There Was A Crooked Man... is a bawdy and rowdy but morally bankrupt comedy that fits well with the anti-establishment sentiments at the time of it's release. It's a bit long but is helped considerably by an excellent cast and witty script.
Kirk Douglas gives a good performance as a feisty outlaw in a territorial prison who squirreled away $500,000 in cash before being caught. Before long, he's using the unrecovered loot to gather around him a group of cons to help in his escape.
The film is marred though, by Douglas' treacherous turn in the last act. He goes from lovable rogue to murderous backstabber at the drop of a hat, cold bloodily murdering friend and foe alike during his food fight, turned riot, turned escape attempt. Although his murderous streak is revealed at the beginning of the film, it's still quite unsettling to watch him kill people that the audience thought he bonded with.
It's especially hard to watch Kirk double-cross the teenage boy played by Michael Blodgett, as he's really the only essentially good person in the entire film.
Overall it's a bit overrated but still somewhat entertaining.
Kirk Douglas gives a good performance as a feisty outlaw in a territorial prison who squirreled away $500,000 in cash before being caught. Before long, he's using the unrecovered loot to gather around him a group of cons to help in his escape.
The film is marred though, by Douglas' treacherous turn in the last act. He goes from lovable rogue to murderous backstabber at the drop of a hat, cold bloodily murdering friend and foe alike during his food fight, turned riot, turned escape attempt. Although his murderous streak is revealed at the beginning of the film, it's still quite unsettling to watch him kill people that the audience thought he bonded with.
It's especially hard to watch Kirk double-cross the teenage boy played by Michael Blodgett, as he's really the only essentially good person in the entire film.
Overall it's a bit overrated but still somewhat entertaining.