I had not seen this movie until it appeared on Foxtel Classics a couple of weeks ago and was very pleasantly surprised by it. I have long been a great fan of both James Stewart and Henry Fonda so it was a pleasure to see them together in this well constructed slant on absolute power. The movie itself was a gem with a smoldering if not subtle plot which found a group of exhausted and wounded desperados taking refuge from pursuit in a sleepy backwater, policed reluctantly and part time farmer stroke sheriff stroke father to be for the third time, Johnny Cobb (James Stewart). Leader of the desperados Bob Larkens' (Henry Fonda)initial instinct, though quite badly wounded from an earlier encounter with his pursuers, is to move on immediately and give the place a wide berth. He is however convinced by his fellow gang members (who boast Jack Elam amongst their number) that everything will be fine and that the rest will do them good etc etc. Bob Larken has taken to his bed to lick his wounds and leaves his cronies to amuse themselves with the tiny population of Fireceek.The scene is now set for the inevitable confrontation between right and wrong as the tension between the two sides mounts with a series of events that see the desperados flexing their muscles further and further at the expense of the townsfolks' dignity, culminating in the death of one the gang at the hands of the simple minded stable boy. Who was protecting the honor of a local lady from the unwelcome advances of one of the gang and accidentally shot the attacker.All this of course takes place whilst Johnny Cobb is back on the farm assisting his wife through lab. On his return Johnny finds that the outlaws have taken the law into their own hands and have lynched the boy. At this moment Johnny decides that he has turned the other cheek often enough and that this is the final straw. The ending, though obvious from the beginning, was no less enjoyable for the fact. Its a shame that modern movies do not employ the same degree of detail to set the background before embarking on the action.
Review of Firecreek
