Restless Breed, The (1957)

Restless Breed, The (1957)

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“Yes, I’m upset — and I’ll probably stay that way for a long time.”

Synopsis:
A lawyer (Scott Brady) seeking vengeance for the death of his Secret Service Agent father falls for a beautiful half-Indian woman (Anne Bancroft) being raised alongside her younger siblings by a pseudo-preacher (Rhys Williams) in a small Texas town.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Allan Dwan Films
  • Anne Bancroft Films
  • Cross-Cultural Romance
  • Revenge
  • Westerns

Review:
One of pioneering director Allan Dwan’s final films was this simple western about a man seeking justice and confronting baddies. There’s not much nuance to anything going on here — from the opening scene in which Brady learns about his father’s death (and gets to point his finger very specifically to the spot on the map where it happened):

… to the torrid dance Bancroft performs while Brady watches with prurient lust, and her guardian (Williams) watches with… well, let’s call it trepidation:

(Thankfully, he has a painting of her dancing to glance up at again and again throughout the film, to remind us of his horror.)

We see an oft-repeated glimpse of someone sneaking a peak at barroom action through a colorfully wallpapered peephole:

… leading to some “suspense” about who this might be; and we’re “treated” to a relentless theme (in a score by Edward L. Alperson Jr.) that appears over… and over… and over again in various iterations and instrumentations. (Be forewarned: it’s an earworm.) There’s really not much to the rest of the storyline, but I’m sure western fans at the time were simply happy to watch multiple shoot-outs handled with efficiency.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography for a low-budget film

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious.

Links:

One thought on “Restless Breed, The (1957)”

  1. First viewing (5/14/21). Not must-see.

    This is as ‘standard’ as a standard western gets. It’s practically paint-by-number..

    I wouldn’t exactly call it a terrible film – but I would call it a dull one. Dwan is generally a competent director but here he is hard-pressed in making this film memorable.

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