Rent The Naked Spur (1953)

Psychological Western. - The Naked Spur review by Steve

Ensemble western set after the Civil War. The title refers to our motivations: bounty hunter James Stewart is driven by revenge; wandering prospector Millard Mitchell by gold; and disgraced cavalryman Ralph Meeker by sexual depravity. All are distorted by greed and compete to take in a fugitive killer (Robert Ryan), for a cut of the $5000 reward.  

And the murderer will seek to divide his captors and escape with his girl (Janet Leigh) as they trail through the Rockies back to Abilene. Most of the entertainment is watching the crazy, glittery eyed gunman use the men's weaknesses against themselves, like Iago in a cowboy hat.

Ryan gives the dominant performance. He keeps his wild strategies secret, but plainly relishes the barbed malice he scatters in the path of his adversaries. No one could sneer quite as repellently as Meeker and he feels dangerous and completely mercenary as an ex-army rapist without any conscience at all. He's even more loathsome than the killer.

Stewart creates a complex impression of a peaceful man who survives the Civil War with (what we'd call now) PTSD.  It's an actor's film, but visually striking with magnificent colour photography of the Rockies. It's all shot on location and there's an exciting action climax in the rapids of the rugged, picturesque Colorado River.