Rent The Naked Spur (1953)

3.7 of 5 from 68 ratings
1h 31min
Rent The Naked Spur Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
"Plain arithmetic. Money splits better two ways instead of three," smooth-talking outlaw Ben Vandergroat reasons to his captors, three bounty hunters thrown together by chance. They're taking him to justice in Abilene, but Ben has other ideas. If he can set the men against each other - play on their greed, their fears, their vanities - he may be able to make his break to freedom. In the third of his five landmark Anthony Mann-directed Westerns, James Stewart stars as the relentless leader of bounty hunters caught in the snare of the hunted (Robert Ryan).
Tough, sweating with tension and towering as tall as its breathtaking Colorado Rockies setting, The Naked Spur is simply "one of the best Westerns ever made."
Actors:
, , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
William H. Wright
Writers:
Sam Rolfe, Harold Jack Bloom
Genres:
Action & Adventure, Classics
Collections:
21 Reasons to Love, 21 Reasons to Love..Modern Westerns, Award Winners, Best Film Quests and Adventures, Films by Genre, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Brian De Palma
BBFC:
Release Date:
Not released
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.37:1
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
03/04/2023
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Vintage Pete Smith Speciality Short Things We Can Do Without
  • Classic Cartoon Little Johnny Jet
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (1) of The Naked Spur

Psychological Western. - The Naked Spur review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
30/08/2022

Ensemble western set after the Civil War. The naked spur 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 travel 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.

Robert Ryan gives the dominant performance. He keeps his wild strategies secret, but he plainly enjoys the barbed malice he scatters in the path of his adversaries. No one could sneer quite as repellently as Ralph 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.

 James Stewart gives a complex portrayal as a peaceful man who has survived 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 grandiose Rockies. It's all filmed on location and there's an exciting action finale shot in the rapids of the rugged, picturesque Colorado River.

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