The Man from Colorado

After the Civil War, a Marshall (William Holden) finds himself at odds with his one-time friend (Glenn Ford), now an increasingly homicidal judge.

The Man from Colorado, despite its innocuous name, starts out brimming with potential. The Technicolor photography is great, and the premise, Glenn Ford’s character as a homicidal killer by proxy, is original and engaging. Toss in William Holden as Ford’s character’s conflicted friend and aid, and you’ve got the makings for a dynamite picture.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for things to go down hill. First, it’s the score by George Duning, which is far too intrusive, and then the script by Robert Andrews and Ben Maddow introduces a tired sub-plot involving an outlaw and his younger brother, instead of focusing on Holden and Ford’s characters. Capping it all off, the acting seems to get progressively more and more wooden as the film goes on.

That’s not to say The Man from Colorado is a total waste, just that it could have been so much more. Holden and Ford are both very good, and the cinematography by William Snyder (who would later photograph the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon) is very vivid. Unfortunately, they’re all undone by a weak script and lackluster direction.

Fans of the genre, or of Ford or Holden, will likely find this passable; just don’t dwell on what could have been.