The Man From Laramie (1955)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(3,151 ratings)

Anthony Mann directed this brilliant psychological Western reminiscent of Shakespeare's King Lear. James Stewart plays Will Lockhart, who is obsessed with finding the man who sold automatic rifles to the Apaches, resulting in the death of his brother. Will enters the town of Coronado, NM, ruled by… More Anthony Mann directed this brilliant psychological Western reminiscent of Shakespeare's King Lear. James Stewart plays Will Lockhart, who is obsessed with finding the man who sold automatic rifles to the Apaches, resulting in the death of his brother. Will enters the town of Coronado, NM, ruled by the blind and aging patriarch Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). Unaware that he is trespassing on Waggoman's land, he finds himself accosted by Alec's sociopathic son, Dave (Alex Nicol), who brutally beats Will and is ready to kill him. But Will is rescued at the last minute by Waggoman's adopted son, Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy). Will finds that Waggoman has become increasingly concerned over who will inherit his vast empire. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Anthony Mann
Written By: Philip Yordan, Frank Burt
Genres: Western, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 31, 1955 Wide
On DVD: Feb 8, 2000
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The fifth of Anthony Mann's five Westerns with Jimmy Stewart, The Man from Laramie looks more and more like the best of the lot.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A revenge Western Shakespeare might have liked.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Taut, brutal Western with King Lear overtones

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

An okay movie for a western, Stewart is a great actor, and he brings the movie to life.
First L

Like the Sons of Katie Elder, The Man from Laramie deals heavily with father/son relationships in the old west, and how the weak son fails the empire-carving father. The son Dave (Alex Nicol) isn't just weak and ignorant, he's also mean-spirited. Vic (Arthur Kennedy) is… More
Like the Sons of Katie Elder, The Man from Laramie deals heavily with father/son relationships in the old west, and how the weak son fails the empire-carving father. The son Dave (Alex Nicol) isn't just weak and ignorant, he's also mean-spirited. Vic (Arthur Kennedy) is put in charge of "keeping" Dave, but Dave travels across the ranch like an oafish baby, and Vic can only keep him in line so well. But Vic has other reasons for disliking Dave, especially the fact that when the old man (Donald Crisp) dies, Dave will inherit (and likely fritter away) all the hard work he's put into the ranch. Lockhart (James Stewart) has come to to town supposedly to deliver a shipment to the general store, but his real agenda is to discover who sold the repeating rifles to the apaches who killed his brother. There are no stereotypical villains in this movie, no one is strictly speaking "evil" (except perhaps dave, who just wants to be the man his father was), they're more misguided. When the old man came out west, he had to be tough, as there wasn't any law to protect him and his property. Times have changed, and he wants his son to learn how to do the bookkeeping, but all Dave wants to do is play cowboy and spends every opportunity looking for a fight. Lockhart is shrewd and cool as a cucumber as he works towards finding his revenge, and it's a vengeance that won't be denied. The psychology of the characters is well fleshed out and puts the Man from Laramie a step above the stereotypical black-and-white westerns.
xGary X

James Stewart plays an army captain on the trail of gun runners who sold rifles to the Apache resulting in the death of his brother. Mann and Stewart made some great westerns together but this one somehow didn't have the spark that makes a film special for me. Stewart is as… More
James Stewart plays an army captain on the trail of gun runners who sold rifles to the Apache resulting in the death of his brother. Mann and Stewart made some great westerns together but this one somehow didn't have the spark that makes a film special for me. Stewart is as reliable as ever and Mann's direction solid, but there's something so terribly generic about this one. I think black and white suited Mann's style far better, and the plot to this film seems so formulaic and predictable that I was stifling yawns by the time it was half finished. The characters were all a little too familiar, the outcome inevitable and there's very little in the way of action along the way. Not bad by any means, but it's not in the same league as the likes of Winchester '73.
Stephen M

This was the last, and arguably the best, of five marvellous westerns directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, remarkable for their psychological complexity and - with the possible exception of The Far Country, which is over-reliant on artificial… More
This was the last, and arguably the best, of five marvellous westerns directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, remarkable for their psychological complexity and - with the possible exception of The Far Country, which is over-reliant on artificial backdrops - for their stunning use of landscape. Typically cast as either a bad man trying to escape his past or a good man sworn to a vengeance he's barely cut out for, Stewart was the perfect actor to bring out the emotional turmoil of Mann's flawed heroes. In The Man from Laramie he plays a mysterious stranger hunting those responsible for selling the Apache the repeating rifles used to ambush an army patrol. Donald Crisp, Arthur Kennedy and Aline MacMahon give excellent support, and the film is also memorable for some unusual salt lake scenery and a couple of bits of eye-popping sadism.
Ken S

Couldn't get into it. Beautifully crafted though
Michael G

Such a great western. The landscapes and cinematography Mann employs are incredible even if the colors are oversaturated. The villains (namely Dave) are truly despicable and part of Man From Laramie's charm is that it doesn't play out the way you'd expect. Great… More
Such a great western. The landscapes and cinematography Mann employs are incredible even if the colors are oversaturated. The villains (namely Dave) are truly despicable and part of Man From Laramie's charm is that it doesn't play out the way you'd expect. Great performance from Stewart, great supporting cast and characters and great story.
Matthew Y

A solid film with a solid screenplay and solid performances from the cast. The scene where Stewart's character is confronted for 'stealing' salt and it's aftermath is one of the real haunting moments of the film and the entire Mann/Stewart western saga. It's… More
A solid film with a solid screenplay and solid performances from the cast. The scene where Stewart's character is confronted for 'stealing' salt and it's aftermath is one of the real haunting moments of the film and the entire Mann/Stewart western saga. It's for that scene alone that The Man From Laramie gets elevated from a decent film to a very good one.
cody f

I've always heard good things about Anthony Mann's westerns and after watching the Tin Star and this film I will defiantly watch more. The stories are good but the characterizations and acting is top notch. Jimmy plays a mystery man from Laramie who roles into town and gets… More
I've always heard good things about Anthony Mann's westerns and after watching the Tin Star and this film I will defiantly watch more. The stories are good but the characterizations and acting is top notch. Jimmy plays a mystery man from Laramie who roles into town and gets caught up with a cattle Baron and his out of control son. They piss off Jimmy and they are connected to his real reason for coming to their town and its all revenge from there on out. The movie starts out real strong and gets a little formulaic towards the end, but it is quite enjoyable and I love me some Jimmy.