The Naked Spur

In The Naked Spur, James Stewart plays Howard Kemp, an obsessed bounty hunter in pursuit of outlaw Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan). Unable to capture and bring back Vandergroat without help, Kemp enlists old-timer Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell) and dishonourably discharged cavalryman Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker). Vandergroat, who is looking after Lina Patch (Janet Leigh), a friend's daughter, manipulatively pits character against character.

Anthony Mann infuses a tried-and-true Western scenario with tense psychological complexity through strong, clear story-telling by Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom and vivid Technicolor scenes of the Rockies photographed by William C. Mellor.

The Naked Spur was added to the National Film Registry in 1997.