You would think that with a cast that includes Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom and Edward G Robinson, this unusual Western would be a winner. Not a bit of it. Paul Newman plays a Mexican who is sentanced to die for killing Harvey and raping his wife (Bloom). But did he? Three different versions of the incident are seen when three men, a con-man, a preacher and a prospector discus the case. The tale is sluggishly told and occasionally unclear, and director Martin Ritt and scriptwriter Michael Kanin must share the blame. The story is actually a retelling of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, but the original is far superior. I suppose that after The Magnificent Seven Hollywood figured you could make a Western out of any Japanese film! Oh, and who told Paul Newman he could do a Mexican accent?


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