The Far Country: Anthony Mann

A decade before the start of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, Anthony Mann and James Stewart were reinventing the Western. They created a series of five classic Westerns that challenged the norms of the genre, infusing them with darker plots, brooding characters, and the symbolic use of landscapes to represent the character's inner turmoil. The Far Country is the fourth film in the Mann/Stewart cycle. It holds the distinction of being one of the only Westerns in history to be set in the harsh wastelands of Alaska. In 1896, Jeff Webster (James Stewart) and Ben Tatum (Walter Brennan) head up to Alaska as part of the Klondike Gold Rush. They quickly run afoul of judge Gannon, a local confidence artist who runs the town of Dawson City with an iron fist and a disarming smile. Gannon beings to cheat local miners out of their claims through extortion and outright murder. This doesn't bother Jeff Webster at all. He only cares about himself and as long as Gannon leaves him alone, he doesn't care how many people his goons kill. At least...he doesn't care until Gannon starts to attack him...and Ben. The Far Country is a remarkable film that proves that Italians didn't have the monopoly on dark, brooding (and violent) Westerns. In fact, there's a little Clint Eastwood in James Stewart's performance and image, what with his grizzled, unshaven visage and cynical sneer. The Northwest has rarely seemed as threatening and foreboding with giant frozen wastes and chilled forests. It's a harsh film. But then again, it was a harsh world.

7/10