Oklahoma Kid (1939)

Buy This Item Oklahoma Kid (1939) by MGM (Video & DVD)  Available from Amazon  $19.98  on 11-16-2008     An unlikely James Cagney stars as the Oklahoma Kid, a gunman wanted by the law, who gets mixed up in the fight against the corruption of the newly settled and built Tulsa. Humphrey Bogart (with the great character name of "Whip McCord") has taken over the town, and when the citizens start trying to reclaim their town, Cagney gets drawn into the fight for personal reasons. Unfortunately, as big a fan as I am of Cagney, it's very hard to swallow him as a horseriding gunman. He puts in a good effort at it and seems to be enjoying himself, but he just doesn't fit into the Old West. Of course, Bogart doesn't fit in either. Dressed all in black (a not-so-subtle message about his character), he sneers his way through the film. Rosemary Lane as the love interest doesn't bring much to the character or film, while Donald Crisp as her father and town judge is solid as usual. There's plenty of action and shooting, and there was some potential with the story, but this film isn't much more than a miscast, routine Western. Nonetheless, it's worth a look to see gangsters out West. Reader Reviews I like The Oklahoma Kid, mainly because it features 2 of my favorite actors, Cagney and Bogart. It's also an entertaining B-Western picture from Warner Brothers. Don't expect anything profound. Bogart is not nearly as good as he is the John Huston's 1948 masterpeice, Treasure of the Sierra Madre. James Cagney is not nearly as good as he is in Raoul Walsh's 1949 masterpeice, White Heat. However, The Oklahoma Kid is a fun western film, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. A good way to kill 80 minutes. Check it out. ***1/2 (of *****), too bad Amazon doesn't use half-star intervals, huh?

Oklahoma Kid (1939) Available from Amazon Price: $19.98 Updated on 11-16-2008.

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