The Lusty Men (1952)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:10
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Two rodeo stars begin a mentor/protegee relationship, but the men become rivals both on the rodeo circuit and for a woman's love.
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Susan Hayward, Arthur Kennedy, Arthur Hunnicutt
Director: Nicholas Ray
Reviews for The Lusty Men
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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The story isn't much (the security of family life versus the rootlessness and danger of working as a rodeo rider), but the situation is rich in emotional resonances which Ray conjures into life convincingly. Full Review |
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[Ray] was happiest with personal stories where a confrontation between characters leads to a conclusion, however sombre. The confrontation here is complex. Full Review |
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B+ |
Ray's last b/w film captures the life of rodeo players with vivid details, lyrical images, and melnacholy mood, centering on a romantic triangle, well played by Arthur Kennedy, Susan Hayward, and especially Robert Mitchum as the aging champ. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Ray's direction is superb, and all three leads give bravura performances. Full Review |
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A somewhat slow starter, once underway it is kept playing with growing interest under Nicholas Ray's firm direction. Full Review |
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Functions as mini-ethnography, laying bare the alluring and dangerous world of bronc- and braman-riding, while spinning an artful melodrama about aging, fame, and failure Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
The punch of the film is in its details of rodeo life as it is, and for this R. K. O. and Producer Jerry Wald have a dynamic film. Full Review |
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A |
Ray takes a thin story and enriches it with depth, complexity, and interesting characters. Full Review |
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4/4 |
The first few brief sequences in Nicholas Ray's rip-roaring rodeo flick tell us visually almost everything that we need to know about the director's interest in this story. Full Review |
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A masterpiece by Nicholas Ray -- perhaps the most melancholy and reflective of his films. Full Review |
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