The Naked Spur (1953)

100% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(2,092 ratings)

The powerhouse combination of star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann score another cinematic bullseye in The Naked Spur. Stewart plays a taciturn frontiersman who loses his home while he's off fighting the Civil War. To raise enough money for a new grubstake, Stewart becomes a bounty hunter in… More The powerhouse combination of star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann score another cinematic bullseye in The Naked Spur. Stewart plays a taciturn frontiersman who loses his home while he's off fighting the Civil War. To raise enough money for a new grubstake, Stewart becomes a bounty hunter in Colorado territory. His first quarry is fugitive, killer Robert Ryan. Stewart's efforts to bring in Ryan and collect the reward are compromised by the presence of Ryan's loyal girl friend Janet Leigh and Stewart's two disreputable sidekicks, wily prospector Millard Mitchell and disgraced Union-officer Ralph Meeker. There's plenty of "cat and mouse" byplay between Stewart and Ryan before the brutal climax; the drama is intensified by the fact that both men are on the outer rim of total insanity. The Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Naked Spur was cowritten by Sam Rolfe, who was later one of the creative forces responsible for the similarly no-nonsense TV western series Have Gun, Will Travel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Anthony Mann
Written By: Sam Rolfe, Harold Jack Bloom
Genres: Western, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 1, 1953 Wide
On DVD: Aug 15, 2006
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This 1953 film has Janet Leigh in jeans, beautiful location shooting (and Technicolor cinematography) in the Rockies, and some of the most intense psychological warfare to be found in [director Anthony] Mann's angular and anguished oeuvre.
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
This rock-solid Western is brisk, terse, and full of excellent performances..and for once, a Jimmy Stewart film doesn't find its leading man stealing the show!
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
His every move meets resistance. In this grim cavalcade of paranoia on the hoof, the verbal jabs never let up.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
In this taut revenge Western, from Oscar-nominated script by Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom, Jimmy Stewart gives one of his best performances, revealing a darker facet to his screen persona that only a superb director like Anthony Mann could bring out
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Mann never failed to deliver an astonishing ending to his Westerns, but this is one of his best.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Its combination of seasoned cast, fine acting, realistic motivations, and attractive photography set it apart from most others of its breed.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...an engrossing little film that doesn't flinch from showing us the worst in people, including the hero.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Part of Jimmy Stewart's Signature Collection, the new DVD version has many worthy featurettes: a short, "Things We Can Do Without"; classic cartoon, "Little Johnny Jet"; and the theatrical trailer.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Wonderfully intense psychological Western built around a simple story of greed and the chance to start life over again after failure.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
One of Stewart's best tortured performances, showing his dark side. A must-see for Stewart buffs.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

One-dimensional characters and corny situations stand between <i>The Naked Spur</i> and broad appeal. Still, Jimmy Stewart can make ANY script seem interesting and plausible.
AJ V

Another boring confusing stupid western that I did not like. Of course there are good actors in this movie, so maybe you'd like it if you like westerns.
jay n

Better than average western benefits from strong direction, beautiful color photography and most of all an excellent cast. Jimmy Stewart is properly gruff and driven and Janet Leigh is fine but her part isn't that strong. However the great Robert Ryan is smoothly evil and the… More
Better than average western benefits from strong direction, beautiful color photography and most of all an excellent cast. Jimmy Stewart is properly gruff and driven and Janet Leigh is fine but her part isn't that strong. However the great Robert Ryan is smoothly evil and the undervalued Ralph Meeker wonderful as someone he always played well the conflicted heel who could be counted on in the end.
Ken S

Not quite as good as Winchester 73', but still a lot of fun.
xGary X

Another bracing western from the James Stewart/Anthony Mann stable sees Stewart as a rancher forging an uneasy alliance with an old prospector and an AWOL cavalry officer to bring outlaw Robert Ryan in dead or alive for the reward money. Stewart is one of the best when it comes to… More
Another bracing western from the James Stewart/Anthony Mann stable sees Stewart as a rancher forging an uneasy alliance with an old prospector and an AWOL cavalry officer to bring outlaw Robert Ryan in dead or alive for the reward money. Stewart is one of the best when it comes to playing tough guys with a streak of vulnerability, and there's some great psychology at work; Stewart's crisis of conscience accentuated by Janet Leigh's divided loyalties and all the while, Ryan is constantly using mindgames to set the trio against each other. I could have lived without the schmaltzy soundtrack, but otherwise, quality stuff.
Michael G

Watching Jimmy Stewart get pissed off is great. A great movie for a western, too.
Matthew Y

A film that's more fun to discuss than to watch, The Naked Spur is never the less another solid western from Anthony Mann and James Stewart. The themes of greed and betrayal were better explored in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre but The Naked Spur adds an additional element of… More
A film that's more fun to discuss than to watch, The Naked Spur is never the less another solid western from Anthony Mann and James Stewart. The themes of greed and betrayal were better explored in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre but The Naked Spur adds an additional element of threat as several of the lead characters are easily capable of killing off the others if the opportunity arises, none least of all the 'prize' himself. Teachers should have students watch this is school instead of reading Shakespeare. It teaches many similar literary themes and kids would probably relate to it better.
Henrik S

A very tense and focused western without big gunfights and elaborate saloons, but rather, The Naked Spur is a wild west road movie in the vain of Tarantino with a headhunter and a whole bunch of misfits and a woman making their way to Kansas to hand in a criminal and reek in the… More
A very tense and focused western without big gunfights and elaborate saloons, but rather, The Naked Spur is a wild west road movie in the vain of Tarantino with a headhunter and a whole bunch of misfits and a woman making their way to Kansas to hand in a criminal and reek in the reward. James Stewart has not played many gritty roles or bad guys but his brooding nature and stern calmness make for a good tough guy. The supporting cast could have been slightly more interesting, but all in all, the ensemble cast does a good job and the most interesting character is definitely Millard Mitchell. The ending is good and not as cheesy as most westerns from that time. I found the film very refreshing for a western and it reminded me of other classics road-trip westerns such as Red River or The Searchers. HX
Anthony V

James Stewart as an anti-hero and it works.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

James Stewart
as Howard Kemp
Janet Leigh
as Lena Patch
Robert Ryan
as Ben Vandergroat

Ralph Meeker
as Roy Anderson
Millard Mitchell
as Jesse Tate

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