The Westerner

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The Westerner

1940,

1h 37m,

Western/

Drama/

Romance

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100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Accused of stealing horses, drifter Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) finds himself before the infamous Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan). Aware of the judge's affection for actress Lily Langtry (Lilian Bond), Cole claims to know her and thus receives a suspended sentence. Soon after, Cole falls for an attractive homesteader (Doris Davenport) whose father (Fred Stone) is indirectly killed by Bean's henchmen. Looking for revenge, Cole tracks the judge to a theater where Langtry is set to perform.

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Bob Baker

Time Out

Jan 26, 2006

Toland's landscapes are superb.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Jan 2, 2022

7/10

Bean is too amusingly crafty to remain an easily reformed villain, and Harden is too upright to resort to underhanded revenge tactics; a dramatic face-off is unavoidable.

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Eduardo Guaitsel

Cine-Mundial

Sep 14, 2019

The argument itself is not very different from other horsemen like that, but the characterization is superb. [Full review in Spanish]

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

May 11, 2011

B+

Gary Cooper gives a commanding performance in William Wyler's popular 1940 Western, which features Walter Brennan in an Oscar-winning turn

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Jul 27, 2008

B

An offbeat melodramatic Western with added comedy that makes the villain a more arresting subject than the hero.

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Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Oct 8, 2004

4/5

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Abraham P

Feb 17, 2019

Not worthy of a review. 1940 was a great year for movies. This one missed out entirely.

Oct 7, 2017

Quintessential Western movie and beautiful cinematography. Gary Cooper and a younger Walter Brennan than I've ever seen (still playing a codger). So much fun.

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Leia G

Jun 11, 2017

One of the best westerns ever made, Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, and Doris Davenport were all wonderful. I can't put my finger on how the old movies have something the new one don't. Maybe an innocence.

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Finn S

Oct 5, 2015

A just fine western. The judge character was something new.

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William Wyler

Director

Gary Cooper

Cole Harden

Walter Brennan

Judge Roy Bean

Doris Davenport

Jane Ellen Mathews

Fred Stone

Caliphet Mathews

Forrest Tucker

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Synopsis

Accused of stealing horses, drifter Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) finds himself before the infamous Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan). Aware of the judge's affection for actress Lily Langtry (Lilian Bond), Cole claims to know her and thus receives a suspended sentence. Soon after, Cole falls for an attractive homesteader (Doris Davenport) whose father (Fred Stone) is indirectly killed by Bean's henchmen. Looking for revenge, Cole tracks the judge to a theater where Langtry is set to perform.

Director: William Wyler
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter: Jo Swerling, Niven Busch
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 23, 2020
Runtime: 1h 37m

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