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The Return of Frank James

The Return of Frank James

Western · 1940

Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.

Movie details

The Return of Frank James

“Encore triumph from 20th Century-Fox.”

1940 Western 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.

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 The Return of Frank James?

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.

Badland

Badland

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Decision at Sundown

Decision at Sundown

Western · 1957

A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.

Jesse James

Jesse James

Western · 1939

After railroad agents forcibly evict the James family from their family farm, Jesse and Frank turn to banditry for revenge.

The Bravados

The Bravados

Western · 1958

Jim Douglass arrives in the small town of Rio Arriba in order to witness the hanging of the four men he believes murdered his wife. When the convicts escape, Jim tracks them into Mexico, determined to see that justice is done. But the farther Jim goes in his quest for vengeance, the more merciless he becomes, losing himself in an unrelenting spiral of hatred and violence.

The Left Handed Gun

The Left Handed Gun

Western · 1958

When a crooked sheriff murders his employer, William "Billy the Kid" Bonney decides to avenge the death by killing the man responsible, throwing the lives of everyone around him into turmoil, and endangering the General Amnesty set up by Governor Wallace to bring peace to the New Mexico Territory.

Nevada Smith

Nevada Smith

Western · 1966

Nevada Smith is the alias of Max Sand, the son of an Indian mother and American father. When they are killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to avenge them. The young man is taken in by a gun merchant who shows him how to shoot, on time and correctly.

Day of the Outlaw

Day of the Outlaw

Western · 1959

Blaise Starrett is a rancher at odds with homesteaders when outlaws hold up the small town. The outlaws are held in check only by their notorious leader, but he is diagnosed with a fatal wound and the town is a powder keg waiting to blow.

Open Range

Open Range

Western · 2003

A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Western · 1976

After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to travel alone, but ragtag outcasts are drawn to him - and Wales can't bring himself to leave them unprotected.

Rancho Notorious

Rancho Notorious

Drama · 1952

A man in search of revenge infiltrates a ranch, hidden in an inhospitable region, where its owner, Altar Keane, gives shelter to outlaws fleeing from the law in exchange for a price.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Fritz Lang

Written by

Sam Hellman

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

Frank James

Jackie Cooper

Jackie Cooper

Clem

Gene Tierney

Gene Tierney

Eleanor Stone

Henry Hull

Henry Hull

Major Rufus Cobb

John Carradine

John Carradine

Bob Ford

J. Edward Bromberg

J. Edward Bromberg

George Runyan

Donald Meek

Donald Meek

McCoy

Court is in session

Put The Return of Frank James 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.