Nevada (1944) starring Robert Mitchum, Anne Jeffreys, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Nancy Gates, Richard Martin directed by Edward Killy Movie Review

Nevada (1944)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Nancy Gates, Anne Jeffreys and Robert Mitchum in Nevada (1944)

Chito's in for a Bob

With news of gold being up in the Comstock, cowboys Jim Lacy (Robert Mitchum), Dusty (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams) and Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) are tempted to speculate themselves especially when they meet Julie Dexter (Anne Jeffreys) who with her ladies are heading to Comstock. After a winning streak with the dice which sees Jim and his friends almost swindled and killed by the corrupt casino owner Jim finds himself in even more trouble when he is the first man on the scene when a prospector is whacked by two men. With Jim having $7,000 on him the posse which arrive immediately after suspect him of foul play and arrest him leading to Jim having to be clever to prove his innocence.

For a brief minute ignore the names of the actors who appear in "Nevada" and focus on the story and action and what we have is a typical b-western from the 1940s. We have the heroic young cowboy, the sidekicks, the case of being accused of a murder he didn't commit, the corrupt businessmen, the love interest and the use of stunt doubles for much of the action. Quite simply "Nevada" is nothing special at all when it comes to the storyline.

But what a difference an actor makes! What I am on about is "Nevada" stars Robert Mitchum, billed as Bob Mitchum, and because this is a Robert Mitchum movie it seems to some to automatically improve it. In truth whilst Mitchum delivers a solid performance having previously been a supporting player in various westerns his performance is no better or worse than any other young actor who appeared in westerns at this time.

What is also interesting is that Mitchum is cast alongside Richard Martin as Chito Rafferty who many know as being Tim Holt's western sidekick. What most people don't realise is that "Nevada" was the first western outing for the character of Chito having previously appeared in the war movie "Bombardier" a year earlier and it wasn't until Tim Holt returned from the war that he partnered up with Martin as Chito Rafferty.

What this all boils down to is that "Nevada" is nothing more and nothing less than a typical 1940s western b-movie which is on par with the movies of Tim Holt. But if you are a fan of Robert Mitchum I am sure this will appear to be better than other similar westerns.


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