Movie Review: The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958)
Synopsis: Looking to boost sales at his family's London gunsmith business, Jonathan Tibbs travels to America to sell weapons in the wild west and arrives in Fractured Jaw, a town that is caught in the middle of a violent land feud. When he tells residents he is in the "gun business," they assume he means he is a gunslinger and, after a night of drinking, Tibbs accidentally agrees to be sheriff. The only person who knows the truth about Tibbs is the local saloon owner, Kate, who falls in love with him while trying to teach him how to shoot a gun.
Who's in it? The movie stars Kenneth More, Jayne Mansfield, Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot and William Campbell.
Review: I came across The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw a few days ago and since the description reminded me a bit of one of my favorite Don Knotts' movies, The Shakiest Gun in the West, I decided to add it to my library. I ended up watching it this morning and it turned out to be an entertaining film.
I think the thing I liked best about this film was how Tibbs (More) never seemed to quite understand just how much danger he was in. This led to him doing quite a few things, such as stopping a Native American attack on a stagecoach, that could easily be misconstrued as bravery when, in fact, it was just ignorance. This made the movie a bit less predictable than films like this usually end up being, especially as more and more people were plotting against him.
I also found I liked Kate (Mansfield). She was a strong female character that was easy to respect, and I liked how even the toughest outlaws in Fractured Jaw seemed to be afraid of her. This made her likable as a love interest for Tibbs as well because she was an equal partner in that relationship rather than a damsel in distress.
That said, I do think the movie rushed that relationship just a little bit. Kate went from not liking Tibbs to being in love with him kind of fast. Even though I thought they made a good couple, I would have liked to see the movie grow that relationship a bit more organically. The film is nearly 2 hours in length so there was plenty of time for that.
The end of the movie was surprising clever, partly because of how the film set it up and how Tibbs manages to stick to his moral values, saving the day without firing a shot. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting to happen when he was facing down dozens of people looking to kill him.
Final Opinion: I liked The Shakiest Gun in the West a bit more, but this was still an entertaining and surprisingly funny western that I'm glad I took the time to watch.
My Grade: B+
_____________________________________________________________________
Movie Review: In the Money (1958)
Movie Review: High School Hellcats (1958)
Comments
Post a Comment