Rating of
3/4
Jubal - great little western
MovieAddict - wrote on 04/09/12
* This review contains spoilers*
I am not really a lover of westerns but what’s a gal to do when her hubby wakes her up early on the one morning, yea Sundays that I permit myself to sleep a measly hour later than my usual 5am? He insisted that this western would be better than one of those romantic eBooks I usually devour on my kindle. With that in mind I set out to watch Jubal without the necessary popcorn, chips and soda because it was THAT early. I have to admit it really wasn’t too bad a watch and had all the drama, action and shenanigans worthy of Jezebel herself to keep me mesmerized and engrossed with its main characters who were all caught in a web of jealousy and suppressed emotions similar to that of Shakespeare “Othello.”
The movie begins when Jubal, (Glenn Ford) a wandering drifter is rescued from near dying by a passing cattle king Shep (Ernest Borgnine). The kindly Shep takes him back to his spacious ranch where he recuperates. Shep hires him to work on his ranch and later promotes him to foreman much to the distain of another cowhand Pinky (Rod Steiger) who has taken an instant dislike to the stranger. Trouble boils over when Shep's much younger, beautifu and deeply disenchanted wife - Mae (she's Canadian so that no doubt accounts for her French accent) gets the “hots” for the new cowboy and ditches the jealous Pinky with whom she had been fooling around unknown to the oblivious Shep.
Jubal is too grateful to the big-hearted Shep for having saved his life so he doesn’t succumb to the temptation of cuckooing his new found friend and boss but Pinky's hatred and jealously of Jubal causes him to insinuate that the two timing Mae and Jubal have betrayed him thus inciting Shep's jealousy and rage.
Meanwhile Jubal is in enamored with Naomi, (Felicia Farr) a sweet young member of a religious wagon train passing through the ranch on their way to the promised land. Unfortunately for Jubal she is about to be married to some other guy. And that sets the stage for the later events where an infuriated Shep confronts Jubal intending to kill him.
His faithful friend Reb (Charles Bronson) flips the gun to Jubal just in time and Shep is shot dead much to the regret of Jubal. The gleeful Pinky seizes the opportunity to round up a posse and go after Jubal who has taken refuge in the wagon train but not before confronting Mae with dire consequences – for her.
A great little film and Charles Bronson plays a supporting role that I wish had been bigger. If you like Westerns, this one ought to be satisfying enough; at least my better half was. Or perhaps it was just me watching it with him that made it so much more alluring lol.
