Nevada Smith

Nevada Smith (1966)Directed by Henry Hathaway.A "young" Steven McQueen, in one of his better vehicles. The story of revenge is lengthy but it rewards your patience. McQueen plays a half-breed, Max Sand, whose parents are murdered by a gang of outlaws, led by Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy and Martin Landau. He goes after them, but he is a plain country bumpkin who doesn't even know how to fire a gun--let alone track down and catch the three murderers. But he stumbles upon a gun trader (Brian Keith) who schools him in the art of shooting and looking cool when pursuing seasoned killers. He learns fast and uses all kinds of ruses before he gets too the pursuit of the villains. After a lengthy search he finds Landau in a saloon, and though the latter is an expert with the knife, he manages to kill him after a lengthy brawl. He imprisons himself doing hard labor in the Louisiana swamps after he has tracked down the Kennedy character, plans an escape, with the help of a local girl played by the late Susanne Pleshette, during which he kills him after the latter recognizes him. The last task, finding and killing Malden, requires unusual guile, but Sand is up to the task; he is been recruited by Malden himself for a bullion heist, isolates him, and shoots him in the hands and knees, immobilizing him but leaving him alive in the river, shouting at him--"Kill me! You are yellow!" Sand throws the gun into the river, and leaves him there to die alone. That is his revenge.This is one of the strongest vehicles for McQueen, with a cluster of outstanding character actors building up an exciting, though slow-paced, climax. Max is in a moral quandary: He takes upon himself to be the pursuer--who learns on the job--the captor, the judge, and the executioner. It's a story of frontier justice--usually delivered by individuals, and not the law--which stays a secondary factor in the story. Max Sand has scuffles with the law, but his revenge is an individual act, not one that fulfils any moral law--or the justice system. When confronted by a priest living in the desert--Ralph Valone in a brilliant vignette--he brushes off his counsel of "forgiveness," and makes a joke when the priest points to a statuette of the crucifixion who "came to save mankind." "He must have missed some," cracks Sand in bitterness.As always, McQueen is super-cool, and a bit enigmatic. Nothing fazes him, nothing can stop him, but what does not know exactly what drives him. He is a world apart from the sadistic, casual killers that populate the Wild West--for the kill for greed and profit, with no regard whatsoever for human life, property, or one's rights. The villains are the blackest characters one sees in the typical western; they utterly lack moral consciousness. Sand refrains from killing anyone else except those that killed his parents. He possesses a moral code--one suited to McQueen persona to a tee. Undeterred, he proceeds until he succeeds. And when he finally has Malden where he wants him, wounded, and incapable of fighting back, he contemptuously refrains from finishing him off: "You are not worth killing," he says, and tosses his gun into the river, only a few feet away, perhaps thinking that Malden could somehow reach the gun and kill himself. Tossing the gun is an ironic gesture, for it may imply that Valone's sermonizing may not have been in vain. "An eye for an eye," is what collects from the Bible the priest gave him to read--but once this is accomplished, he wants no more blood. He will probably return to the farm and live the rest of his live a quiet and harmless man--rather than as one of the criminals around him. A very entertaining movie, aside from carrying on a not so well masked moral tag to it. Vintage McQueen, for the love of him--in this day and age of 2011.

Finally got to watch it again. It is as good as when I watched it the first time

I saw this film upon original release. Liked it enough to see it a couple of months later at a neighborhood theater. This Blu Ray edition is about the third or fourth time I've seen it since. The villains are horrendously despicable, the hero bent on revenge elicits a good deal of empathy. Secondary characters are all interesting. Good extras.

A Steve McQueen classic.

One of Steve McQueen's best in my opinion.

Like the headline says, this is a gorgeous blu-ray! A brand-new HD master was used, from a 4K scan of the 35mm original negative. "4K scan" of the negative does not mean this is a UHD disk, requiring a UHD player. It is a regular blu-ray, and it played fine in my regular old blu-ray player.If you're a fan of this movie, unless you've acquired some restoration I missed, I doubt you've seen this movie look so good. It's astonishing, like a different movie from the one I've watch on my old DVD for many years. The beautiful scenery in the Owens Valley and Inyo National Forest can really be enjoyed now. Most important, Steve McQueen looks great—he may be too old for the part of a young man bent on revenge for the brutal murders of his parents, but so what? He looks glorious in this release, and that's fine with me.Very glad I pre-ordered this, very happy with the restoration, love the movie even more now, and really really hope that "Tom Horn" is next on the KL-Studio McQueen restoration list. (Their recent restoration release of McQueen's film "Hunter" also looks great and brings that movie to new life, making it a better film.)

This movie was based on a character from the movie THE CARPET BAGGERS. It will captivate you from beginning to end.

I remember being so impressed with McQueen back in the 60's. But play this in HD on a 4k set and it falls flat. The story is predictable, and McQueen looks preoccupied with other things. He has to be reminded that he has a line. Brian Keith is dependable as always but even he can't get McQueen to act. Karl Maulden steals the movie out from under McQueen. His scenes are far more memorable.

This is tale about three ruffians (who in the story), brutalize and kill Nevada Smith's parents and, he in turn goes out to find justice - on his terms. Wonderful supporting cast along with seasoned actor, Brian Keith, who in the story, befriends Nevada Smith. Karl Malden playes a cruel misfit. The three brutes do get their come uppance and oh what satisfaction. Great storyline and beautifuly directed. I thoroughly enjoyed this brisk western. Highly recommend.

Love it

字幕版を見た事が有ったのですが、文字を読むのが真剣で、その後、時間も経ってしまい細かいストーリーを覚えていなかったのですが、今度は、吹き替え版で、3人のならず者に家族を殺されたスティーブマックイーン(ネバダスミス)が、ブライアンキースの手ほどきを受け、ならず者を次々と探し出し、復讐するストーリーで、最後のジ・エンドに繋がるシーンが、印象的です。どうぞ、ご覧になってみて下さい。

so sad

Excellent film