Alex da Silva Kirk Douglas (Paris) makes off with $500,000 that isn't his. He buries it in a rattlesnake pit and takes a few notes to blow on hookers but he's caught and sent to jail in the Arizona desert. We are also introduced to his future cell mates at the beginning of the film as we are shown the crimes for which they are sent to the same place. With this group sharing their living quarters in prison, Douglas emerges as a leader and, of course, has an escape plan in mind. Can he outwit new prison warden Henry Fonda (Lopeman)? This film will provide a couple of surprise moments for you at the end. It's a comedy that keeps the pace and it doesn't seem like its running time of over 2 hours. We get to know the characters and become fond of them all. At the beginning of the film, we see Douglas shoot one of his gang in the back – but I interpreted this in a different way to others who point to this as a demonstration of his cruel streak. In my mind, he shot his gang member as that member was about to shoot a woman - he gallantly saved her life. Well, by the end of the film, I changed my tune. Douglas is a badass.Throughout the film, we see Fonda as a bit of a soft touch with a righteous streak as his fulcrum. Indeed, Douglas questions his motivations as Fonda doesn't drink or smoke and Douglas thinks there is something else lurking within him. Douglas has obviously been listening to that song by Adam Ant – "Goody Two Shoes". You know, the one where the chorus goes 'Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?' Good acting by all the cast and an unexpected ending. Didn't see that one coming but the clue is in the title. This film also gives you a tip on how to draw a great picture of an angel.

ma-cortes A charming but totally roguish and ruthless criminal called Paris Pitman Jr. (Kirk Douglas) is detained for robbing and condemned for a long time in a remote , impregnable territorial prison . There Pitman to start doing ten years in an isolated jail but being supported by a motley group of inmates (Burguess Meredith , Warren Oates , John Randolph , Hume Cronyn) . All of them are surveyed by an assorted team of stiff wardens (Victor French , Gene Evans , Alan Hale Jr.) . However , those years should pass quickly because of a $500,000 loot previously stashed away . But then , an innovative and incorruptible warden chief (Henry Fonda) takes over the Arizona town's prison and he has some new ideas about law and order . Scurrilous Pitman enlists the help of his cellmates in an escape attempt with the promise of sharing his hidden loot . At the end one of them lived happily ever after . Offbeat Western black comedy displays an excellent plethora of actors , as main as secondary cast and with fine acting all around . This is a richly amusing tale , including hilarious touches , tongue-in-cheek , twists and turns . Interesting and fun script written by two prestigious screenwriters : David Newman and Robert Benton . Overlong Western ; however, Warners objected Mankiewicz's preferred version of the film (it ran to 165 minutes) and re-cut the film , to his great irritation , to a more manageable 126 minutes . One notable casualty of this re-cutting was the prominently-billed Lee Grant , a very well-known actress at the time, whose appearance is now barely a couple of minutes in length . Enjoyable performance by Kirk Douglas as a charming , intelligent and successful criminal who eventually imprisoned is sent in the middle of the Arizona desert ; here Douglas steals the show playing one of the smiling rogues that he did so well . Henry Fonda is perfect as a new idealistic warden who starts to manipulate everyone to achieve his goal , to take the stash . Douglas and Fonda dominate this western comedy as two immensely likable roguish men making plans to collect the buried loot . And brief nudism by today's standards, what remains is fairly tame : a couple glimpses of the bare backside of Kirk Douglas, a glimpse of a bare breast here and there and some mildly risqué drawings . Impressive production design , in fact a realistic 1880s territorial prison replica was constructed on four acres in the high-desert country of the Joshua Tree National Monument , being designed by Edward Carrere , Oscar-winning designer of such movies as Wind Bunch (1969) , it was one of the most massive location sets ever built . As the prison set took seven weeks to build , when construction began , it was snowing , when it ended, the temperature was 100 degrees . Furthermore , it contains a colorful cinematography in Panavision by Harry Stradling Jr . Lively and vivid musical score by Charles Strouse , adding some catching songs sung by Trini López . The motion picture was compellingly made by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909-1993) , it was promoted as a "cynical western" , the film was released on Christmas Day 1970 and it did poorly at the holiday box office . Mankiewicz is considered to be one of the best directors of film history . He directed excellent pictures in all kinds of genres , such as intriguing dramas : ¨All about Eva¨ (50) , ¨Five Fingers¨ (51) , ¨The barefoot Contessa¨ (54) , ¨Suddenly , Last summer¨ (59) , ¨The honey pot¨ (67) ; Noir Film : ¨House of strangers¨ (49) , ¨No way out¨(50) ; Musical : ¨Guys and dolls¨ (55) , Fantasy : ¨The ghost and Mrs. Muir¨ (47) , and Historical : ¨Julius Caesar¨ (53) and ¨Cleopatra¨(63) .

mmallon4 If more westerns were like The Was a Crooked Man I could consider myself a bigger fan of the genre. The opening scene in which a black maid who fakes the mammy act sets the stage for a film which defies convention. To date I've never seen another western like it; it's not like a John Ford western or a Howard Hawks western, this is a Joseph L. Mankiewicz western; the first and only Mankiewicz western. I also love that theme song and am happy to hear it again and again in instrumental form throughout the film.Mankiewicz was a master of handling dialogue and thus there is such a snappy pace to the whole film. "Nothing like fried chicken while it's still hot and crispy" may be my favourite line Kirk Douglas has ever uttered in a film. The film is full of characters whom each get their own unique stories. The two homosexual lovers and comic buffoons played by Hume Cronyn and John Randolph have the most interesting character arc with an outcome which is the only time in the film someone isn't totally out for themselves. The large scale prison set on the other hand captures the mundanity of prison life with the film gradually building up to the impending escape, ranking There Was a Crooked Man among the great prison escape movies.There Was a Crooked Man is a movie which combines old Hollywood mixed with new Hollywood with its traditional western setting and it's dosing of cynicism. The cast features stars both veteran actors and younger stars and a script by David Newman and Robert Benton of Bonnie & Clyde fame. Even the one moral character in the film ends up turning bad. Henry Fonda plays the moral role he was known for throughout his career right up until the very end of the picture, leaving me with a big smile on my face. The movie is very cynical but it's that kind of wonderful cynicism that makes you feel happy, and not feeling down. Although I would call There Was a Crooked Man a funny movie, it is not the kind of film in which I find myself laughing but rather laughing inside to myself.

qormi Great actors, but the film lacks identity. The film's musical score completely decimated any semblance of drama or relevance. The same six notes played on a trumpet over and over again, resembling contemporary music of the time from "The Dating Game" or "Love, American Style" was out of place and in your face. Thus, when a man gets shot in the chest at point blank range with a rifle, there is no shock value. Nobody really cares when a beautiful woman's clothes are ripped off by a rioting prison mob and she is obviously raped - it's all light - hearted, you see. Douglas's compelling performance is wasted. Imagine any great drama plagued by recurring, obnoxious music and you have a mess. Imagine a great speech by Lincoln or JFK punctuated by comical music - it means nothing. Pathetic.