River of No Return (1954)

A film with Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe is hard to pass up. Sadly there is quite a bit of unevenness in this production. Visually, it is stunning. The location, Canadian scenery, and Ms. Monroe’s costumes are all beautiful. Marilyn herself is also one of the strong points; I enjoy her roles best when there are smarts and strength beneath the ditziness. Mitchum on the other hand is mostly phoning it in, burdened with a story that doesn’t offer him much to do. He wanted to start a farm with his newly recovered son and instead Monroe’s fiance comes and steals his horse and gun, so of course he must set out on a revenge mission to recover both. There’s also a group of anonymous Indians whose only job is to provide a menace to propel our characters along.