Vengeance Valley (1951) watch online HD

Lavish MGM was not a studio for Westerns. That king of studios excelled at big-budget, star-studded drawing-room dramas. On the other hand, Westerns tend to do better with small casts, tight stories, and good outdoor locations. Nonetheless, this MGM Western is generally underrated. On the plus side, is a fine male cast among the supporting players (Collins, Wright, Ireland, de Corsia, Carpenter {surprisingly},and Jim Hayward as the sheriff), some striking Colorado locations, and good attention to detail (note how injured persons do not quickly recover, and how the trail drive is treated in realistic detail). My guess is that the producers were following up on the success of Red River (1948), with another trail-drive Western, but without the latter's notable dramatic tensions.

Several factors work against Vengeance Valley. One is that critical lack of tension. The scenes don't really build to a dramatic conclusion, but simply follow one another in rather slack style. That results in a final showdown between Lancaster and Walker lacking the impact it should have given their family history together. Crucially, Director Thorpe adds nothing to the screenplay, and most importantly, adds nothing to Lancaster's performance which lacks the kind of shading that would normally build tension. I don't know whether to fault Thorpe or Lancaster for that one-note performance. But, unlike Wayne's character in Red River, Lancaster's Owen Daybright comes across as a rather dull and uninvolving character. He doesn't even seem angry or anguished during the showdown. Then there's Joanne Dru who appears unengaged with her part as Walker's wife. Many ambitious Hollywood actresses viewed the male-dominated Western as a come down, but whatever the reason, her scenes come across as emotionally flat, at best.

On the other hand, the screenplay is both well developed and unusual for its day. Wedlock babies simply didn't turn up in movies during that Production Code era. Here, Forrest's fatherless baby sets off the chain of events leading to the climax, and also provides unusual motivation for the bad guys. There's also the terrific Colorado locations and trail herds big enough to be believed. Clearly the studio put real money into the project. Too bad they didn't hire a more inspired director. With better guidance, Vengeance Valley had the potential to be a memorably epic Western. Even as things stand, the movie remains highly watchable and generally underrated.

The movie concerns about a cattle baron (Ray Collins) who takes a foreman named Owen (Burt Lancaster) as his own son , originating in the legitimate one named Lee (Rober Walker) an enormous resentment for the adopted brother . An illegitimate child of Lee and Lily (Sally Forrest) creates more problems when the brothers (John Ireland , Hugh O'Brian) from her , along with a mean gunslinger (Ted De Corsia) are looking for revenge . Lee married to Jean (Joanne Dru) is seeing an opportunity to obtain his father's cattle.

The movie is a good western with extraordinary landscapes that were shot on location in natural parks of Montana and Arizona territory . The picture has western action , drama , round-up , horseman pursuits and results to be quite entertaining . It carries a surprising feeling of authenticity for a Western of this M.G.M.'s classic period . Serious Western by Richard Thorpe and with Burt Lancaster as a foreman trying to live a pacific existence . The picture is produced in enough budget by Metro Goldwyn Mayer where director Richard Thorpe spent 33 years in the same studio and he was to become the longest-servicing filmmaker in their story . In time Thorpe became known as the studio's ¨one take¨ because of his rapid shooting schedules . It's the first Burt Lancaster's Western and , as always , he plays a honest and upright character , similar he subsequently played in ¨Unforgiven¨ (by John Huston). Robert Walker is fine in his last film because being early deceased at thirty two years old , he's specially known for ¨Strangers on the train¨ (Alfred Hitchcock). George Folsey's cinematography is glimmer and colorful like is well reflected on the breathtaking and spellbound outdoors ; however the photography is a little worn-out . In fact , this is one of a handful of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions of the 1950-1951 period whose original copyrights were never renewed and are now apparently in Public Domain , meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film . Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely and usually badly edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second or third-generation or more copies of the film . Splendid art direction by Cedric Gibbons from Metro Goldwyn Mayer (film producer) , he's the greatest production designer by that time .

The movie attained lukewarm reception by the public , it achieved a limited success ; however a similar film titled ¨Red River¨ (by Howard Hawks), also with the same protagonist , the attractive Joanne Dru , was much better as reviews as box office . The motion picture was professionally directed by Richard Thorpe . He directed lesser Western and thrillers when he moved into features in 1924 and did little of note before joining MGM in 1935 . Thorpe made routine studio fare until 1950s when he was given more major assignment . He then made various big-budget productions financed by Pando S Bergman among his best known films are all the MGM Tarzans following his arrival at the studio in 1935 and a series of swashbuckling adventures in the early 1950s featuring Robert Taylor , the most successful of these were three swashbucklers made in England as ¨Knights of Round Table¨ , ¨Ivanhoe¨ and ¨Quentin Durward¨ . Thorpe was an expert on all kind of genres as Western as ¨Wild horse¨ , ¨Under Montana skies¨ and ¨Last challenge¨ but his specialty resulted to be adventures as ¨Prisoner of Zenda¨, ¨The prodigal¨ , ¨Challenge to Lassie¨ , ¨Malaya¨ , ¨Tarzan's secret treasure¨ , ¨Tarzan escapes¨ , ¨Tarzan finds a son¨ and Musicals as ¨Fun in Acapulco¨ , ¨Rainbow over Broadway¨ , ¨The prince student¨ and his biggest money-maker to date was ¨The great Caruso¨ and his last big box-office hit was ¨Presley' Jailhouse Rock¨ . He also worked briefly in television before retiring in 1968 , his last film was a Western : ¨The last challenge¨, also titled ¨The Pistolero of Red River ¨. The motion picture will appeal to Burt Lancaster fans and western genre enthusiasts .

Vengeance Valley is pretty good for a western starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker as brothers, one of whom adopted, whose rivalry leads to betrayal later on. Also liked the women played by Joanne Dru and Sally Forrest and Hugh O'Brian and John Ireland as the brothers of Forrest who want to kill the man who impregnated their sister. Lots of good scenes of cattle rustling and some exciting fight scenes come every now and then but there's plenty of good drama concerning the characters too. The Technicolor stands out in this location-shot picture. Loved the narration by Carleton Carpenter as Hewie. Worthy entry for any old movie western fan.

Robert Walker plays Lee Strobie, a sleazy greedy son gone bad. His adopted brother Owen Daybright (Burt Lancaster) is always covering for him. Strobie gets Lily Faskin (Sally Forrest) pregnant and Lily's brothers (John Ireland & Hugh O'Brien) come gunning for Daybright since they found out he was the one who paid money to Lily for her trouble. They think Owen is the father when in fact it was Lee who got Lily pregnant in the first place. Lee also tries to hide this fact from his wife Jen (Joanne Dru) but she finds out about it, anyway.

Sound convoluted enough? Well it actually it works. This is an 'adult' western, not your average B programmer.

There's little gunplay except at the end when the Faskin brothers try to ambush and kill Owen during a cattle drive. Lee gallops away leaving Owen at the mercy of the Faskins. It's only then that Owen realizes Lee was in on this ambush too because he wants Owen dead so he can have the ranch all to himself.

The other ranch hands come to Owen's rescue and kill the Faskins, leaving Owen free to pursue Lee to the river where the inevitable showdown occurs. If you want to see what happens next, see the movie.

I love the scenery in this one. It's beautiful. Looks like Colorado but I could be mistaken and the IMDb doesn't give the location. I'd love to go out there, though.

It seems this MGM western is in the public domain since there are a lot of bootleg DVDs of it out there of mediocre quality. I saw it on TCM and it looks like it could use a remastering job since the Technicolor is all washed out and the sound fades out at times.

Unlike some of the viewers below, I liked it since it had a slightly sleazy element to the story. May even be worth getting on DVD if Turner ever decides to release an official version.

7 out of 10

Burt Lancaster usually played parts with a lot of depth to them, especially after From Here to Eternity. In fact other than Vengeance Valley, the only other film where he played a totally upright hero is Gunfight at the OK Corral.

He's the orphan kid that gets taken in by rancher Ray Collins who grows up and becomes foreman and companion to Robert Walker, Collins's real son. Walker is a spoiled kid and Lancaster is constantly cleaning up after him. Some of the same plot elements were used later in Man From Laramie and The Big Country.

Walker is both coming home to his wife,Joanne Dru and another girl he's fathered a kid with, Sally Forrest. Lancaster is caught taking hush money over to Forrest by her no-account brothers, John Ireland and Hugh O'Brian. They come to the conclusion that Lancaster has done the deed. That's where the action starts.

Good western with some adult themes. Cattle drive scenes are tough and gritty, they don't have the epic quality of Red River, but are nicely done. The players all give a good account of themselves.

Robert Walker is a filthy villain, cast as a cattle baron's worthless son... Despite the presence of an attractive wife, the young boy favors an illegitimate son by a local waitress, then changes the blame upon his step-brother...

As the ranch foreman who rallies to Walker's aid, Lancaster makes a strongly convincing hero...

Joanne Dru played leads in a variety of films of the 40s and 50s but is best remembered as the feminine touch in Western Classics as Howard Hawks's "Red River," John Ford's "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," and "Wagon Master."

Set in the range country of the Rockies, Richard Thorpe balances the 'scandalous secret' with fast riding, shooting and cattle round-ups...

"Vengeance Valley" (1951) is not just a great title for a western, but a well-made, intelligent feature that should please Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker fans. A cattle baron (Ray Collins) takes in an orphaned boy (Owen Daybright) and raises him. His own son (Lee Strobie) is about the same age. Although Lee resents Owen they generally get along and share a lot of coming of age adventures on the ranch. But as they mature Lee's (Robert Walker) resentment causes him to become a slacker and the classic prodigal son. After a long absence he returns with a wife, appears to have cleaned up his act, and reconciles with his father.

But Lee's past includes a girl named Lily that he got pregnant. Owen covers for him, but this causes Lee to resent his stepbrother even more. When he suspects that his father's ranch and his new wife are slipping away from him, he sets up Owen to be killed by Lily's two brothers. Although this prodigal son-Cain and Abel stuff is hardly original, the two stars are excellent in their respective parts. Lancaster reins in his excesses and gives a nice controlled performance, with his suppressed energy just visible enough to give Owen a nice dimensionality.

Walker in convincing as a two-faced villain, still motivated by childhood jealousy but able to conceal it from everyone but the audience. Walker is relatively forgotten today, but was the 1940's version of James Dean; although his looks and style are more like a young Robert Vaughn.

When not occupied with its melodramatic story, "Vengeance Valley" has the look of an extremely well-produced documentary, going into great detail about the process of a spring roundup and providing a lot of very scenic backgrounds. A ranch hand named Hewie (Carleton Carpenter) provides an informative voice-over. The film features some great cattle scenes, a lot of good riding sequences, and a couple well staged fights. Watch for an early appearance by young Hugh O'Brian-just a few years away from starring in television's "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp".

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

The prolific and dependable director Richard Thorpe directs Burt Lancaster in his first western. Not your typical sagebrush drama. This "adult" western deals with family dysfunction and illegitimate birth. An "up and up" ranch foreman(Lancaster) and his half-brother(Robert Walker)who both are in love with a cafe waitress(Sally Forrest)go gunning for the man who fathered her new born child. Well photographed on location outside Canyon City, Colorado. The interest in this film fades as the story progresses. Standout supporting cast features: Joanne Dru, John Ireland, Hugh O'Brian and Carleton Carpenter. Of note: One fourth of Lancaster's career would be westerns.

I didn't read many westerns growing up, but more devoted readers of the genre spoke well of writer Luke Short, on whose novel this film is based (screenplay by Irving Ravetch). Another reviewer points out that Short was a city boy who didn't know the west, but the movie is full of cattle ranching and driving lore (more than the otherwise superior Red River).

Above all the story has an impressively complicated plot--lots of moving pieces, with a large cast of characters variously related. A nice surprise was the voice-over narration by a somewhat marginal character who is nonetheless present at many crucial scenes. Add an outstanding cast: Burt's always a convincing action stalwart; Robert Walker plays just the kind of attractive weasel that people fool themselves into believing; John Ireland brings an air of implacable menace to the heavy; Joanne Dru and Sally Forrest make you want them to be on screen more often.

The limits of the film's running time squeeze the women out from fuller development especially at the end, but their issues drive the plot with surprisingly adult themes: Dru's character raises questions about what the Old West did about divorce, and Forrest's character Lily finds a way to raise her illegitimate child even while her no-good brothers make trouble.

The direction of the cattle drives against spectacular outdoor scenery and some good riding scenes are the film's best testimony for director Richard Thorpe. Otherwise the direction seems by-the-book, and the story concludes in a gun showdown that violates what we've learned of the characters involved. Other reviewers are correct that MGM's bland production values prevail. But within those limits, the various parts of the plot worked together well, and the excellent acting added depth and urgency.

The Arch Strobie ranch is in the business of growing beef, though the aging cowpuncher has left the duties of running the ranch to his foreman and adopted son Owen Daybright (Burt Lancaster), and his ne'er do well biological son Lee (Robert Walker). For all of their fifteen year association, Owen has covered for Lee's immaturity and mistakes, but things are about to take a decidedly sinister turn. The brothers share a secret, and even though he's married, Lee has fathered an illegitimate son with Lily Fasken. The Fasken Brothers (John Ireland and Hugh O'Brian) in turn are gunning for the man who did their sister wrong. With this premise in place, the film then begins to explore the characters of the brothers until the reckoning of the finale manages to set things right.

Burt Lancaster gives a good accounting in his first movie Western, but it's Robert Walker who surprises with his evil underside, masked by a good old boy surface demeanor that he plays to the hilt in an effort to take big brother Owen out of the picture. Particularly effective is the scene when Owen and Lee ride together, presumably to a telegraph office to correct another one of Lee's mistakes. Sharing small talk and boyhood memories, Lee's plan is to lead Owen into an ambush that will leave him dead, and Lee in full control of his father's ranch.

This was the second time I was surprised during a movie's closing credits to learn that Hugh O'Brian was part of the cast. I didn't pick him out in early scenes as one of the Fasken Brothers, but in reviewing those clips, he's definitely recognizable, though with some effort since he appears unshaven. One of my favorite TV Western Cowboys portraying lawman Wyatt Earp, it's ironic to see him cast as a heavy. He also appears a few years later in 1954's "Drums Across the River" as a black clad gunman in another uncharacteristic role.

A pair of lovely ladies help round out the cast, with Joanne Dru lending her talent as Jen, the wife of no account brother Lee, while Sally Forrest portrays the single mother Lily. Both roles are limited but effective to move the story along. Western movie fans will also recognize Stanley Andrews and Glenn Strange in minor roles; I'm fairly convinced these two appeared in practically every Western ever made.

"Vengeance Valley" is one of those public domain films that one can find very inexpensively on VHS, however I ran across a recent copy on DVD along with Randolph Scott's "Rage at Dawn". The quality of both films was very good, and both movies acquitted themselves favorably in my view.

In this western, Lily Fasken has just had a baby with no father. When a nice guy (Burt Lancaster) helps her, her two no-good brothers think it's because the baby is his...but it actually belongs to one of Lancaster's friends (the no-goodnick played by Robert Walker). Yet, despite the brothers trying to kill Lancaster, Walker still says the child isn't his--mostly because he's a coward and doesn't want his new wife to know about his formerly wild ways. And, he even goes so far as to go behind Lancaster's back--trying to get him killed! Why?! See this film and see what becomes of this horrible man and our hero.

While Burt Lancaster worked out well in this film because of his great physique, casting Walker was just plain strange. While I liked Walker in such films as "Strangers on a Train" and "The Clock", I just felt that he was completely out of place in a western--as was his motivations. I am sure that audiences of the day felt much the same way. In addition, you really wondered why Lancaster as well as the two female leads in the film all kept Walker's secret for so long--he certainly didn't seem to deserve or inspire such loyalty. In addition, the added narration seemed out of place and unnecessary--like it was added later to try to tied the film together...unsuccessfully. Despite these serious problems, the film is entertaining and watchable...but certainly NOT especially memorable.

This really isn't the most exciting or original western ever made. It's a fair enough attempt and the frame work for many other later '50's westerns is already slightly present in this movie.

Real problem with the movie is its story, though its concept definitely sounds intriguing and strong on paper, it just doesn't ever become so in the movie. The drama is almost soap-like, with uninteresting affairs and other personal drama's. It's a muddled mess, that above all is uninteresting to watch. Luckily toward the end the movie and its story gets better, when the more soap-like drama makes place for better developed and layered drama. The movie gets more solid and it doesn't allow any of the earlier weaker drama to distract from it. It makes this movie still a decent one to watch, though it's not one that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone.

Despite the simple drama, characters and dialog, Burt Lancaster still shines in this movie. He gives away a great performance and also plays a likable main character. Good to see that he also did westerns in his career. The genre fits him well. None of the other characters or actors are really good enough to leave a lasting impression.

It takes awhile for the movie to take pace and from the beginning on it isn't clear were the movie is trying to head to. It takes too long for the movie to take form, which makes the movie drag at points and also make it rather dull, to be frank. Not even some good old fashioned fight sequences can change anything about this.

The settings on the other hand look fine and the nature suits the movie and its atmosphere. The cattle driving sequences are without doubt the best parts of the movie.

Not bad enough to consider it unwatchable but not really good enough to consider it a recommendable movie either.

6/10

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A wealthy ranch man has a son ;his wife died a long time ago and the boy ,now married to Jen ,gets Lily pregnant.And he's got an ominous plan about his father's valuable properties.Bad boy indeed.Fortunately ,there's another "son" Owen (Daybright,what a surname!),or a boy the old man treats like a son.Robert Walker plays the villain as he did in Hitchcock's thriller "strangers on a train" while Burt Lancaster is the nice guy,who can even take the blame for what his pal did.

The bad boy/ anxious father subject was much better applied on Anthony Mann's "Man from Laramie" in 1955,but Burt Lancaster makes this ho -hum western watchable.Pointless voice over.

Since watching a number of vintage albeit minor efforts from recently-deceased Hollywood legends (such as Richard Widmark and Charlton Heston), I have been on the alert in seeking out similarly ‘neglected’ outings featuring contemporaneous stars; this, then, is an early Burt Lancaster vehicle – a pleasant (especially in Technicolor) but perfectly ordinary Western, his first of numerous stints in the genre and which include a number of genuine classics (VERA CRUZ [1954], GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL [1957], THE PROFESSIONALS [1966]).

Anyway, as far as I can tell, this is Lancaster’s sole film for MGM (which gives the film typical gloss by also their customary blandness!): he plays a stoic ranch foreman, foster-son of crippled owner Ray Collins, who continually has to intercede for the latter’s ne’er-do-well offspring (Robert Walker) – married to a woman (Joanne Dru), but who has impregnated another (Sally Forest). For this reason, Lancaster goes out of his way to ease Forrest’s current predicament – a situation which, however, is misunderstood by the locals (and even more so by the girl’s revenge-seeking brothers, played by John Ireland and Hugh O’Brian); naturally, Dru herself doesn’t really love her husband but, rather, harbors affection for Lancaster – which he’s reluctant to return for fear of hurting both Walker and Collins (on the other hand, Forrest is admired from afar by timid ranch-hand Carleton Carpenter).

Still, as it turns out, Walker is beyond redemption: he’s jealous of his father’s affection for Lancaster, accuses the latter of wanting to usurp the inheritance which is rightfully his (when Lancaster proposes that Walker leave town and start afresh elsewhere in view of the scandal) – to the point that he coerces Collins to appoint him co-proprietor sooner rather than later (a position he exercises immediately when, hard-up for cash, he sells off a herd of cattle!); worst of all, he connives with Forrest’s brothers and a cattle-rustler (Ted de Corsia) – all of whom had fallen foul with Lancaster at some point – in order to get rid of the latter once and for all. Of course, his plans are foiled eventually – which sees the two ‘brothers’ facing off at the climax (a strikingly-handled scene coming from journeyman Thorpe); incidentally, Lancaster’s sturdy physique gets adequate mileage here: the star, in fact, is involved in a number of vigorous scuffles throughout.

Mind you, VENGEANCE VALLEY – scripted by Irving Ravetch, soon to become a genre stalwart, from a novel by popular Western scribe Luke Short – is brisk and reasonably enjoyable, and the performances surprisingly committed (giving the whole, if anything, an air of professionalism). Nevertheless, the film doesn’t amount to a memorable enough outing to secure much of a reputation for itself within the vast scope of this most ‘abused’ of American genres – incidentally, the fact that this particular title has unaccountably fallen into the Public Domain has only dampened its chances in this regard all the more…

Brashly handsome Burt Lancaster (as Owen Daybright) and little brother Robert Walker (as Lee Strobie) return from a cattle round-up as their western town celebrates the arrival of a newborn baby. The kid is illegitimate, and sexy Sally Forrest (as Lily Fasken) isn't identifying the papa. You can bet it's either Mr. Lancaster or Mr. Walker, though (it's not much of a secret). Walker, by the way, is married to neglected Joanne Dru (as Jen); and, both women seem to be in competition for both men.

It's also important to know that Lancaster is supposed to be the older "foster brother" of Walker, and helped their disabled father Ray Collins (as Arch Strobie) "raise" the little guy. Moving the plot along is the arrival of new mother Forrest's angry brothers John Ireland (as Hub) and Hugh O'Brian (as Dick); naturally, they want to kill the father of their new nephew. Though done well, this all comes across as dull. Lancaster and Walker are fine actors, but do not fit the story; Ms. Dru is underused.

Also ill-served by the story is young ranch-hand Carleton Carpenter (as Hewie). He serves as the film's "narrator" and guide. Coincidently, Mr. Carpenter had a surprise multi-million-selling hit during this film's original release, as his "Aba Daba Honeymoon" recording with Debbie Reynolds outdistanced its introduction in "Three Little Words (1950). "Vengeance Valley" doesn't serve its personnel well, but Lancaster rode on to successfully mix western genre films in with his impressive repertoire.

***** Vengeance Valley (2/6/51) Richard Thorpe ~ Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker, Carleton Carpenter, Sally Forrest

Vengeance Valley first came to theatres across America in 1951. The principle cast comprised of Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker and Will Wright. The film was directed by Richard Thorpe (who would go on to direct Elvis in 'Jailhouse Rock'). It would be Lancaster's first western and also one of the few early Lancaster pictures to have full colour throughout. The basic premise of Vengeance Valley revolves around a cattler taking in a foster son, Owen (Lancaster). As they age the cattlers other real son Lee (Walker) begins to resent Owen. This resentment soon turns into acrimony and he frames Owen for being the father of an illegitimate child conceived by a woman on the ranch, which in reality is Lee's child. This is part of a maniacal scheme to turn his father against Owen, thus leaving Lee the ranch when his father dies. One thing first noticeable about Vengeance Valley is the bright principal photography. Even for an early 1950's picture, there is no doubting that the greens are green and the blues are blue. The entire movie is full of wonderfully provocative scenery such as mountainous landscapes and Montana-esquire farms from days gone by. This was actually probably my favourite part of Vengeance Valley: the locations. However, a lot of the indoor sets seem claustrophobic. You can tell that they didn't build any sets for the film since sometimes the characters may be in a room but the frame feels so compressed and out of focus. Other times they might be shooting inside a train and again we are faced with this claustrophobic feeling. I can't say whether or not the director was trying to achieve this, but nonetheless, it mad some scenes hard to watch. One more notable disdain would be the prevalence of animal cruelty scenes. Not to get into too much detail, but there is a lot of rugged handling of the animals in the film including the actual stabbing of a cow who has fallen. Whether this was the filmmaker's intent has yet to be determined. On a more positive note, good choreography is present throughout Vengeance Valley. If I ever wanted to be a cattle rancher this would definitely be a handy resource tool. A lot of the scenes with cows and horse riding seem well planned and executed. I can't say the same about a lot of other 50's westerns that I've seen throughout the years. In terms of acting, Lancaster is definitely the most present character. He seems to have a solid grasp on the character of Owen. Walker fits his role to a tee; it's a shame that he would succumb to a tooth infection only two months after this was filmed. Vengeance Valley is a solid little melodrama. Aside from some of the issues presented above, it does have a few redeeming features and is definitely worth a look for fans of old westerns or for people looking to start a cattle farm.

(The Bad): If there is any short coming to this film, it's the fact that it is an adaption of a Luke Short western short-story (Short is a city boy who never saw the west and pretends to be a native westerner - how he ever made it as a western writer is beyond me). Screenwriter Irving Ravetch improved the tale via his screenplay.

(The Good): Burt Lancaster, Joanne Dru, Sally Forrest and Carleton Carpenter gave not only excellent performances, but made you believe that they were real people, with real values, of the old school. The supporting cast of "good guys" were great as well.

(The Ugly): Robert Walker (of Ensign Pulver fame) was well cast as a spoiled, immature bad boy, using everybody around him, especially those closest to him, and spitting in their faces. Walker has always been a natural for these roles. Hugh O'Brian is barely recognizable . . . his natural looks well disguised behind an unshaven face, does a good job of playing a very sinister, meddling and not too bright bad guy, along with John Ireland, as the Fasken brothers.

The title of the movie is a total misnomer . . . maybe "Justice in the End" would have been better. The "good guys" are good - the bad guys are really bad - and the women are beautiful and tough! A very good movie!

Burt Lancaster's first Western is worth watching.

Here's what I liked:

• Burt is at his charming best. Very likable character played with a lot of heart. Maybe the first in a long line of "cattle baron's adopted son foremen". See Arthur Kennedy in "the Man From Laramie" and Charlton Heston in "The Big Country".

• Robert Walker is excellent as the sniveling bounder.

• The movie abounds in heavies. John Ireland and Hugh O'Brian do a nice job playing a couple of mean brothers bent on revenge.

• Very unusual for its time to have an unwed mother at the center of the plot.

• Nice location shooting in the high Rockies. A lot of effort went into portraying a realistic cattle drive.

Here's what wasn't so great:

• Plot and characterizations are a little too simplistic and melodramatic.

• Joann Dru took a step back for me in this one. Was it her hairdo? Can I be that superficial?

• Very little comic relief

• A few plot holes, the worst of which is Burt Lancaster outdrawing Robert Walker in the end when is has been conclusively demonstrated previously that Walker is a faster draw. Also, the unwed mother was at the center of the plot, then disappears.

• "Cattle baron" Westerns leave little room for Indian, Civil War and Mexican themes.

From the film's title you would think the story in the film has something to do with revenge, yet it's really more to do with opportunism. The idea that the son of a self made wealthy rancher would grow up spoiled has been explored in other westerns, while the adopted son would truly appreciate the values of hard work and sacrifice and thus earn more of the respect of the father than his own true son ever could. This of course drives the true son to want to get rid of the adopted one, even if they grew up the together and the adopted one always tried to cover for the numerous deficiencies of the true son. In this case wayward Sally Forrest has a child which is fathered by true son Robert Walker, while adopted son Burt Lancaster voluntarily takes the so-called blame. Walker is married to attractive Joanne Dru, who seems to instinctively know who the real father is, and after witnessing Walker take a whip to a horse, decides to dump him. Forrest's two brothers (Hugh O'Brien and John Ireland) are mistakenly after Lancaster's character instead of Walker's. Maybe it's their revenge that is at the heart of the film's title, though why they should want to kill the father of their sister's illegitimate child is not clear, other than being a typical Hollywood plot utilized in order to move things along. In any event, Walker does decide to take advantage of the two brothers' misplaced hatred for Lancaster and the plot actually isn't half bad once it gets going, when everyone is out on the range rounding up the cattle. Dru looks especially good, Lancaster is solid in his part, but Walker's character is the most interesting, with whatever vengeance he may feel towards Lancaster well concealed beneath a cool exterior.

A cattle baron has as son Lee Strobie (Robert Walker) and an adopted son Owen Daybright (Burt Lancaster). Lee who is married fathers his mistress's child, and the blame falls on Owen to save grace because Lee is married. Lee and Owen lead a cattle drive when Owen learns that Lee has double-crossed all of his family members. The final showdown is rather uneventful, which is surprising since it stars Burt Lancaster. Lancaster was solid, but not powerful as usual. When you have Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker in it I just expected more. The name Vengeance Valley is rather confusing because there wasn't any revenge, but instead it is about hostile sibling relations that eventually boil over. It is worth a watch but overall disappointing.

A definite run of the mill western where Sally Forrest is ready to get on with life after giving birth to an illegitimate child. She keeps who the father is a secret and this angers her two brothers who vow revenge.

In the midst of all this, she is taken in by friend Joanne Dru whose husband is Robert Walker. Guess what the relationship of Walker is to Forrest?

Walker is the son of the wealthy cattle business person Ray Collins and the latter took in Burt Lancaster as a child as his own.

Walker is definitely the heavy here as he convinces his father to make him a half-partner so that he can run off with the money and start life anew.

Walker turns on Lancaster and there is the inevitable shootout involving the two brothers and the brothers of Lily-Sally Forrest.

The film is only 83 minutes long and lacks stronger character development, especially the Lancaster part.

"Vengeance Valley" is a great title squandered on a not so great movie (and, oddly, one in which there isn't really much 'vengeance'). Burt Lancaster plays the up-right, honourable foster-son of a crippled cattleman at odds with his brother (and blood-son of the rancher), a conniving ne'er-do-well with a quick gun-hand. Complicating matters, the married brother has fathered a child on a local lass and her two ornery brothers have shown up to hunt down the scoundrel who dishonored their sister. Lots of shots of Lancaster's legendary grin and tousled good-looks, generic cow-poking, and mountain scenery but other than some fisticuffs and the inevitable showdown at the end, there's not a lot of action. Most of the characters are typical Hollywood western-types and the script/acting is on par with a good episode of Bonanza (although the unwed mother story line might be a bit to risqué for the Cartwrights). IMO, Lancaster is one of the all-time great "Hollywood leading-men" but even his undeniable charisma can't raise "Vengeance Valley" above the great raft of mediocre westerns to tumble out of the sagebrush in the '50s.

It's springtime here in the Old West and the cattle is bein' brung down from the snowy mountains. Robert Walker and his adopted brother Burt Lancaster is two of the cowboys that's been gone all winter.

The first thing they do is head towards the local pub where nothing much has changed while they've been gone -- except for one thing. Sally Forrest, the saloon gal, was pregnant and has done give birth out of wedlock. Nobody knows who dunner but whoever dunner, it's a big disgrace. Why Old Doc wouldn't even go out to the ranch to lend a hand in the birthing.

Lancaster rides out to the ranch with a sack full of food and some five hundred dollars for Lilly and her baby. He finds his sister-in-law, Joan Dru, has been helping out, and Sally Forrest's brothers, Hugh O'Brian and John Ireland, has rid in from out of town too -- angry as disturbed wasps and ready to gun down the father, as soon as somebody knows who it is.

Actually it doesn't look too promising, the kind of Western in which every well-dressed cowboy must wear an open vest, no matter how ragged his clothes. Yet, it's reasonably well written. There are small conversational exchanges that are unusual in a typical Western. (A man who just lost a fist fight can't "sit a horse until I get this hand fixed." His "hand". Not the kind of line you'd expect.) The musical score is pedestrian but the location shooting shows a Colorado that's colorful and inviting. Some nice footage of quarter horses at work.

The two leads do well enough. Lancaster was an ambitious actor but never bravura. In a way his dramatic performances improved with age. I admired his casual walk, a half-crouch, arms wide, fingers apart, as if ready to leap on something.

Robert Walker is the better actor but he's miscast. He's not a cowboy. He's Bruno, the half-mad and very urban psychopath. He's excellent at suggesting disdain and disbelief. He lies incandescently. But he's no cowboy. Sorry.

The plot's been described elsewhere. Lancaster, the adopted son, is always covering for Walker's peccadilloes, until Walker goes too far. The dynamic was taken to excess in "The Man From Laramie," in which the Walker figure (Alex Nicol) is a snarling, vindictive, lying coward.

It occurs to me, amid all the jokes about cooking, that those cowboys must have eaten a lot of beef. I wonder how they fixed it? I've had steaks from range cattle and they fought me back. They had the texture of white walled tires. I wonder if them cowboys has ever heard of beef bourguignon.

Stroganoff?

Owen Daybright is the adopted son of cattleman Arch Strobie; his loyalty extends to trying to protect Arch's son Lee. Lee has fathered a child and has Owen give the mother, Lily, five hundred dollars; her brother is determined to find the identity of the father and have his vengeance against the man who brought dishonour on his family; neither Lily nor Owen is going to name the father. It soon becomes apparent that Lee has no intention of repaying this loyalty; he sees Owen as a rival for his father's affections and his future inheritance. It would suit him nicely if Lily's brothers were to think Owen was the baby's father and kill him.

This is a solid western; it might not be full of action but it has a good story. Having a story which features an unmarried mother who isn't a 'terrible person who must suffer' is rather surprising for a film of this era… of course ultimately the man responsible will have to pay but even this is because he betrayed his adopted brother rather than fathering the child. There are a few action scenes but only one of them is a traditional shootout. I liked how this showed a fair amount of the cowboy's work; we see them breaking horses and rounding up the cattle after they are allowed to roam during the winter… I might have learnt something about nineteenth century cattle farming in the United States! The cast does a fine job; Burt Lancaster is most notable as protagonist Owen; Robert Walker is also solid as the cowardly antagonist Lee Strobie. Overall this isn't a must see but it is still worth watching if you are a fan of Westerns.

Foreman Burt Lancaster, the mature responsible adopted son of a wealthy rancher, tries to protect the reputation of his sniveling adoptive brother Robert Walker, who recently fathered a son out of wedlock. This leads to a case of mistaken identity and his running afoul of the mother's family, including her violent brother John Ireland.

To make things worse, the heartless Walker is scheming against his father and brother.

A decent frontier melodrama for grown-ups, this has an immensely likable performance by Lancaster with effective support by Walker and Ireland, their characters truly nasty creatures.

Though never boring, things sag a bit in the middle. A good final act features some great cattle-drive scenes, some nice scenery, and a serviceable climax.