Dodge City: Michael Curtiz

The opening scenes of Michael Curtiz's Dodge City contains one of the most striking metaphors for the encroachment of civilization upon the Old West ever filmed. The first train to Dodge City, Kansas carries a group of Irish investors who goad the engineers into a race with a nearby stagecoach. The two race along at breakneck speed until the horses tire and the train zooms to victory. The investors mention how anything, even the construction of a railroad, can be accomplished through the work of a "few Irishmen," completely oblivious to the suffering at the hands of the immigrants who built and died for the railroad.  This magnificent opening sequence frames a fantastic film by one of Hollywood's most reliable workhorses.  The film follows Wade Hatton, played by the always entertaining Errol Flynn, a cowboy who decides to clean up the town of Dodge City after a young boy is accidentally killed by a local gang of outlaws led by Jeff Surrett.  It's a pretty standard "good cowboy brings justice to lawless town" storyline. But Curtiz's direction and Flynn's performance help it come alive.  One particularly moving scene involves Hatton stopping a mob from lynching a member of Surrett's gang named Yance after the young boy is killed. It isn't enough that Hatton brings justice...he brings civilization and law as well.  Because Errol Flynn was the leading star, he must have been contractually obligated to have a love interest. Thankfully, this position was filled by the radiant Olivia de Havilland.  Dodge City came out the same year as John Ford's Stagecoach which has been celebrated for elevating the Western from pulpy, B-movie fare to genuine art.  While Stagecoach is a much better film, it's a shame that it overshadows this delightful treat of a movie.

7/10