Two Rode Together (1961)

Too much of everything

Thanks for the memories!

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

In "Two Rode Together" John Ford returns to the theme he had earlier dealt with in "The Searchers", that of white people raised or held captive by the Indians. (In "The Unforgiven" from the previous year, Ford's rival John Huston had dealt with the opposite theme, that of an Indian girl- strangely played by a miscast Audrey Hepburn- raised as white by her adoptive family). The "two" of the film's title are Marshal Guthrie McCabe and his friend Lieutenant Jim Gary who are tasked by Gary's superior, Major Fraser, with the job of ransoming any white captives being held by the Comanche. Because Fraser is coming under pressure from relatives of the captives the two are authorised to use any means to achieve this end, including offering modern rifles to the Comanche in exchange, even though it is normally taken for granted in Westerns that the greatest reason any white man can commit is to sell weapons to the Indians.Ford's normal favourite actor John Wayne does not appear in this film; the leading roles are taken by James Stewart and Richard Widmark. In the early part of his career, Stewart was not an actor particularly associated with Westerns ("Destry Rides Again" being an exception) but in the fifties he got a taste for the genre and made a number of fine ones with director Anthony Mann. He fell out with Mann after the latter withdrew from "Night Passage", but this did not affect his love for the Western and he found a new collaborator in Ford. They did not, it would appear, get on particularly well on the set of "Two Rode Together", but nevertheless went on to make three move films together, including "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Cheyenne Autumn".One weakness that occasionally crept into Ford's movies was a tendency to introduce some inappropriate humour into an otherwise serious film. That was even true of films as good as "The Searchers" and "Cheyenne Autumn", and it is certainly true here. The film is based around some serious themes such as ethnic identity, racism and the relationship between Native Americans and white settlers. It purports to examine the bigotry shown by many whites towards both the Indians themselves and any whites felt to be "tainted" by association with them. (Those captives whom McCabe and Gary eventually rescue are not made welcome by their own people). It includes some violent incidents such as a woman being stabbed to death and a teenage boy being lynched by a mob. Yet the tone is at times curiously light-hearted, especially in its depiction of the relationship between McCabe and Gary.The main culprit is Stewart, who had done some great work with Mann but here seems far too laid-back. McCabe is far from being a spotless hero; when we first meet him he is acting as the business partner of a "saloon owner", which here is a polite euphemism for "brothel keeper", and living off a percentage of her immoral earnings. His motives for accepting Fraser's commission are mostly mercenary ones. Now in his collaborations with Mann Stewart (who in the earlier part of his career had generally played clean-cut "Mr Nice Guy" characters) created some memorably flawed heroes, such as Howard Kemp in "The Naked Spur", but seems unable to do the same here. Ford was not particularly satisfied with "Two Rode Together"; he believed that he had treated the same theme far better in "The Searchers". (He was dead right there). This is not perhaps the worst Ford film; that must be that horribly overrated sentimental piece of Irish blarney, "The Quiet Man". It is, however, the worst Ford Western I have seen, and probably the worst Stewart Western as well. 5/10

No wonder director Ford considered the movie "crap". That may be a little too strong, but the results are definitely sub-par for the legendary filmmaker. If The Searchers (1956) dealt with whites kidnapped by Indians, the plot here is a reversal: Whites raised as Comanches are ransomed back into the white world, and in the process of reintegration, settler bigotry is exposed. That's a good thoughtful premise but the screenplay can't seem to provide a focus on anything. As a result, the story meanders from event to event in generally unfocused fashion. For whatever reason, writer Nugent can't seem to organize the elements into a coherent, effective narrative.Then there's the miscasting, especially Widmark as a 45-year old West Point lieutenant, who's supposed to romance a 26-year old Shirley Jones, who looks and acts like she just stepped out of a malt shop. And shouldn't forget poor 55-year old Andy Devine, a very un-cavalrylike cavalry sergeant. Somehow, his grossly over-weight figure is just not that funny. On the other hand, Stewart's not miscast, but this may be the only movie where his usual low-key style gives way to some serious over-acting, which unfortunately overshadows his low-key co-star Widmark. His character is, however, surprisingly dark and combative, an interesting feature.At the same time, for a western, there's little action, mostly just palaver and clumsy stabs at humor. However, the lynching scene is well staged and a real grabber. Anyway, it's pretty clear that director Ford's heart wasn't really in the production for whatever reason. Unfortunately, the end result is one of the least of his many fine Westerns.

If you're just looking for a DECENT Western, you might try this one; it's at lest better than the average Western of the era. But, that's not saying much.If you're looking for a fine John Ford Western...well, you're going to be disappointed. Ford reportedly didn't want to do this film and thought it was not a top-rate story. And it shows. We all know what Ford was capable of, and here it almost seems as if he intentionally gave the film short shrift. Interestingly, the very next year, John Ford and Jimmy Stewart teamed together to make one of the finest Westerns of all time -- "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence". This film pales in comparison. I don't think I've ever before watched a film and thought, "This would be better in black and white." But I thought that here, simply because it looked just a little too shallow.You think the story is about buying back White captives from the Indians. And it is, but it tells that story superficially. Then you think it's about the captives' lives back in White society. And it is, but it tells that story superficially. And that's this film in a nutshell -- superficial.The casting...well, I was never a fan of Richard Widmark, although in recent years I've begun to reassess his talents. Here, however, I was not particularly impressed.Jimmy Stewart as the small-town less than stellar-minded sheriff is a tad disappointing. Stewart was long one of my favorites, with so many wonderful roles in his career...this is not one of them. Here, he's not the really good guy, nor the really bad guy...something in between...so you don't exactly like or dislike his character. And it seems as if he didn't take the film very seriously. In the film, Widmark and Stewart have a relationship that is poorly scripted -- close friends, enemies ready to kill each other...it just doesn't make sense. Shirley Jones must have been disappointed in her role. But, I feel most sorry for a character actor that was never a favorite of mine -- Andy Devine...he deserved a better part here. It almost seemed that someone felt sorry for him and tossed him in the cast just to be nice.There are a number of character actors here that you'll recognize: John McIntire as an army major, Harry Carey Jr., Ken Curtis as a "hillbilly"...another inane role to his credit, David Kent in a bizarre role as a White captive who has gone Indian, Jeanette Nolan (Mrs. John McIntire, and others.I rarely give a "6", but I will here, not because it's a bad film (although some of the dialog is more primitive than the Indians), but because with all the talent here, it should have been so much better. A definite disappointment.

The cynical and corrupt Marshal Guthrie McCabe (James Stewart) has a comfortable life in Tascosa, receiving percentages of deals. His lover Belle Aragon (Annelle Hayes) owns a saloon with a brothel and has just proposed to marry him. However, Guthrie is summoned by the US Army Major Frazer (John McIntire) that sends a troop commanded by his friend First Lt. Jim Gary (Richard Widmark) to bring him to the Fort Grant.When Guthrie meets Major Frazer, he explains that the relatives of prisoners of the Comanche tribe are pressing the army to bring them back home, but the soldiers can not trespass the Indian lands due to a treat with the Comanche. The mercenary Guthrie demands a large amount to negotiate with Chief Quanah Parker (Henry Brandon) the freedom of the white captives. Guthrie travels with Lt. Jim Gary and they rescue the two last captives, a teenager that has been raised by the Comanche and a young woman, Elena de la Madriaga (Linda Cristal), who has been the woman of the leader of the Buffalo Shields Stone Calf (Woody Strode) for five years. Once in the white society, they are outcast by the "civilized" white society and their reintegration is almost impossible. "Two Rode Together" is another great western by John Ford, with a different story about the difficulty of reintegration of captives of Indians into the civilized society of the white man. The plot entwines comical and dramatic situations with powerful dialogs. James Stewart is fantastic, as usual, performing an unethical greedy man that changes his behavior after meeting Elena, performed by the gorgeous Linda Cristal. Both characters find redemption in the end. Richard Widmark shows a magnificent chemistry with James Stewart and Shirley Jones. In the end, it is hard to point out the civilized and uncivilized societies. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Terra Bruta" ("Raw Land")