Pursued is a very decent picture, very nicely shot, darkly imaginative, and dripping with Noir style, but if it's actually a Noir film then that really is up for debate, as is, if this film really is a Western? It wasn't quite what I was hoping for, and in truth it was a little too offbeat for the frame of mind I was in, but it's definitely one I'll go back to at some point to re-evaluate prepared with the awareness of what type of film it actually is. Robert Mitchum {excellent}is Jeb Rand, who is constantly pursued by assailants all his life. The film is told in flashback from his childhood tragedy when his family were all murdered, with him being the only survivor. Upon learning that there was indeed a survivor, the killers set about erasing Jeb from the planet, thus Jeb spends all his life trying to find out what the hell is going on, and just why did his adoptive mother raise him in the first place?

An oddity of sorts because Pursued is thinly embracing a number of genres, stretching the elements of each strand to create a film that once viewed, leaves one very intrigued as to its purpose......... 7/10

In the turn of the Nineteenth century, the orphan Jeb Rand is raised by Mrs. Callum (Judith Anderson) with her daughter Thorley and her son Adam. Jeb has a trauma with recollections of boots and flashes of light and Adam envies him. When Jeb is shot by the one-armed Grant Callum (Dean Jagger),Ms. Callum goes to the hotel and tells his relative to stop the family feud and forget Jeb. Years later, Grant is a prosecutor and presses Jeb (Robert Mitchum) to fight in the war against the Spanish. When Jeb returns a decorated hero, he courts Thor (Teresa Wright) and proposes her. But Jeb has an argument with Adam that was poisoned by Grant and Adam snipes his step-brother while he is riding trying to kill him. However, Jeb shots him in self-defense and is declared non-guilty by the court. But Grant has not given-up to kill the last Rand.

"Pursued" is a great western by Raoul Walsh that blends western and film-noir creating an unforgettable film about a family feud with a revengeful man. The locations and the camera work are astonishing and top-notch. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Sua Única Saída" ("His Only Exit")

Considering that the film stars Robert Mitchum AND is not just another recycled plot, I am willing to cut it some slack since the story itself seems a bit hard to believe....no, it's VERY hard to believe. Because 95% of all westerns have one of about five basic plots (maybe even four),the 5% that are NOT are gems. So the fact that this film is NOT about uppity Indians, nasty bosses determined to chase farmers/sheep herders/the little guy off their land, trying to bring a guy to justice despite the town not willing to get involved, it's well worth seeing.

The film begins with a young boy being raised by a woman and her kid after the boy lost his family. Exactly how is not revealed until the end, but having the grown boy (Mitchum) 'suddenly' remember what happened when he was a kid and how the family was killed was annoying--since life doesn't work that way. The rest of the intervening story is a series of run-ins with his foster-mother's extended family--they want to kill the boy as 'he's no good' and again and again the guy is forced to kill to defend himself. Each time he kills, it proves to this family he's bad--but THEY are the ones constantly trying to kill him! See the film to see more about why and in the process see some darn good acting. In addition to Mitchum (who's always great),I liked Dean Jagger--he played a despicable guy very well. Well worth seeing.