JLRMovieReviews Glenn Ford and Ida Lupino star in this film about gold, gold, GOLD! It opens with William Prince, who's Glenn Ford's grandson. He is following a guy looking for the Lost Dutchman mine, but, as the guy gets nearer, he is shot and killed. When William goes for the law, he's told several people have been killed before in search of the gold. William goes in search of the truth about his grandfather and where he hid the gold, by way of records and the local senior citizens home. By way of a flashback we see a pretty rough Glenn Ford, who has earned a reputation of being very mean. This dramatization plays out how he discovers and hides the gold and how others hear of it and want it for themselves. Of course, Ida Lupino is one of them. Despite the fact she's married to Gig Young, she sets her sights on Glenn and his gold. Also starring Will Geer and Edgar Buchanun, this is a very entertaining western film noir. In fact, this was director S. Sylvan Simon's only film noir. This has all the elements needed for a fulfilling experience: the chemistry of the two leads, the mysterious allure of the gold along with the desperate lust for gold which drives people wild with passion. But who is killing the people looking for the gold, and where is it, and will it ever be found? Based on a very real place and certain events, this film delivers the goods with excellent actors, all looking out for themselves and for that pot of gold.

edwagreen After the first 20 minutes of the film, I was asking myself, where are the main stars: Ida Lupino, Gig Young and Glenn Ford? My question was soon answered when a grandson of Ford, looking for the elusive mine filled with gold, stumbles on to an old age home where an old-timer relates the story of his grandpa and the others within his orbit.I must say that flashback was used effectively here but the film boils down to a western atmosphere, where our 3 ruthless stars are caught up in the gold madness, after the Ford character discovers the gold.In modern times, 20 people were murdered while searching for the treasure. The role of the greedy- woman was tailor made for Ida Lupino, and Gig Young is effective as her murderous husband, agreeing to her scheme, before realizing that he is being used as well. Ford is excellent as the prospector, vicious and insane to the core.The scenes showing Ford torturing the other 2 prior to the earthquake hitting are amateurish at best. When we head back to modern times, it becomes obvious who the killer is, since he was missing in action each time a killing occurred.

dougdoepke "Have a gumdrop," offers the cranky Jacob Walz as he woos the scheming Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino). Not the most romantic way of winning a lady's affections, but then Walz can afford a million gumdrops, having just found the fabulous Lost Dutchman gold mine. No wonder she looks pleased taking a little gooey one.Don't let this fool you-- the movie's a fine under-rated adventure yarn, skillfully weaving together two time-lines surrounding the West's most legendary lost mine. So who's murdering unwary fortune hunters in the real time-line (1949)? Maybe if we follow the flashback to the 1880's we'll find out. It's then that Walz stumbles onto the mine first worked by Mexicans who ended up being massacred by Apaches. From that point on, the story really takes off.Excellent production values. The earth-shaking special effects are unexpected and expertly done by the usually budget-minded Columbia studios. Ditto the cliff-side sets that blend well with background. Note how efficiently the script establishes the relationship between Julia and husband Pete (Gig Young) in their first scene, one that maybe more importantly satisfied censors of the day.It's a complicated story-line, but very well coordinated by director S. Sylvan Simon. Note how effectively legend, fact, and melodrama are combined into a coherent tale of enchantment. Who would not be enticed by the real life clues leading to the mine's location-- all the coded pictographs, mysterious window rocks, and elusive sun spots. I expect more than a few would-be adventurers set- out because of this 90 minutes. However, let's hope they didn't set-out like many characters in the movie-- apparently without necessary provisions, that is, nary a burro, pack-horse or jeep in sight. Even Julia unfortunately appears in the desert sans hat!Still and all, it's a fine cast. Was there ever a better sleek-looking gigolo than Gig Young, or a more soulful emoter than Lupino. She sure gets her chance, sweating her way up those sharp rocks in a nice slice of poetic justice. Ford's really excellent in those early scenes as the hard-bitten outsider. Note, however, how quickly he becomes Americanized losing his distinctive Dutch accent in the later scenes. And too bad Will Geer, the hayseed sheriff, disappeared from movies for decades courtesy the Hollywood blacklist. His grin here is one of the slyest on record. Topping things off, the movie finishes up in an exciting action-filled climax with an especially droll final word. All in all, I wouldn't be surprised that the project was inspired by the success of the previous year's Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a movie with a similar theme of gold and adventure. I'm just sorry this little nugget hasn't achieve greater recognition for the highly entertaining sleeper it is.

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) Sometimes when you expect a certain pattern from a film it is hard to accept something that does not fit into it. Lust for Gold has a different style and probably that is the reason it did not get the praise it deserved. Like the Treasure of Sierra Madre it has no good guys. And like Citizen Kane it is told in flashbacks. Glenn Ford, Ida Lupino and Howard Duff interpret such bad people,you wonder who will outdo the other in treachery. There is an excellent narrator and a story that will keep your curiosity alive until the end. By taking place in two different epochs the film shows how in certain places we are still living the westerns, only technology has changed. The ironic ending is great. A film not to be missed