The Lusty Men

A film set in the world of American rodeo. Jeff was once a well-known rider. A serious injury ended it and he went back to the ranch where he was born. There he meets a young hand named Wes. Wes wants to compete. He has no money and no experience; Jeff agrees to coach him. The two go on the circuit. Wes starts winning quickly. But as the money comes the goal changes: what began as a way to buy a ranch with his wife Louise becomes a habit, and he does not want to stop. What the film describes is that change and Louise being left in the middle. She has known what she wants from the start and neither man listens to her. The rodeo sequences were shot at real competitions with real crowds behind them. The camera stands inside the arena. Robert Mitchum plays Jeff, Susan Hayward plays Louise and Arthur Kennedy plays Wes. Nicholas Ray directed. It did not find the audience expected on release; it was later counted among the director's best work. A strong example for anyone who likes the American countryside and character-driven storytelling. For a viewer expecting action, the film looks less at the rodeo than at the tension between three people.