Terror in a Texas Town

Trailer—Terror in a Texas Town

This is the last film from western and crime movie specialist, Lewis. It`s the complete opposite of what you would expect from the title, a slow and character-driven film, beautifully shot in high contrast black and white. Cabot is especially good as a complex and troubled baddie. The final shootout comes as a complete surprise (I won`t tell you.) Recommended to Western fans.

Ruthless gunman Johnny Crale (Nedrick Young) working for Ed McNeil has been terrorizing the locals to grab their land. Jose Mirada finds oil and tells his friend former whaler Sven Hanson. Sven refuses to sign over his land. The only weapon he has is his old harpoon. Johnny promptly shoots him dead. Sven's son George (Sterling Hayden) arrives to see his father and starts digging into his death. Sterling Hayden is a little stiff in some of his roles but it works perfectly here as a stiff Swede. On the other hand, Nedrick Young doesn't have the brutish thuggery that the character is calling for. At best, he is a dad-bod villain who is past his prime. Mostly, I am impressed with the utterly memorable harpoon. I love the abrupt ending which is so matter of fact. It is completely fitting with the Swede. I love his scenes with Crale and McNeil. I love Mirada's stand. This is a great western.

This strange, surreal film is unique among westerns of the era. While it contains most of the standard western clichés, every cliché has a twist. The music is bizarre and often doesn't seem to fit, but that just adds to the offbeat feel. The acting is odd but perfectly suited to the film. Hayden's take on a Swedish accent and speech patterns bounces from realistic to annoying to non-existent, but his performance is excellent, as is Cabot's. The story is riddled with moral dilemmas that give it surprising depth. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another B western. This movie has a quality that is difficult to describe. Strangely great.