Western

Tribute to a Bad Man

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

United States of America

English

James Cagney

Don Dubbins

Stephen McNally

Irene Papas

Vic Morrow

James Griffith

Onslow Stevens

James Bell

Jeanette Nolan

Chubby Johnson

Royal Dano

Lee Van Cleef

Peter Chong

Robert Wise

Michael Blankfort

Jack Schaefer

Cedric Gibbons

Paul Groesse

Edwin B. Willis

Fred M. MacLean

William Tuttle

Arvid Griffen

Wesley C. Miller

Sydney Guilaroff

Sam Zimbalist

Walter Plunkett

Robert Surtees

Ralph E. Winters

Miklós Rózsa

Jeremy Rodock’s Valley.
 
Tribute to a Bad Man is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Michael Blankfort from the short story Hanging’s for the Lucky written by Jack Schaefer. A CinemaScope/Eastman Color production, it stars James Cagney, Don Dubbins, Stephen McNally and Irene Papas. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Robert Surtees.
 
Jeremy Rodock (Cagney) is a no nonsense rancher whose ruthless hold on his considerable spread of land includes hanging rustlers without trial or sentence. When young Steve Millar (Dubbins) helps Rodock in a time of need, he is offered work on the ranch. But when his Greek mistress Jocasta Constantine (Papas) attracts interest from Steve and wrangler McNulty (McNally), it forces Rodock into even darker shades of his character.
 
Following on from the wonderful Run for Cover the previous year, Cagney returned to the Western arena for the last time for Tribute to a Bad Man, and what a fitting picture on which to leave the West. 
 
The film encountered problems in early production when Spencer Tracy had a sulk and walked off of the picture. So in came Cagney. Steve Millar was being played by Robert Francis, but the actor was tragically killed in a plane crash, so in stepped Dubbins. Wise’s film is essentially a coming of age frontier Western, though it concerns two male characters coming of age at different places in their life. Millar is the young pup who has come West to seek employment and meaning in his life, Rodock is hard-bitten, grizzled and can’t see further than his own pig-headed beliefs. Rodock will either have to change his ways, wake up and smell the coffee, or risk losing everything.
 
Will Rodock come through? Can an old dog be taught new psychological tricks? When he once again deals out his own brand of justice he has surely gone too far this time? It also opens up an old rivalry wound that will ultimately define all involved. What is in store for Millar? Once his eyes have been opened and he sees that cowboy life can actually be harsh, as can his young emotions. Then there is the beautiful Jocasta, a woman ashamed of her past life back in Cheyenne, forever grateful to Rodock for taking her away from that life. The age difference between the two is considerable, but their relationship is based on trust, loyalty and realism. That is until the equilibrium is upset… 
 
Technically it’s a sumptuous production, where even if the thematics of the story doesn’t sound like your thing, it’s a film worth spending time with just to see Surtees’ Scope photography and hear Rózsa’s score. The former brings the striking Colorado Rockies to life with some breath taking distinction, while the latter provides music that positively swells then swirls around the magnificent back drop. With Cagney on mesmerising form, Papas and Dubbins not letting their inexperience affect the picture (Cagney took both under his wing), and Wise stringing it together as a knowing character based tapestry, it rounds out as a darn great and beautiful Oater. 8/10

Tribute to a Bad Man ≣ 1955 ≣ Trailer

Best Movies

Tribute to a Bad Man

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

James Cagney

Don Dubbins

Stephen McNally

Irene Papas

Vic Morrow

James Griffith

Onslow Stevens

James Bell

Jeanette Nolan

Chubby Johnson

Box office

More Like This

No Country for Old Men

Butcher's Crossing

They Call Me Trinity

A Fistful of Dollars

Dances with Wolves

Frontier Agent

Tom Horn

Duel at Diablo