Grade: C
Synopsis: An outlaw (Richard Widmark) forces his former partner (Robert Taylor) to lead him and his gang to a stash of buried money.
The Law and Jake Wade is a mostly solid western that’s something of an amalgam of two of director John Sturges’ earlier films, Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) and Escape from Fort Bravo (1953). Unfortunately, it’s not as good as either.
Things start well enough. Richard Widmark steals the film as a deliciously cold-hearted bad guy, and Robert Taylor works a poor man’s Randolph Scott. Patricia Owens is also fine in a shallow part as Taylor’s fiancée. Soon, we meet Widmark’s gang, bringing Henry Silva, Robert Middleton and DeForest Kelley into the mix as the film hits its stride as a dark drama about loyalty, honesty, and redemption.
Unfortunately, this vibe is short-lived, as the film veers into B-western territory with an uninspired Indian attack. Not only is the sequence unnecessary, it’s not even well done. The Indians seem more like zombies that only come out at night and overwhelm their foes, not through cunning or tactics, but rather through sheer numbers. It all culminates in Widmark once again being uncannily one-step ahead of Taylor, a plot device stretched to incredulity at this point.
Granted, there are some good lines, and the cinematography by Robert Surtees is a treat, as is Widmark’s performance, but ultimately, The Law and Jake Wade can’t shake its B-grade aspirations to realize its own potential.
