Lew Wilkinson (Edward G. Robinson) is a cattle baron, owner of Anchor ranch, a man who dreams of controlling the whole valley.
The next rancher in his way is an ex-Civil War hero, John Parrish (Glenn Ford).
Parrish went West to heal from a war wound but is willing to sell his ranch and move back East with his fiancee (May Wynn as Caroline Vail).
That is until one of his cowhand’s is killed by Wilkison’s hired gun (Richard Jaeckel as Wade Matlock).
After that, Parrish leads his men in a guerrilla type warfare for which the men of Anchor are unprepared.
Meanwhile, Lew Wilkinson has more trouble at home than he realizes.
He was crippled in the last range war, so he’s brought in his brother (Brian Keith as Cole Wilkison) to manage this foray of violence.
Lew’s wife, Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) always loved Cole; now he’s conveniently nearby. Daughter Judith hates her mom for her betrayal of her father, but can’t stand to tell him the truth.
She just wants the killing to end.
Glenn Ford as John Parrish, trying to reason with Lew Wilkison in The Violent Men (1955)
Edward G. Robinson as Anchor Ranch owner Lew Wilkison, shocked one small rancher can cause so much trouble for his cattle empire in The Violent Men (1955)
Review:
Directed with lots of vim and vigor, this entertaining film is rare for its large number of prominent female roles.
In addition to Stanwyck, there’s Caroline Vail, who sees Parrish as her ticket to the East and asks him to swallow his pride to get her there; Lita Milan as Elena, a pretty young Mexican girl who battles Stanwyck for Cole’s love, she loves the man, not the potential cattle baron; and Dianne Foster as pretty young Judith Wilkinson, who’s glad to see someone finally stand up to her father and Anchor, but who pleads with Parrish to stop the bloodshed once it starts.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of highly implausible twists near the end that will likely leave most viewers shaking their heads. Still, an entertaining film.
Barbara Stanwyck as Martha Wlikison, suggesting husband Lew send daughter Judith to a finishing school back East in The Violent Men (1955)
Brian Keith as Cole Wilkison, helping enforce his older brother’s will on the Anchor Ranch in The Violent Men (1955)
Directed by:
Rudolph Mate
Cast:
Glenn Ford … John Parrish
Barbara Stanwyck … Martha Wilkison
Edward G. Robinson … Lew Wilkison
Dianne Foster … Judith Wilkison
Brian Keith … Cole Wilkison
May Wynn … Caroline Vail
Warner Anderson … Jim McCloud
Lita Milan … Elena
Richard Jaeckel … Wade Matlock
Basil Ruysdael … Tex Hinkleman
James Westerfield … Sheriff Magruder
Jake Kelly … DeRosa
Willis Bouchey … Sheriff Kenner
Harry Shannon … Purdue
Runtime: 96 min.
Dianne Foster as Judith Wilkison, showing contempt over her mother’s cheating ways in The Violent Men (1955)
Richard Jaeckel as Wade Matlock, the fast gun on the Anchor payroll who kills one of John Parrish’s ranch hands in The Violent Men (1955)
Memorable lines:
Doc to John Parrish: “Men always find reasons to avoid living in peace.”
John Parrish: “I don’t owe anybody anything.”
Doc: “You came out here to die, Mr. Parrish. This country gave you back your life. And you still owe it nothing?”
Parrish: “What happens in this valley is no concern of mine.”
Lew Wilkison to Parrish: “Here at Anchor, we don’t pay much attention to this hogwash about the meek inheriting the earth.”
Lew Wilkison: “I’m beginning to think I was all wrong about Parrish. He let his ranch go up in smoke just to set up an ambush. There’s a fine, cold-blooded devil.”
Judith Wilkison to her father, Lew: “When I think of the men you killed. And for what? To make Anchor the biggest cemetery in the country?”
Glenn Ford as John Parrish, about to get involved in a range war he hoped to avoid in The Violent Men (1955)
Warner Anderson as foreman Jim McCloud (center) demanding John Parrish take some kind of action after a ranch hand is killed in The Violent Men (1955)
May Wynn as Caroline Vail, a woman who views her engagement to John Parrish as a ticket back East in The Violent Men (1955)
James Westerfield as Sheriff Magruder, a lawman unlikely to side against the Anchor Ranch in any dispute in The Violent Men (1955)
Lita Milan as Elena, the Mexican girl who loves Cole, confronting Martha Wilkinson in The Violent Men (1955)
Edward G. Robinson as Lew Wilkison, making John Parrish an offer for his land while brother Cole (Brian Keith) looks on in The Violent Men (1955)
Dianne Foster as Judith Wilkison, returning to her family’s Anchor ranch and an unhappy sight in The Violent Men (1955)
Barbara Stanwyyck as Martha Wilkison and Brian Keith as Cole Wilkison, watching John Parris approach in The Violent Men (1955)
May Wynn as Caroline Vail issuing an ultimatum to John Parris (Glenn Ford) in The Violent Men (1955)
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