realized.
Rating: - Maltin is off target
This movie was released in 1956, but it was a "politically correct" film long before the term originated. The film is concerned with the environment, man's destruction and total elimination of the buffalo -- depicted very graphically in this movie. It is also very concerned with "civil rights" in the form of attitudes towards Native Americans (Indians), women and children. Robert Taylor is the "bad guy" in that he is not sensitive to any of the issues above -- he is a "dinosaur" watching his world disappear before his eyes. Steward Granger is the character that wakes up in time and realizes that these PC concerns are real and should be addressed with concern and care.
I don't think Leonard Maltin saw this film. His "review" is non-existent -- he missed this movie on every level, in my opinion. This is not a great movie, probably slightly above average, but also interesting in light of our PC world today. It is well made (for 1950's Hollywood) and has a message. It is worth viewing if these issues/message (above) are of interest to you. Like the 1950's movie "Broken Arrow", it is not a Hollywood film that depicts Native Americans in a negative way, instead it shows them with some compassion and understanding.
I hope this review gives you more insight than L.M.'s...
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