Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

deickos Beginning and ending look cool but the story is not good. In fact it is bad - pretentious is the word I suppose. It is always a pity to see technically good films to be betrayed by their own story - it is sad. And that is always the primal responsibility of the director. Mr. Mankiewicz has a tendency for scale but this time it betrays him. It is difficult (if not disastrous) to put many things inside a western - the genre is frugal by definition. Few directors have managed more complex forms and Mankiewicz is definitely not among them.

hhg2 I've admired the producer/director for awhile and came to this movie late. The cast is nothing short of stellar and the acting is up to that standard. The cinematography was lush and attractive--even with many shots taking place in the desert. However, the weak and inept plot (with glaring holes), the off-beat music (perhaps standard for the time period), and the lack of character development among the stars left me squirming in my seat. Could a ruthless sociopath like Douglas really be that charming? Could a superior lawman like Fonda make rookie mistakes of judgment?I found I was asking myself if the movie will ever turn around or should I quit now? Unfortunately I kept watching, and it never improved and, as they say, I lost two good hours of my life.

scottsmusic-622-405281 Wow, caught this wildly unbalanced "crapterpiece" on basic cable and could not believe how times have changed, you could never make this today - and why would you want to? This movie is in a lower class by itself. The killing here is random and wimpy, nobody seems bothered at all as people get murdered left and right with no affect. I understand this is trying to be a comedy, but you'll find none blacker. Kirk Douglas role basically takes Newman's character from Cool Hand Luke and removes everything likable or charming from it. Henry Fonda is as wooden as a wagon wheel and the rest of the cast does their best to clean up the mess. Racism, sexism, homosexuality, rape, robbery, murder - it's all here and you don't care at all. And I can't help but bitch about the score, which was perhaps the worst and most inappropriate of any Western, maybe any movie! Imagine a contemporary 70s style urban soundtrack from a Gene Wilder film or a Mel Brooks feature and you get the idea. Ugh - even basic cable could do better.

FightingWesterner There Was A Crooked Man... is a bawdy and rowdy but morally bankrupt comedy that fits well with the anti-establishment sentiments at the time of it's release. It's a bit long but is helped considerably by an excellent cast and witty script.Kirk Douglas gives a good performance as a feisty outlaw in a territorial prison who squirreled away $500,000 in cash before being caught. Before long, he's using the unrecovered loot to gather around him a group of cons to help in his escape.The film is marred though, by Douglas' treacherous turn in the last act. He goes from lovable rogue to murderous backstabber at the drop of a hat, cold bloodily murdering friend and foe alike during his food fight, turned riot, turned escape attempt. Although his murderous streak is revealed at the beginning of the film, it's still quite unsettling to watch him kill people that the audience thought he bonded with.It's especially hard to watch Kirk double-cross the teenage boy played by Michael Blodgett, as he's really the only essentially good person in the entire film.Overall it's a bit overrated but still somewhat entertaining.