The 1959 film “Warlock” is one of those tall surprises for movie fans. It’s a classic western, undiscovered, awaiting the lucky viewer who happens to stumble across it. After viewing this gloomy, almost gothic oater, most viewers will ask themselves, “Why haven’t I heard of this film?!”
I’m not certain as to why “Warlock” has been relatively ignored over the years, though I mediate the film is derivative of other films. I believe the generic Hollywood backlots where “Warlock” was undoubtedly filmed certainly detract from its overall allure. But simply set, “Warlock” fell through the cracks, and it’s a film deserving of reexamination.
Part “High Noon,” piece “Shane,” portion “The Searchers,” “Warlock” tells the yarn of a town victimized by crime. They hire a gunfighter in the beget of Henry Fonda, who arrives with a crippled sidekick (Anthony Quinn) in tow. Fonda’s character becomes a semi-celebrity, granted carte blanche as he calmly strolls the streets adorned in lustrous pistols and dim suits. The cantankerous Quinn, lugging around a shotgun, watches Fonda’s wait on while sipping champagne and taking care of the finances.
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But the town (named Warlock) is anything but a simple job. A old care for of Quinn’s (Dorothy Malone) is a resident, and he wants her support. Richard Widmark also resides here, and he’s none too ecstatic about the hiring of the gunfighters, sensing the community should stand up for itself. A young woman (Dolores Michaels) also catches Fonda’s view, and for the first time he begins to wonder about settling down. All of these emotional dramas play out, having tragic circumstances.
Director Edward Dmytryk, one of the more underrated filmmakers from this period, has done an estimable job in weaving these multiple storylines together. He also displays an grand visual flair, most notably during a gunfight between Fonda and Frank Gorshin about midway through the film. I could argue that the scene is one of the astronomical cinematic gunfights in history. Superbly choregraphed, Fonda screams the name “Billy, Billy……!” before drawing his gun and reluctantly killing the man. It is a gleaming, unforgettable moment, precursing many of the operatic gunfights from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns 10 years later.
Quinn also gives a memorable supporting performance as Fonda’s sidekick. Tortured by his club foot handicap and inflamed at the world, Quinn is a live keg waiting to explode. He does the dirty work for Fonda, and exposes the hypocrisy of Fonda’s dream to resolve down and retire from a life of gunfighting. Quinn knows he and Fonda can never be a fragment of fresh civilization. Essentially, they are walking death, perfectly symbolized by Fonda’s dim suits – a shadowy situation in the dusty streets, stark and apart.
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As Fonda stands amid the ruins of a burned out saloon, he is alone, tremendous, lanky, a scythe-carrying spector. His past choices have fatefully isolated him from civilization. Like John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards at the destroy of “The Searchers,” he can never comfortably slouch through the door of domestic civilization. He is destined a life of solitude, forced by fate to step aside and allow the new world to buy root. His job, for all intents and purposes, is finally done.
“Warlock” is a sizable, undiscovered western. It has luminous performances, terrific dialogue and unforgettable imagery. It is an unheralded masterpiece.
Warlock is one of those movies that got lost in the lag in the years following its release. Subsequent classics like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Radiant Seven, The Man With No Name trilogy, The Wild Bunch, etc, all diverted attention away from this 1959 Western masterpiece. Expertly directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda (in one of his best Western roles), Anthony Quinn (in arguably HIS best Western role), DeForest Kelley, and Dorothy Malone, this is a movie that – upon further review – truly does beget up very well against even the best Westerns of all time.
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Fonda plays a Marshall (gun) for hire who is brought in to “super up” the town of Warlock. He does so with the proviso that he can do it his arrangement, with no interference from the town council. They agree, but he warns them that at first they will adore him and what he does, but later on they will approach to dislike him and his methods. His prediction comes just, but the draw the memoir plays out belies the usual Western cliche’s. The script is expertly written with characters that ring upright in a rather sophisticated storyline.
Warlock, in a device, combines the classic Western styles of the 40’s & 50’s, with what would be seen in the 60’s, and even foreshadows some elements that would be seen later in current (1980’s to demonstrate) Westerns. It is a broad character view, and has (rightly) been called the quintessential “Psychological Western.” While Warlock isn’t a “shoot ‘em up” Western, the action sequences are very valid and the movie is riveting throughout.
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The DVD transfer lives up to the high standards of the movie itself. The relate is engrossing and the print is trim (for a movie of this age), and the colors are vibrant. This is a movie that belongs in the collection of every Western fan.
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