Silver Lode (1954)

☆ ☆ ½

Silver Lode (1954) – A. Dwan

Noirish western (in color) that sees second string lead actor John Payne nearly strung up based on circumstantial evidence when a self-styled avenging Federal Marshall (Dan Duryea) turns up in town – on the 4^th of July, also Payne’s wedding day.  As in High Noon, Payne finds that his so-called friends in the town where he has made his home for the past two years are suddenly reluctant to stand by him and willing to back “the law” even though there are good reasons to believe that the Marshall, named McCarty, is on a crusade and won’t be stopped by laws or otherwise.  Obviously, this film was designed as a rebuke to Senator Joe McCarthy and his friends over in the House Un-American Activities Committee who encouraged the blacklist in Hollywood (that stopped suspected Communists from working on any films).  It is pretty overt.  However, Payne’s background has nothing to do with socialism or even community feeling – he is accused of killing a man over a poker game gone sour.  Allen Dwan’s direction is relatively undistinguished and the whole thing feels a bit rickety in this day and age.  But, that said, it comes as no shock to find that we still have grand-standing politicians (around the world) who will try to make a career by speaking loudly and belligerently about their “values” pillorying those who seem to affront them.  Go away ye petty tyrants and wake up sleeping masses.