There Was a Crooked Man is a 1970 Western directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which wound up being the only film he directed in this genre. The film stars Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas, a pair of screen icons.
The story is about Paris Pittman, Jr. (Kirk Douglas, Out of the Past) a criminal that has some charm that he uses to his advantage, paired with a violent streak, making him all the deadlier. During a robbery where he kills members of his own gang, he is found, captured, and sent to a prison in an isolated spot in Arizona. Before he was captured Pittman had hidden some loot that he offers to his cellmates if they help him escape. Sheriff Woodward W. Lopeman (Henry Fonda, The Wrong Man) is the warden of the cell, dumps all the hardship that Pittman and his cellmates had been going through in favor of teaching them to be more humanitarian and respectful. Eventually Pittman escapes with Lopeman in hot pursuit!
Even though this is a fine film, that boasts an ensemble of veteran actors, (including Alan Hale, Jr, Warren Oates, Gene Evans, and Burgess Meredith) and excellent cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr., Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s There Was a Crooked Man… was not much of a Western and feels more like a prison movie. It was like watching Big House USA or The Big House in a Western setting. Outside of the horseback riding, the ingredients that go into a Western just were not there. I also felt the film was overlong at 126 minutes, which at times made the film move at a sluggish pace, waiting for something consequential to happen!
There Was a Crooked Man… debuts on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive. The 1080p image quality is top-notch with rich colors, particularly outdoor scenes with the panoramic views of the landscape. There is an abundance of details and rich textures throughout the video presentation.
The English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 soundtrack is excellent as the dialog and other action sounds come in perfectly clear with no hissing, crackling, pops, or other issues detected. English subtitles are available.
Warner Archive provides a couple of features for this release. There is a featurette, entitled “On Location with There was a Crooked Man” which discusses the picture, and a theatrical trailer.
This release of There Was a Crooked Man…is a dandy with great audio and video quality. For those who have yet to see this movie, it is worth giving it a spin. Fans of this film will almost certainly enjoy this release, now presented in high definition!
There Was a Crooked Man…
Director- Joseph Mankiewicz
Cast- Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda
Country of Origin- US
Distributor –Warner Archive Collection / Warner Brothers
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-7/15/21