The Lusty Men

1952 Directed by Nicholas Ray

A Fast Buck... A Fast Bronc... A Fast Thrill!

Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.

Susan Hayward Robert Mitchum Arthur Kennedy Arthur Hunnicutt Frank Faylen Walter Coy Carol Nugent Maria Hart Lorna Thayer Burt Mustin Karen Randle Jimmie Dodd Eleanor Todd Robert Bray Lane Chandler Dennis Moore Marshall Reed Glenn Strange Chili Williams Sheb Wooley

113 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by FernandoFCroce 1

"Chicken today, feathers tomorrow," the independent artist’s existence. Nicholas Ray has a beautiful beginning, roughly in five swift strokes: The Brahman bull lumbers into the rodeo corral and snorts straight into the camera, which tilts up to reveal Robert Mitchum about to mount the beast, five seconds later he’s trampled in the dirt; dissolve to fanfare and dispersing crowds; dissolve to the discarded man limping out of the arena, alone with the trash and dust all around. Where have all the cowboys gone? Into the crawlspace under the dilapidated ranch, "looking for something I thought I’d lost." (Wenders re-creates the moment almost verbatim in Kings of the Road.) Sore after two decades on the saddle, the wanderer is ready for…
Review by Ethan Vestby ★★★★★

It's about Mitchum's broken dreams then it's about him seeing himself in a younger guy then it's about them kind of falling in love then it's about the wife being jealous then it's about driving down the highway at night then it's about the wife being jealous again but maybe in love with Mitchum then it's about the bromance again but maybe it's really all about the bull smashing its face into the camera, ya know?
Review by nathan smith ★★★★½ 1

those men, they're just so... *clenches fist* lusty
Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★★½ 1

Macho men and their death drive. Sort like one made a Hawks movie and replaced all the near juvenile stoicism with an acknowledgement of men’s damnation.
Review by K. Austin Collins

"Cinema is [Robert Mitchum's chin dimple]." - Jean-Luc Godard
Review by Rich ★★★★

7/10
Robert Mitchum and Susan Hayward are both really good in the rodeo melodrama. It’s a solid film from the time, and definitely enjoyable for fans of theirs.

Recent reviews

Review by Rich ★★★★

7/10
Robert Mitchum and Susan Hayward are both really good in the rodeo melodrama. It’s a solid film from the time, and definitely enjoyable for fans of theirs.
Review by Nick Pierce ★★★★½

Beautiful, muscular storytelling, with a tremendous performance from Robert Mitchum. Ray's much more hysterically dialled-up, disturbing Bigger Than Life probably has the edge for me, but it's hard to find fault with the delicate, soulful direction in evidence here.
Review by Brook Kennon ★★★½

The stars are the stars here with Mitchum, Susan Hayward and Arthur Kennedy all turning in fine performances while Ray plays mostly straight with the material. There is melodrama, but it doesn't go for the visual flourishes or emotional highs of Ray's best work and is somewhat lacking his authorial stamp. Still the cast, plot and material, particularly the little-considered physical and emotional toll of rodeo as sport, are strong enough to put this film over the top.
Review by pausansabriapac ★★★

Em fa l'efecte que Nicholas Ray sempre usa la mateixa fórmula, i esque les seves històries es guien per un "protagonista" masculí que en el seu àmbit és una llegenda casi acabada (ja sigui un pistoler, un guionista o un rodeo), però acaba centrant-se en el personatge femení "secundari".
Però això és el que fa especial les seves pelis, i es que no es limiten als cànons, i en certs moments et condueix a escenes tant maravelloses com la de dues dones a soles rebutjant ser "amas de casa".
Ray, sense dubte, sap com parlar sobre una època i les persones que la defineixen perquè es nota que parla dels entorns en els que ha viscut.
Per altre banda, això…
Review by Jon Sánchez Molina ★★★★½

Hombres Errantes es un western de deportes genuino. Una representación del entorno en los rodeos americanos y la corrupción de la propia personalidad de un deportista. El mundo que nos presenta es muy atractivo a los ojos y la construcción del drama y el romance me encanta.
La dirección de Nicholas Ray es buenisima, apenas utiliza los primeros planos que tan bien le quedarían a un drama así. Utiliza planos cortos pero amplios para remarcar la situación y el lugar en el que acontecen las acciones y sobre todo la tension un crescendo que tiene.
El desarrollo de los personajes es buenisimo, su comienzo y final son dignos y las cosas que les ocurren y las personas con las que…
Review by Vlademir Lazo ★★★★★

Esses homens que buscam ser ou possuir o que enxergam como parte de outros homens. Robert Mitchum vendo à noite o seu mais novo casal de amigos se afastarem enquanto ele precisa se recolher sozinho, algumas horas depois de reencontrar o rancho quase caindo aos pedaços de sua infância que não lhe pertence mais. Arthur Kennedy querendo a sorte que Mitchum um dia possuiu com o seu passado de cowboy. Tudo em meio a homens desfigurados, mancos, aleijados. Um círculo dantesco que faz com que estes personagens envelheçam antes do tempo, enquanto transitam entre empregados das fazendas para competidores nas arenas, colocando em risco a saúde e a vida em ambientes promíscuos, cercados pelos jogos, bebidas e mulheres. À uma…
Review by ToTheMovies ★★★★

Excellent
Review by TinyApartment ★★★★

Never would have thought I'd be so invested in a movie about rodeo hands, but here we are.
I like how it never dips into melodrama, always treating this world with respect and portraying the people in it with a nonjudgmental eye. The thrill of the violence and the danger brings these people together, but the violence and danger manifests itself again at night after a few drinks and gambling. It's a fast life, one that can become all-consuming.
The three leads are all great, grounding the movie. Ray brings along his dedication to portraying his subject matter with great care and nuance.
Review by Nora ★★★★

God tier performance from Mitchum in a film that successfully tackles many themes in one -- particularly toxic masculinity -- while also providing a strong and engaging narrative. Really terrific.