Day 218 - Shane

Thursday November 24, 2011

Shane (1953) directed by George Stevens

"There's no living with a killing. There's no going back from it. Right or wrong, it's a brand, a brand that sticks." - Shane

Check out my swag I walk like a ball player

No matter where you go you are what you are player

And you can try to change but that's just the top layer

Man you was who you was before you got here.

                                             - Jay-Z

That is the second time I've used that Jay-Z lyric but it is such a fitting sentiment for those who believe that people can't change who they are. It is an especially common theme in the wandering warrior mythology of movies; restless warriors struggling against their pasts and their very nature only to have to fight again to save the day. This idea is used extensively in westerns with the lone gun slinger arriving into town. He is mysterious and unassuming, not wishing to cause trouble, but inevitably trouble will find him. In Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood's character begins the film as an old family man decades removed from being a stone cold killer, but by the end of the film he finally channels his inner demons to become the son of a bitch he always was. In Shane, Shane is a seasoned traveller wandering form place to place. He is quiet and reserved, almost to the point of being non-threatening, but there is a mysterious darkness looming over him that he cannot shake off. Trouble always seems to find him or perhaps he seeks it out; it is the only life he knows.

Shane wanders through Joe Starret's farm and is already on his way out when he involves himself in a confrontation that he has no business in. Rather than going on his way as we get the impression he normally would, Shane instead volunteers to work for Joe at the farm. He wishes to live a normal peaceful life with the Starrets, but inadvertently inherits their troubles in the process. The plot of the film revolves around a powerful rancher Rufus Ryker trying to drive Joe and his neighbors off their land, but the heart of the film is in Shane's attempts at finding the inner peace and happiness he desires.

Shane finds a little bit of that happiness. He likes working for the Starrets. He admires Joe's hard work and integrity. There is an unspoken bond with Joe's wife Marian and little Joey idolizes Shane. There are some expected bumps along the way. Shane is confronted by Rkyer's men, taking their abuse silently when the viewer knows he could kick every one of their asses. When push comes to shove that is exactly what happens in one of the more prolonged and physical barroom brawls I've ever seen. When Joe and his neighbors still refuse to leave, Rkyer brings in a hired gun, the ominous Wilson. It becomes apparent that a final confrontation is inevitable. Shane must save the day but in doing so he must shed the peaceful life he so desperately wanted. As he tells Joey, once the line has been crossed, there is no turning back. He will save the farm but will never be able to come back to it.

Shane has a very strong mythology to it. Shane is the wandering warrior, the lone gunslinger, the honorable samurai all rolled into one. That is one part the film nailed. The rest of the film is not quite as strong as the title character. It is sort of strange just how dark and serious some aspects of the film is and just how campy it feels in other parts. I'm not a huge fan of the romanticized frontier setting that so many of the old westerns have. Much of Shane is mired in this sort of cheesy cliched ambiance, yet there are some parts that just stick out with how dark and mature it feels. 

There are two scenes in particular that would fit right into the darker parts of Unforgiven. One is when Torrey is goaded into a duel with Wilson. Torrey walks gingerly through the cold wet mud. Most likely he walks this way as to not muddy his boots but perhaps it is because he knows he is walking to his death. I actually jumped a little when the shot is fired because like Torrey, I wasn't ready for it. He is killed rather unceremoniously, left to lay in the cold wet mud. It is a really chilling scene. The other scene is the showdown between Shane and Wilson in the bar. There is a great deal of tension and bad-assery involved; it reminded me a lot of the final showdown in Unforgiven.

Side note: Relying a lot on children in a movie can be very risky because in general children are bad actors and the kid who plays Joey is really bad. It also doesn't help his character is annoying as hell.

Grade: B