Dallas

Before his Oscar-winning role in 1952's High Noon, Gary Cooper's career was heading for the doldrums. Ageing and thought to be past his prime, he had become hard to cast, and in general his vehicles had become unworthy of their star - as is the case with this very average Warner Bros Technicolor western. Coop has little to do - and looks uncomfortable doing it - as a former Confederate officer seeking revenge on the men who burned his home. By the time this movie was made, the epic town-taming western was heading for its final showdown, and this did little to prolong the journey.