The Outlaw (1943)
Directed by Howard Hughes
***1/4
If you've seen The Aviator, you'll remember the scene where Howard tries to convince the censor board that Jane Russell is no more exposed in his film than many starlets were in films that passed the board. And many of you probably recall the more famous poster for this film, the one many servicemen took along with them to war. Though the picture in that poster never actually occurs in the film, The Outlaw is still one of the most audacious films I have ever seen from this era. Sexual innuendo is strung throughout, particularly in a running joke about a horse named Red, and just whom he belongs to. I found myself gasping at times and pausing the film - did I just hear a sophisticated double entendre, on the level of modern-day comedy, or am I just imagining things? Now that I've completely ruled out the film for some of you, please allow me to explain that the story is also one of the most engaging western's I've seen. It's the story of Billy the Kid (Jack Beutel), Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) and Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell). That story, not Jane or the jokes, is the real strength of the film. The dialogue is just as well written when there are no jokes flying, and these characters are so well developed that some truly fascinating scenes take place. Some of them are the level of quality that they could be put on stage, but this is no stage play. It's full of action and excitement (as you would expect from Howard Hughes), and though there are puns a-plenty, there's also an engaging story about the thin line between law and lawless.
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