Angel and the Badman

*Minor spoilers* The first half of this picture is actually extremely good. One doesn't expect John Wayne to do romantic comedy, let alone to shine in it; but the romance of the title - in which a Quaker family shelter and accept a wounded man living on the edge of the law - proves to be strangely convincing and very tender. The comedy is of the most gentle and affectionate nature, and many of the early scenes had me smiling from ear to ear in delight. As the simple, direct heroine Penelope Worth, Gail Russell confounds both the outlaw's and the audience's stereotyped expectations of a 'religious' girl, and as in all the best culture-clash romances, both sides end up learning from each other. It takes Quirt Evans' menacing reputation and not the prayers of the Worths to convince their miserly old neighbour initially to release the water the farm so desperately needs - but it is the genuine and uncritical welcome the old man subsequently receives from the Quakers that converts him from enemy into friend. As far as the moment when Quirt, unable to bear the Quakers' gratitude, breaks free and reverts to his old life, the film never puts a foot wrong. But in the more conventionally 'Western' scenes that follow, it proves less effective. The Laredo Stevens sub-plot never really catches fire, despite being part of the story from the beginning, and while the Marshal's role in the denouement, with hindsight, is clearly set up in a number of early scenes, it still somehow feels rather contrived. The total lack of bloodshed in the one criminal act we see Quirt commit on-screen, while it can be explained away as a sign of Penelope's continuing influence, seems rather forced for the convenience of the plot. In general I felt the whole structure of the finale felt rushed - and the 'miracle' very much a deus ex machina device which wasn't even really necessary to the plot. Penelope is suddenly in danger, then as suddenly out of it, all within the span of about five minutes, with neither situation really given a chance to sink in. And one would expect Quirt to demonstrate at least a subconscious sense of responsibility for the situation, since without his presence none of it would have happened. Instead, the whole thing gives the impression of having been engineered as an excuse to push us suddenly into a traditional-style showdown, without any real emotional weight. Admittedly, the result of the showdown is totally unexpected. Admittedly, it has been skilfully set up beforehand. But somehow, for me at least, the second half of the film failed to involve me as closely with its characters as the first. 'The Angel and the Badman' is half-romance, half-Western - but half a Western isn't really enough to sustain the climax, though the basic structure is all there. As the depiction of the development of an unlikely romance, this is exquisitely done. Unfortunately, it is the would-be-dramatic elements that let the tension down, and prevent me from giving it a whole-hearted recommendation. It could have been an offbeat classic - but instead I was ultimately left slightly disappointed.

ANGEL AND THE BADMAN is a film that many John wayne fans may not have seen; nonetheless it's one of his best that shows a very different side. Wayne as Quirt Evans is wounded and taken in by a gentle Quaker family. After he recuperates he notices their daughter--the absolutely drop dead gorgeous Gail Russell. The plot of AATBM is remarkably similar to Harrison Ford's WITNESS (probably a remake). But what ultimately makes this movie work is Wayne's performance, and Russell's natural "Angelic" qualities. The camera really loves her. There's one scene where she confesses' her love for Wayne, and is surprised he doesn't feel quite the same: "I never thought it could happen to one and not another." Her outright innocence in this scene is incredibly touching, and endearing, and you see how this affects Wayne in the same way.

This is one of Wayne's best movies, the simple but powerful story of a man changing for the love of a woman. It is always a great introduction to John Wayne for someone who has not appreciated his work, his best movies are about love and redemption. The Quiet Man, Stagecoach and The Angel and The Badman, are among the best movies ever made.

Fun movie about a cowboy named Quirt (John Wayne) who is wants to reform his ways after he meets a sweet Quaker girl. When he is shot, the Quaker family takes care of him, and after he wakes up the daughter (Gail Russell) falls in love with him. It's goofy and cliché, sure, but there's a really fine movie to be found in the familiar setup. Writer/director Grant create many good vignettes. There are several wonderful supporting characters who add a lot of worth to the proceedings, including Harry Carey as a marshall, Lee Dixon as one of Quirt's friends and old partners in crime, Tom Powers as the local, scientific, atheist doctor, and Olin Howlin as the town telegrapher. Howlin's character is pure comic relief, very humorously claiming a long friendship with Quirt, though he only saw him once when he was almost unconscious. Then Carey's character is wryly comedic: as the marshall, he's constantly stalking Quirt. He's sure that someday he'll get to hang the guy, and he harps on it constantly. The chemistry between Wayne and Russell adds an unexpected poignancy to the film. The scene where the two pick blackberries is simply beautiful, and their wordless climactic exchange is perfectly performed. Good action sequences, as well. 9/10.

John Wayne got to kiss a score of pretty ladies on screen, but his romance with Gail Russell as Penelope, the "Angel" in this story, shows the best screen chemistry I can recall. Wayne is the "Badman" Quirt Evans meaning that he settles a lot of arguments with guns a'blazin'. He's used to fast draws, fast women, booze, bar fights, and so on. Penelope is a gentle Quaker woman living in the wilderness of the Old West. She and her parents model their lives on the teachings of scripture, especially the "Love your neighbor" ideal. Quirt gets shot in one of his many battles with gun wielding black hat bad guys; Penelope's family takes him in and nurses him back to health; during which time Quirt and Penelope get a look at each other with the obvious chemical reaction. Her sweet and vulnerable demeanor mixes splendidly with his gruff but awkwardly gentle persona. When Wayne's nemesis Laredo (Bruce Cabot) shows up, Wayne is faced with the conflict of adapting the peaceful ways of Penelope, or reverting to his violent shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later lifestyle. Wayne's inner conflict to change his outlook on life is illustrated well, a great performance for the Duke. This all goes on under the watchful eye of the Marshall (Harry Carey), who serves as not only a foil for Wayne constantly threatening him, but almost like a self-appointed guardian who sees Quirt's potential for good, trying to steer him toward the light. Carey's humor, and good spirit plays off Wayne perfectly. The film builds to a brilliant finish, with Quirt forced to choose between peace or violence once and for all. One of my favorite westerns. Great cast, great story.

A man on horseback races across the arid landscape. His horse faulters and throws the man. This is how The Angel and The Badman begins. Wayne is Quirt Evans, a man with a past. He is rescued by beautiful Gail Russell, a Quaker girl with a strong, silent father and a marvelous, generous mother who makes donuts and cakes that melt in your mouth, but according to her are, "not very good, the flour you know...". Poor Quirt never has a chance. He is healed body and soul by this devoted family. But not before he must taste his old way of life one more time, which leads to a dramatic conclusion. John Wayne never looked better on film then in The Angel and The Badman. In one scene, he wakes from a coma, hears a noise, gropes for his gun, which is under the pillow and rises, gun in hand to face a startled and stunning Russell. The sight of John Wayne, shirtless, his hair un-combed and his gorgeous, almost purple eyes taking in the lovely lady in front of him, is something no woman from 6 to 106 should miss. If you are a fan already and have seen this delightful film, you know what I mean. If you are new to John Wayne, check to one out and fall in love. Harry Carey plays the Marshal of the territory who keeps track of Quirt, not completely convinced of his conversion, until the surprising climax. Carey's quiet authority is wonderful to watch, and his sly humor a tonic. The Dr. here over-plays his role, but he can be forgiven. The neighbor who has denied water to the Quaker settlement but is convinced by Quirt(without the force of his famous gun), to "be a good neighbor" and remove the top two boards holding back the water that used to flow into flums and irrigation ditches, is a real old west character. Films today just don't use actors with faces like his any longer. Too bad. Yes indeed, The Angel and The Badman is a wonderful, old fashioned film. The kind they don't make any longer, but should.

The Angel and the Badman is one of my favorite John Wayne movies. It has romance as well as action in it and John Wayne handles both very well. As a macho-type guy, John Wayne plays Quirt Evans perfectly. He falls in love with a woman, Gail Russell, and just watching him play that part, one can truly enjoy Wayne's character, since he plays in very few love stories. However, this one is done very well and John and Gail together are perfectly matched. I have seen many John Wayne movies. Some of them I enjoyed very much and others I did not. But this movie, in my opinion, is one of John Wayne's best. He proves that he can handle a romantic role and any woman watching this film, I can honestly say, would love to be in John Wayne's arms. He's quite a kisser! Don't miss this film.

This is not your run of the mill JOHN WAYNE film. It's not exactly a rootin' tootin' western with gunfights galore. Instead, it's the quiet, leisurely paced tale of an outlaw (Wayne) befriended by a Quaker family, most particularly a girl (GAIL RUSSELL) who helps heal him when he suffers a shoulder wound in a gunfight and is taken to the ranch house of the Quaker family. It's a good hour before Wayne and his buddies run down a bunch of cattle rustlers led by BRUCE CABOT, but the action soon returns to the Quakers and the romance between Wayne and Russell. The story is somewhat reminiscent of WITNESS, the Harrison Ford film about an outlaw and a Quaker family and their influence on his behavior. Wayne is fine as the cowboy with a habit of getting into barroom brawls, the kind you'd expect to see in a John Ford film--which this isn't, complete with bouts of humor. GAIL RUSSELL is a pretty gal, especially in all the loving close-ups, but let's face it, she was never much of an actress and is pretty vapid in the leading lady role. IRENE RICH does nicely as Russell's mother and HARRY CAREY and PAUL HURST are good in supporting roles. The film is obviously aiming for a quaint sort of charm with its Quaker theme, but it's really pretty forgettable material and one of the less vital John Wayne films.

this western is more of a character study than anything else,and a romance.there isn't a lot of action.it's not the worst movie i have seen,but i do felt it went on too long.i felt it was too tedious.there were several times when i thought it was over,and could/should have been over,but it kept going.i think they could have told just as good a story if they had shortened the film.it's definitely not one of my favourite westerns,nor one my favourite John Wayne westerns.it's certainly no classic,in my opinion.i know many people would disagree with that sentiment,which is fine.i wouldn't likely watch it again,at least for a long time.for me,Angel and the Badman is a 4/10

This film is one of the great classics of cinema history, nearly perfect in every way. I have to confess I never heard of it until I bought the DVD in Paris out of curiosity because I like Gail Russell. Watching it with French subtitles was hysterically funny in terms of the language differences: 'Hey boss!' is translated 'He, Patron!', and countless other mirthful examples. As usual, the French cineastes have shown great taste in treating this film as an international classic transcending all cultural boundaries. To call it a 'Western' is to condemn it to provincialism. It is far more than that. The luminous presence of the velvety, shy, and melancholy Gail Russell is truly the presence of an angel, and it is as if heaven were lighting the shots for her. She can never have delivered a better performance, nor in my opinion did John Wayne ever find better magic with a leading lady, even his chum Maureen O'Hara with whom he had such jolly roustabouts in more rough and tumble films later on. This film has a pervasive gentle humour which is delightful. Wayne himself is the perfect puer aeternus (eternal boy), wrinkling up his tough guy's visage in an instant into a childlike puzzlement and instant surrender to the playful Gail Russell's commands, on a docile and comical yes ma'am basis. They are like two ten-year-olds playing together, oblivious of the camera. Botticelli could not have drawn a more perfect angel for this fable. Who cares about the story, just sit back and watch this magic as if you were peeking through the doors of some lost paradise. Never would John Wayne rise so high again; this was his peak. And this was Gail Russell at her most glorious, her most divine. When you die, take this one with you.