Product Details

• Actors: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Don DeFore, Donald Crisp, Preston Foster
• Directors: André De Toth
• Writers: C. Graham Baker, Cecile Kramer, Jack Moffitt, Luke Short
• Producers: Eugene Strong, Harry Sherman
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301598989
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,298 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An esteemed educator in L.A. used to show Ramrod to his film noir classes. A Joel McCrea Western a film noir? Few noirs come packing more deception, betrayal, ambiguity (psychological and narrative), and sadism (physical and psychological). Add a camera strategy that habitually latches on to a character and backtracks before him as he enters an unknown environment, and you've got a fine study in (fully justified) frontier paranoia. André De Toth claimed that the assignment was handed off to him by John Ford, no less. There's nothing Fordian about Ramrod, but it does anticipate the run of edgy Westerns that De Toth would direct in the '50s. Excellent cast, including Mrs. De Toth (Veronica Lake) as a femme fatale with father issues; a distinctive, sharply imagined Western town; an innovative sound mix attentive to nature and environment; and strong cinematography by Russell Harlan, soon to become Howard Hawks's favorite cameraman. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Range wars and then some, September 1, 2006

By 

Noel Bjorndahl "Golden Years" (Winmalee, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ramrod [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of the bitterest of all range war westerns, Ramrod is an early example of Andre De Toth's muscular intensity that characterises all his work in the genre through the string of very satisfying Randolph Scotts in the 50s to the extremely bleak Day of the Outlaw (1959). Joel McCrea is just fine as the initially weak cowpoke who tries to keep peace on the range in the face of two rival camps, one led by rancher's daughter Veronica Lake (in a ferocious, chilling performance) and the other by tough hombre Preston Foster, who loves and is rejected by her.

De Toth handles the complex plot and screenplay with his usual sharp explorations of shifting allegiances and betrayals of trust; Don Defore's edgy performance as McCrea's erstwhile friend is pivotal in embodying the film's dark mood and tone which some commentators have labelled noir.

It's great to see some of the Scott/De Toths on or soon to be released on DVD. Why not this film? Its brooding sense of evil is quite extreme.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great psychological film noir!, September 15, 2000

By 

Justymusty (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramrod [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an interesting western about power struggle and doing whatever it takes to get what you want! Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake give good performances and look for a young Lloyd Bridges!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Film noir Western, April 4, 2000

By 

Boyd D. Cathey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramrod [VHS] (VHS Tape)

RAMROD is a superb little 'film noir' western; McCrea and Veronica Lake mesmerize. This film repays re-viewing.