I stumbled across “Warlock” on AMC a few years ago and was surprised that I had never heard of this marvelous flick before. (Probably more my ignorance than anything). It’s a terrific western, with complex characters and rich themes. Warlock is also a morality play, one that interweaves a number of themes: loyalty, justice and the rule of law. And, it does so in a complex, thoughtful way, but there is no moral equivocating. You may understand the forces at work and all the personal demons that come into play, but the viewer can still see the bright line between right and wrong very clearly.
Ultimately, Warlock is a story of redemption, and I’m always a sucker for stories of redemption. Henry Fonda plays the gunfighter, brought on as marshal to bring the cowboys terrorizing the town of Warlock under control. But Fonda’s character, Clay Blaisedell has a checkered past and his methods of law enforcement are a bit, shall we say, questionable. Blaisedell represents the old, wild, west and the town fathers decide that it’s time for something more, something better. It’s time for the rule of law to replace vigilante justice.
So they turn to Johnny Gannon (Richard Widmark) a reformed outlaw determined to make something better of his life. Gannon is not even appointed sheriff, but deputy sheriff, further emphasizing the distinction between his tenuous – but legal – authority and Blaisedell’s powerful, yet extra-legal, presence.
I’ve never been much of a fan of Widmark’s work. His acting, to my untrained eye, is wooden, in a Gregory Peck sort of way. No matter. The story is so rich, and Gannon’s choices so intriguing, that you could have a cardboard cut out playing the role and it would not matter. Gannon knows that he is not Blaisedell’s equal in a gunfight. He knows that the town’s erstwhile support for his mission is extremely shaky. But he is driven, more than anyone else in the film, by the irresistible desires to do the right thing and to redeem his life, even if it costs him that life.
Complicating everything is Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn), Blaisedell’s sidekick and sometime protector. Morgan covers for his hero/friend and his entire concept of self-worth is based on his buddy’s honored position as the baddest of the bad asses. If Gannon is successful in his quest, Blaisedell would be reduced to an anachronism, and Morgan can’t abide that.
There is also a romance involved, one that is equally full of choices. Everybody must make painful decisions – choices that lead to redemption or an ignominious downfall. Their decisions, and how they get there, make for great theater.
Oh, and – as you can tell from the picture – Bones is in it too. “I’m a gunfighter Jim, not some kind of a damned moral symbol!”
Actually a riff on the Wyatt Earp saga. A little modernist for my taste, but my memories of the movie are vague.
I always liked Widmark. Not the typical Hollywood pretty-boy, and lots of grit.
And he was born in Minnesota!
Great film. How many films had Fonda play the villain? I always think of this one (and villain may be too strong a term) and “Once Upon a Time in the West” (where villain may be too gentle a term). I always thought Widmark did a great job, especially how he portrayed the fear associated with going up against Fonda. And then there’s Bones, “I promised you a fair fight, Johnny.”
Would you consider Col. Owen Thursday from Fort Apache a villain? I’ve often though he’s merely an antagonist but not really evil.