Pursued

A man (Robert Mitchum) finds himself the target of a lawman (Dean Jagger) for reasons he can’t understand.

Pursued, despite the horses and saloons, isn’t a western, it’s a film-noir in a western setting.

Despite a very awkward framing device, wherein Robert Mitchum’s character tells his sister-wife (yeah, he’s adopted, but it’s still kinda weird) their life story, all of which she already knew, Niven Busch’s script is fairly solid if a bit soft at the end.

Top-billed Teresa Wright has the best arc, morphing from innocent country girl into the femme-fatale noir-mainstay, though the aforementioned soft ending diminishes her performance’s impact somewhat.

Opposite her, Robert Mitchum is perfect as the stoic, cynical veteran with a chip on his shoulder that he can’t place. While Mitchum’s character is pretty thin on paper, he makes up for it with charisma and presence and winds up stealing the film from Wright.

Supporting them is Dean Jagger, who gives a stellar performance as the hate-filled lawman out to kill Mitchum’s character by any means possible.

Pursued’s biggest flaw is that it’s not confident enough to ride the story to its natural conclusion. This is a dark film, and the pat, happily-ever-after ending feels forced and artificial. Still, the story is solid enough that it could be remade today simply by changing the scenery and it would probably work.