Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

There Was a Crooked Man... Blu-ray Movie Review

With friends like these, who needs friends?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 15, 2021

Though it's categorized as a Western, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's There Was a Crooked Man... doesn't always feel like one. Sure, there's at least one holdup, a tin-star sheriff, a couple of gunfights, maybe seven or eight horses, and plenty of sun... but it's really more of a prison movie with generous doses of comedy, drama, and even a little tension for good measure. Said prison is an Arizona penitentiary five miles from everywhere, where life is tough under the thumb of warden Francis LeGoff (Martin Gabel) and escape is next to impossible. But a few recent arrivals inject some life into the joint, including hunky accidental murderer Coy Cavendish (Michael Blodgett), religious hucksters Dudley Whinner (Hume Cronyn) and Cyrus McNutt (John Randolph), and the crooked man himself, Paris Pitman Jr. (Kirk Douglas), who brazenly stole $500,000 and buried it in a literal snake pit before his arrest and prison sentence.

Paris immediately makes an impression on his fellow inmates and the guards too, even cutting a deal with the warden to allow his escape in exchange for half of that buried money... but when LeGoff is killed during an uprising, there's a new sheriff in town: Woodward Lopeman (Henry Fonda), who coincidentally arrested Paris in the first place. Whoops. Surprisingly, the two polar opposites end up joining forces to improve prison conditions, even putting some of the men to work building a dining hall that's later shown off when the governor (J. Edward McKinley) stops by for a visit along with other guests, including a pretty young schoolteacher (Barbara Rhoades). But it's no surprise that Paris is really playing a long con, using the celebration to distract from his latest escape attempt. Things don't go exactly according to plan, leading to a riot that leaves several inmates dead and warden Lopeman with egg on his face.

Written by David Newman and Robert Benton (whose previous collaboration was Bonnie and Clyde, released only three years prior), There Was a Crooked Man shares similar hallmarks with that more well-known film: charismatic leads, a cynical slant, and a wavering moral compass... but hey, at least this one ends on a more amusing note. The terrific character setups, punchy dialogue, and solid production design make this a uniquely satisfying experience and one that's well worth revisiting every so often, even though Mankiewicz's film still falls short of greatness.

Running a bit long at 126 minutes, There Was a Crooked Man certainly moves at a languid pace but, thanks to its enjoyable lead and supporting performances -- not to mention the strong script, which serves up almost too many great dialogue exchanges to count -- those extra minutes don't work too hard against it. (Though it may be nothing more than a rumor, I've even heard the original cut ran approximately 165 minutes before the studio intervened.) And while it could easily have been trimmed by 20 minutes or more with little sacrifice, perhaps the only real problem here is the film's inconsistent tone: it's playful, introspective, and comedic during some stretches, but dreary and depressing in others. This juxtaposition doesn't always work well -- or at all, in some cases -- which, combined with our central character's charming but decidedly amoral demeanor, leaves something of a bitter aftertaste. But There Was a Crooked Man does much more right than wrong and, if nothing else, at least deserves a critical re-evaluation due to its mostly forgotten nature... especially considering the terrific cast, which includes supporting roles for the likes of Warren Oates, Burgess Meredith, Lee Grant, and even Alan Hale Jr., only three years removed from Gilligan's Island.

All told, it's an occasionally uneven but still solidly entertaining production that's worth (re)discovering and, as usual, Warner Archive's new Blu-ray is the best way to watch it. Serving up another top-tier 1080p transfer, terrific lossless audio, and a few lightweight legacy extras carried over from Warner Bros.' 2006 DVD, There Was a Crooked Man is another rock-solid catalog release from the boutique label that die-hard fans should really enjoy.

There Was a Crooked Man... Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although Warner Archive was uncharacteristically quiet about the specific source material used for this month's batch of releases, fans of the studio can rest assured knowing that There Was a Crooked Man is up to their typical high level of quality. At the time of this writing, all of their catalog titles come from 2K or 4K scans of either the original camera negative or the best surviving elements, including but not limited to interpositives. While I'm not familiar enough with There Was a Crooked Man's cinematography to know its particular stock or source history, this is a beautiful 1080p transfer that really captures the film's lived-in atmosphere, from sun-baked exteriors to dark and claustrophobic jail cells. (The former were mostly shot at a specially-built set in California's Joshua Tree National Park, while I believe some scenes were filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot.) As usual, textures and fine detail are extremely impressive in close-ups and wide shots alike, while the latter look especially good set against the rocky terrain. The era-specific color palette favors earth tones but finds room for a few creative lighting schemes and strong primaries, including the blue-orange cell interiors, Mrs. Bullard's light green dress, and the colorful chalk drawings of Dudley Whinner. The transfer as a whole is extremely clean with plenty of room for film grain, and it's compressed well with no apparent signs of manipulation, artifacts, or banding. Just a rich and film-like image, and one that that continues the boutique label's ongoing mission of putting out some of the best-looking deep catalog titles in the business.

Unfortunately, the usual video clips showing off new WAC transfers have not been posted to their YouTube channel in at least two months. It's unknown whether or not they will resume posting them in the future.

There Was a Crooked Man... Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not to be outdone is the Blu-ray's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which directly translates There Was a Crooked Man's one-channel source audio to your left and right speakers; this can be changed to a true one-channel presentation in your receiver's settings. Dialogue and background come through clean and clear and, while some thinner elements of this mix can be chalked up to source material limitations, others are surprisingly robust including gunfire, at least one particularly big explosion, and the original score by Charles Strouse, who was perhaps best known for his contributions to musicals including the original stage versions of Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. Either way, this is a solid-sounding mix overall and one that's free from any perceivable hiss, crackle, distortion, drop-outs, or sync issues.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only -- not the extras. This is really annoying since subtitles do in fact exist on the DVD version they were sourced from, but they haven't been ported over.

There Was a Crooked Man... Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original one-sheet poster art, no inserts, and two extras.

• Vintage Featurette: On Location (10:25) - More of a sizzle reel for up-and-coming actor Michael Blodgett (who had just appeared in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and would later write a few films including Turner and Hooch), this odd promotional piece gives a nice overview the on-set experience, a summary of the plot and characters, and a tour of the desert-built prison set. It's a pretty cool time capsule, at the very least.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:02) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

There Was a Crooked Man... Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joseph Mankiewicz's There Was a Crooked Man is tonally inconsistent, somewhat meandering, a little overlong... and still loads of fun, thanks to its extremely stacked cast and a great script. Both keep the momentum rolling well enough even during a few unnecessary side-plots and speed bumps, creating what's ultimately a worthwhile experience and something of a hidden gem. Warner Archive's Blu-ray, as usual, delivers the goods with yet another top-level 1080p transfer, strong lossless audio, and the legacy extras -- limited as they are -- from their parent company's 2006 DVD. Recommended to established fans of the movie or cast, but outsiders may want to try before they buy.