

Outlaw and self-appointed lawmaker Judge Roy Bean rules over an empty stretch of the West that gradually grows, under his iron fist, into a thriving town, while dispensing his his own quirky brand of frontier justice upon strangers passing by.
Acting
Newman at his most unhinged and pathetic
Direction
Huston's cynical eye eats the myth whole
Cinematography
Wide Texas emptiness that mocks human ambition

Director
John Huston
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Newman and Huston fought constantly; Newman resented Huston's drinking and Huston thought Newman was too controlling. The mutual contempt somehow perfects the film's bitter tone.
Released during Watergate, Bean's self-serving corruption of justice played as accidental political commentary. The real Bean was likely less theatrical and more purely murderous.
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