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Silver Lode

Silver Lode

Western · 1954

Dan Ballard, a respected citizen in the western town of Silver Lode, has his wedding interrupted by four men led by Ned McCarty, an old acquaintance who, as a US Marshal, arrests Ballard for the murder of his brother and the theft of $20,000. Ballard seeks to stall McCarty while tracking down evidence that will prove his innocence.

Movie details

Silver Lode

“While the mob waits they match bullet for bullet… life for life!”

1954 Western 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.8 / 10

2.4K votes

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Dan Ballard, a respected citizen in the western town of Silver Lode, has his wedding interrupted by four men led by Ned McCarty, an old acquaintance who, as a US Marshal, arrests Ballard for the murder of his brother and the theft of $20,000. Ballard seeks to stall McCarty while tracking down evidence that will prove his innocence.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Silver Lode?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Gunfighter

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Allan Dwan

Written by

Karen DeWolf

John Payne

John Payne

Dan Ballard

Lizabeth Scott

Lizabeth Scott

Rose Evans

Dan Duryea

Dan Duryea

Fred McCarty

Dolores Moran

Dolores Moran

Dolly

Emile Meyer

Emile Meyer

Sheriff Wooley

Robert Warwick

Robert Warwick

Judge Cranston

John Hudson

John Hudson

Michael 'Mitch' Evans

Court is in session

Put Silver Lode on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Patience is part of the point.”

Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“A test of endurance, your honour.”

Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.